Batronyx™

You probably already know, it is kind of a joke/axiom in the blogosphere, serious bloggers don’t post about the latest adventures of their cat, because nobody but you really cares what Fluffy did today. Don’t worry I’m not going to regale with the adventures of my small herd. You may be surprised what Fluffy can teach you about problem solving though.

Animals are Problem Solvers

Would you find it interesting animals are problem solvers? Have you ever watched an animal solve a problem? I have a small herd of cats and one dog. It is endlessly fascinating to watch how they think. Have you ever watched a cat trying to climb to a higher location? They first look at where they want to be, then they start looking for possible avenues that will get them “up there”. You can see them thinking about the problem and even considering alternatives, like the posturing for the direct jump then changing their mind. Obviously the problems animals are solving aren’t “Save the World” quality. They just want to get from point A to point B, eat, or “find the ball”.

Better Communication

I bring this up because, now that I’ve established myself as a professional problem solver, I get to do the one thing animals can’t. I have to think about how I think, so I can communicate more effectively with you. Mostly, I’ve always just solved my problems, without really thinking about how I did it. Once solved, that technique or strategy was available to me for the next similar problem that popped up.

Now obviously I have had training in formal problem solving strategies, just like you. Remember back in high school when you were trying to figure out how to solve those algebra problems? If you were at all successful then you eventually learned a formal approach or two to help you out. But what were the names of those formal approaches?

For example did you know the cat looking first at where he wants to be and then working backwards to get there is formally called “Working Backwards?” I didn’t until recently, even though I do know of at least one set of information products that teaches this very tactic as a success strategy.

Funny Formalized Solutions

This is what I’ve been doing. I’m researching the formalized fields of problem solving. Some of it is rather humorous too. For example, I think we all have plenty of experience in the ‘trial and error’ method of problem solving. It is very similar to the method called ‘Guess and Test’. These probably aren’t the most effective strategies for tackling important problems, but they are the easiest to employ. You certainly learned all of your motor skills like crawling, walking, eating, and speech through trial and error. You also did it without having to know that there was a named and formalized description of the process, complete with methodology, a list of primary features, and specific examples in areas like algorithm design. I find that kind of funny.

Solution Shopping

Of course all of these labels and detailed descriptions help us organize our own thinking. Thinking is at the heart of problem solving. If you start looking at all the descriptions of various thinking strategies, the list of named, formalized structures seems to explode exponentially!! What I really find fascinating, though, is the fact that the various ways my cats and the dog solve their simple problems, also fit into one or more of these named, formalized, categorized, info-structures. That is even more funny!

After the laughter of surprise dies down, it is easy to see how it is sometimes necessary to organize all of our thoughts about a subject including the simple stuff. The big benefit to you is proof of point #3 in my last post about “The Top 5 Easiest Ways to Solve Almost Any Problem”. Whatever your problem, there is bound to already be a solution, or a suitable strategy to reach a solution. Not all solutions are one size fits all, but you can still probably fill a shopping cart with solutions, or solution strategies that will work. The big problem then is deciding which to use.

Here is a suggestion: Cats and dogs are not terribly complicated creatures. There is a whole school of thought around the idea that simple is good. So maybe the next time you are shopping for a solution to your next most pressing problem, you could consult your cat

Problem Solved?

If not, then check in here regularly, I have lots to share. If you get impatient, have a peek at Problem Solving in Wikipedia and spend some time surfing. It is very enlightening.