How to Become a Creative, Everyday Problem-Solver

Creative problem-solving can be an exhilarating experience. You get a triple benefit: the euphoric ‘aha’ moment of solving a puzzle, the pride of accomplishing a goal, and the deeper self-discovery of experiencing your unique approach to challenge.

If you haven’t nailed this skill, you might’ve felt envy watching others who are already good at it. Like any skill, you can improve with practice and the right strategies. Here are six focused strategies to become a more creative and successful problem-solver.

1. When Presented With Option A and Option B, Choose Option C

Part of life’s hidden curriculum is that others often present us with one or two options, implying no other choices exist. At the doctor’s office, for example, we’re told to ‘sign this paperwork,’ as if complying is the only option. In other situations, we’re given Option A or B, but there’s almost always an unstated Option C.

Sometimes, our own thinking limits us to Option A or B. For example, a dear old friend lives in New York, and you live in a small town. You don’t want to go to New York, and they don’t want to visit you—seemingly a stalemate. But Option C is meeting somewhere else that you both enjoy. I’ve written more about how to find hidden alternatives in my book, Stress-Free Productivity.

2. Very Creative Problem Solving Is Often Pattern Recognition

Have you ever watched someone solve an advanced math problem in a way that’s both simple and ingenious? You might think, “I never would’ve thought of that in a million years.” Chances are, their solution didn’t come from nowhere—it probably emerged through pattern recognition. They may have recognized a pattern they’d encountered before. A similar problem they’d solved (or seen solved) could’ve sparked enough intuition for them to find the answer.

Here’s how you expand your internal pattern library:

• The more you engage in creative problem-solving, the more patterns you’ll expose yourself to.
• The more you consciously try to identify patterns in problem-solving and solutions, the sharper your intuition will become. To notice patterns, it helps to actively look for them. When observing a specific scenario, try to express the solution in general terms, similar to how mathematicians present proofs for the nth case.

3. A Creative Solution Might Be an Ordinary Solution, But With a Twist

Sometimes, we overthink how different a creative solution needs to be. The best creative, practical solutions are often just ordinary ones with a small twist. For example, instead of searching for a local scenic spot for family photos, you hire a photographer during your vacation. You get two for one: better vacation photos and a more interesting backdrop for your annual family photos.

4. Be Prepared to Revisit Problems Requiring Creative Solutions Over Time

Creative solutions often emerge when we periodically let our minds revisit a problem. Many famous stories from history illustrate this, especially in math, like how Fermat’s Last Theorem took over 300 years to prove. The mathematician who eventually solved it had been pondering the problem for decades.

5. Look for Creative Solutions Amidst the “Adjacent Possible”

Author Steven Johnson explains that innovative ideas often come from the adjacent possible—a space of potential new ideas that are close to what already exists. It’s about using the tools, knowledge, and materials you have now to create something new that’s just a step or two away.

This is a silly example, but I hate dusting, so I have a box fan with a Merv 13 filter on the back that removes dust and other particles from the air. It’s controlled programmatically via a Wi-Fi plug, turning on either according to a schedule or when a dust sensor detects dust.

I tried this project a few years ago but gave up on it. Recently, I revisited it, as I’ve been doing a lot of quick coding projects with the help of AI tools (I use Claude), which handle most of the work. Returning to the project with new AI tools allowed me to explore a new adjacent possible.

6. Get to Know Your Natural Creative Problem Solving Strengths

Creative solutions are often those we are uniquely positioned to think of, arising from an intersection of who we are, our experiences, the tasks at hand, and the moment.

The problems you enjoy solving, even if they seem trivial to others, can reveal hidden strengths. When you spot patterns before others do or explain complex ideas in your own unique way, it gives you clues into your natural problem-solving strengths.

For a more detailed look at how to leverage these natural strengths, see this post.

Become an Artist of Creative Solutions

Creative problem-solving isn’t just about finding solutions or accomplishing goals—it’s about getting to know yourself better and experiencing the joy of finding a unique solution.

The best creative solutions feel clever; they give you the satisfaction of that “aha” moment and feel perfectly tailored to your situation.

The strategies outlined here—seeking hidden Option Cs beyond what’s presented, building your pattern recognition library, adding creative twists to ordinary approaches, allowing problems to percolate over time, exploring the adjacent possible through new tools and technologies, and leveraging your natural problem-solving strengths—don’t just solve today’s challenges, but they also build your capacity to express yourself through problem-solving.