Turning Problems into Puzzles

A transformative and playful mindset shift

As someone who loves puzzles, you can imagine how happy I was to discover that January 29^th is National Puzzle day. 

My strategy for doing 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles at the moment, after tipping all the pieces onto my puzzle board, is to first hide the box in a cupboard. Without sorting or starting with the edge, I’ll flip all the pieces the right way up and go from there. I begin wherever my eyes are drawn, slowing the process right down as I savour the picture coming together.

Puzzles are fun! Problems on the other hand, don’t seem to the bring the same level of enjoyment. When it comes to dealing with problems, I’m often in a rush and the same sense of fun and patience I have for puzzles seems to go out the window. 

That all started to change after a friend sent me an episode of the Feel Better Live More podcast where Jim Kwik was interviewed. Jim talks about how problems are more like puzzles than we often realise. They’re both multiple things being mixed up that usually can be solved. Once we recognise the similarities, we can approach solving both problems and puzzles in a similar way. From gathering resources, identifying what we do know, grouping things in patterns, creating a plan, working backwards and just rolling our sleeves up and persisting when needed. 

I was hooked. The idea of seeing my problems as puzzles instantly felt lighter and more playful. In the beginning, my friend and I began by just replacing the word problem with puzzle. We’d describe a challenge or a problem in our lives, by saying things like “this is a puzzle I’m working on” or “I’ve got this puzzle on my mind.” 

Using the word puzzle more often not only gifted me with a mindset shift, but a couple of other things naturally happened. Like all good puzzles that take time to solve, I took away the pressure away to solve my challenges immediately. It invited a curiosity towards the information that needs to be gathered and a gentle knowing that even when facing uncertainty, things can be solved. I started to recognise that the process of moving from confusion (often at the beginning of any puzzle or problem) to things being pieced together with more confidence and clarity, can be enjoyed. 

This mindset shift has rippled into my journal writing. When I catch myself thinking about a problem or challenge and flip it to being a puzzle, I notice how much I look forward to picking up some paper and pen to explore, reflect, gain clarity and keep working out my next steps forward. 

Journal gem: When faced with a problem or challenge, write about it from the perspective of solving a puzzle. And, if possible, let yourself have a little fun with it. 

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