Coaching practices for Problem Solving Review

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Problem Solving Review, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• I finally tried something and it only half-worked, and my whole brain went "see, nothing I do ever works"
• I keep fixing the thing right in front of me and the same trouble just keeps coming back in a new shape, which makes me think I’ve only been swatting at the surface
• I keep saying "I can’t because of the deadline, the budget, the approval"
• My kid and I agree on a fix and it sounds great in the moment, but a few days later it’s fallen apart again
• I’ve noticed that sometimes I go to bed stuck and wake up with the answer just sitting there

Practices that may help

1. Evaluate the outcome and adjust
   After implementing, honestly assess what worked, what didn’t, and what to do next.
   Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
2. Climb the why–why ladder
   Ask "why is this a problem?" repeatedly to reveal the higher-level goal your current framing may be missing.
   Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First
3. Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First
   Problem reframing means deliberately reconsidering what problem you are actually trying to solve before generating solutions. Min Basadur’s work on creative problem-solving shows that the framing you start with strongly constrains the solutions you find — changing the framing often unlocks solutions that were invisible under the original definition.
4. Audit which constraints are real and which are assumed
   List every constraint you’re working under, then test each one for whether it is actually fixed.
   Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First
5. Evaluate solutions for durability: realistic, mutually satisfying, safe
   A collaborative solution that fails one of three tests — realistic, mutually satisfying, safe — will not hold.
   Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene)
6. Load a hard problem before sleep
   Review the problem just before bed so overnight consolidation can work on it.
   Focused vs Diffuse Thinking
7. Import a frame from a different domain
   Describe your problem as if it were a challenge in an unrelated field, then steal the solutions from that field.
   Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First
8. Build a regular AAR cadence, not just crisis-triggered reviews
   Reviews triggered only by problems create a negative-events database; a regular cadence captures ordinary learning that compounds.
   After-Action Review: The US Army’s Tool for Continuous Learning
9. Distinguish diagnostic trees (why?) from solution trees (how?)
   Use a "why?" tree to find root causes and a "how?" tree to generate solutions — mixing them produces confusing structures.
   Issue Tree Analysis
10. Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
    Problem-Solving Therapy (PST), developed by Nezu and D’Zurilla, treats depression and anxiety by building structured, step-by-step problem-solving skills — targeting the learned helplessness and avoidance that occur when people face stressful life problems without an effective coping framework. Multiple randomised trials support PST for depression, especially when linked to real-life problem load.

Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.