Generate and execute a solution to the biggest restrainer to the biggest obstacle.
An obstacle holds you back from an important goal. A restrainer holds you back from taking action to fix that obstacle. A solution takes you one step to solving the restrainer.
Therefore, to solve a problem do the following:
Pick an important goal
Identify the biggest obstacle
Identify the biggest restrainer
Identify a solution
Execute the solution
Rinse rinse and repeat until you reach the goal
This might take mere hours for short-term goals and years for long-term goals
Use this process for all sorts of problems - not just ones related to language learning.
Here’s a real life example of how I used the process today. I was stressed about my schedule tomorrow and wanted to, quite simply, have a good day instead of a bad day.
If you have any comments or questions, let me know here.
Important Goal: Have a good day tomorrow
Biggest obstacle: I’m anxious because I’m over-booked with classes and meetings tomorrow
Biggest restrainer: There’s a guy scheduled in my calendar tomorrow and Thursday. Why does he have two meetings??
Solution: Cancel the meeting he has scheduled with me tomorrow to open up 30 minutes of time. I’m going to see him Thursday anyway.
I canceled the meeting. I still didn’t feel confident about having a good day tomorrow, so I repeated the process.
Important Goal: Have a good day tomorrow
Biggest obstacle: I am booked back-to-back with so many interviews. How stressful
Biggest restrainer: My interviews take longer than needed
Solution: Create a document that concisely summarizes all the information I need to share with each applicant. It will help me to wrap up each interview early, opening up an extra hour or so in my calendar
I finished the document, but still didn’t feel confident about having a good day tomorrow, so I repeated the process.
Important Goal: Have a good day tomorrow
Biggest obstacle: My schedule looks awkward - I won’t have time to eat lunch or arrive on time to three of my meetings. Shoot
Biggest restrainer: Coincidentally, one of my meetings is at an incredibly inconvenient time and causing all the scheduling conflicts
Solution: Try to move the meeting back by 30 minutes
I contacted the person and successfully moved the meeting back, but was still anxious about tomorrow, so I restarted the entire process.
Important Goal: Have a good day tomorrow
Biggest obstacle: I’m not prepared for one of my classes
Biggest restrainer: I haven’t decided what to teach
Solution: Make a lesson plan
By the time I finished the lesson plan, I wasn’t anxious about tomorrow anymore. I then restarted the whole process for important, long-term goals I have for myself.
Thanks for reading this, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact me.
I needed to read this. I have started at University and am struggling with modern learning. I shall read and re-read this article to help me this week. I appreciate your posts and honest approach