Problem Solving

One of my biggest frustrations in the process of learning how to code has been coming up with a framework or methodology that allows me to approach problems efficiently.

Have you ever been guilty of any of the following?
- Wasting hours an hours on a problem with no clear progress?
- You forget what you are trying to accomplish as you are coding?
- Wasting time jumping from YouTube video to YouTube video?

If this is you, this article might enlighten you to have a better approach:
Disclaimer (this is not a methodology that I came up with but a recollection of ways to solve problems that I have gathered reading other articles and books and has worked for me).

1. Always have a plan:
Plans allow us to have something to follow. It is true that sometimes things change along the way, but having a plan always allows a step by step process to organize our thoughts.

2. Restate the Problem:
Restating the problem in different ways allows us to see different perspectives. This little trick can improve the clarity of what you are trying to accomplish, and many times can make seemingly complicated problems into simple ones.

3. Divide your problem into little problems:
It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you are working on a coding problem, to avoid this think of ways of breaking the big problem into small manageable problems and as you solve each small problem, you also get rewarded with a sense of accomplishment.

4. Reduce the problem:
This technique works well when you don’t know where to start.
Start reducing the number of constraints of the problem until you find a problem you can solve and start from there.

5. Be patient:
If you are are getting frustrated, do not allow it. Channel all that energy into something that creates value, take a break, exercise, read about something else that increases your knowledge, and then go back and try again. Sometimes solving problems is not about always moving forward but backward and sideways before you can step forward.

There are many ways to solve a problem but having a methodology is always helpful, so I invite you to add this technique to your approach.

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