The Law Of Unintended Consequences
Say you have a problem. You know what to do to solve that problem, but you hesitate. Why would you possibly not want to solve the problem plaguing you the most in life?
The Law of Unintended Consequences describes the ripple effects felt when one problem is solved. We live, work, and play in interconnected systems. Pull on one string, and previously existing strings move, or new ones emerge. Solve one problem, and another takes its place.
Why Do We Have Problems?
We always have problems. These problems can vary in length, effort required to solve, and severity. We could solve short-term problems with little effort, and have long-term, more severe problems take their place.
If we don’t consider the system we’re operating in when we solve our problems, the system will beat us down with new, more severe problems. We’ll eventually reach a problem that is too daunting to address, and we find ourselves frozen in place.
So, how can we know our systems, and how can we anticipate future problems to see if solving our current issues places us on a path we want to walk down? How can we not freeze ourselves in place with a self-created problem that could have been avoided?
Systematic Thinking - Use principles and know your values in life. This naturally provides you with frameworks and approaches to problems as they arise in your life. A principle can provide a list of steps to take for any problem you face. If you’ve not faced this problem before, you’ve found a new principle to add to your system. Don’t focus on isolated parts of life when you can see the entire system, and how its components interact with one another.
Scenario Analysis - A method I use frequently in my geopolitical analysis, consider what’s the best-case scenario, and what’s the worst. If you have a problem, what’s the simplest solution? Does this align with a path that leads to the best-case scenario? If so, it could be a scenario worth pursuing.
Avoiding Losses - Rather than focusing on how to solve the problem, focus on how to limit losses before or after the problem is addressed.
Trade-offs - Any situation in life has trade-offs. When solving any problems, there will be positive and negative aspects to this. If the positives outweigh the negatives on a cumulative basis, this could be a problem worth addressing.
Photo by Piret Ilver on Unsplash Iteration - This involves taking small steps, assessing the changes, and analysing your life’s operating system. If a small change to address an issue sees the issue worsen, perhaps it’s not the approach to take. If a small change looks promising, implement the next step. By not solving a problem immediately without consideration, we allow ourselves more room to pivot later, rather than mopping up the mess we’ve created when long-term severe problems arise.
Feedback Loops - A great way to monitor these changes when taking an iterative approach is to include mechanisms that measure these changes in clear, easy-to-understand ways. This could also highlight the emergence of new problems.
Is It Really A Problem? - We can sometimes create our own problems, to give ourselves purpose, or to help us feel busy. Consider what would happen if this problem remained unaddressed on your to-do list. Would it bring about the apocalypse? Would it seriously damage your mental or physical state? Or would it drift away, out of mind, never to return? Consider what problems are problems, and which issues are self-created noise.
Concluding Remarks
It’s easy to slip into a habit of thinking that solving problems is us being productive. It can be us being busy with self-created problems that aren’t really problems, and that solving doesn’t provide much upside. Also, we’re always going to have problems. If we find ourselves constantly pursuing the solving of problems, we’ll end up tired and burned out. Take a seat and relax. Sometimes, you’ll find many problems solve themselves.
Great guidelines to solve problems Dylan! Loved the principles and tradeoffs part.