Lily: Why Problem Solving Makes Everything Less Complicated

Hi. I’m Lily.

I like puzzles. Not the cardboard kind, although those are fine, but the puzzles hiding in normal days. Things that don’t work the way they should. Things that feel confusing until you look closer. Things that seem like a mess until you sort them out piece by piece.

A lot of people think problem solving is a big, dramatic skill that only certain people have. I see it differently. It’s more like a quiet process you can learn, use, and then rely on whenever something gets overwhelming.

I’ll show you what I mean.

Step One: Notice What’s Actually Happening

Most problems feel bigger than they really are because everything gets mixed together. Like feelings, guesses, assumptions, and what’s actually true.

Whenever I run into a challenge, I start by separating the facts from the noise. For example, last month I tried building a small weather sensor using a kit. It stopped working halfway through. At first, I felt frustrated. But frustration isn’t data.

So I asked myself:

• What is it supposed to be doing?

• What is it doing instead?

• When did it stop working?

Once I answered those, things became clearer. Not solved. Just clearer. That’s enough to move forward.

Step Two: Break It Into Smaller Problems

Big problems are really just a collection of small ones glued together. When you separate them, they stop feeling impossible.

With the weather sensor, I split it into parts: power, wiring, code, and placement. Each part got its own tiny investigation. Suddenly, the whole project felt manageable again.

People sometimes tell me I’m “overly organized.” Maybe. But organizing a problem makes it easier to handle. And easier feels better.

Step Three: Try One Thing at a Time

I used to think I had to fix everything at once. That only made things worse. Now I test one solution at a time, even if it feels slow.

With the sensor, I checked the battery first. Then the wiring. Then the code. That was the order that made the most sense to me. If something didn’t help, I crossed it off and moved to the next step.

When I finally found the loose wire causing the whole issue, the fix took less than a minute.

The process took longer, but it worked. And I understood the problem better afterward.

Step Four: Stay Calm Enough to Think Clearly

People imagine problem solvers as confident all the time. I’m not. I worry. I second-guess myself. I feel overwhelmed when things stack up.

But I’ve learned that staying calm isn’t about shutting off emotions. It’s about giving yourself space to think.

Sometimes that means stepping back for a moment. Taking a breath. Letting my brain organize itself. Then I go back to the problem with clearer eyes.

It works more often than you’d expect.

Step Five: Use What You Already Know

I like learning new things, but you don’t always need new knowledge to solve a problem. A lot of solutions come from things you already understand.

Patterns repeat. Ideas connect. If you’ve solved something once, there’s a good chance you can apply that experience somewhere else.

When I realized the weather sensor problem looked a lot like the time I fixed a loose connection in my robotics project, the answer became obvious. My past work had already prepared me.

You know more than you think.

Step Six: Accept That Some Problems Need More Time

This is the hardest step for me. I don’t like leaving things unfinished. But some problems need space before the answer shows up.

Sometimes stepping away is part of solving it. Sometimes asking for help is part of solving it. Sometimes changing your approach completely is part of solving it.

When I remind myself of that, I feel less pressure to force a solution right away.

Why This Matters Outside of STEM

Problem solving doesn’t stay in science labs or engineering kits. It shows up when:

• A group project gets confusing

• Friendships get complicated

• Plans fall apart

• Something feels too big to handle

When you slow down, break things apart, and move step by step, everything gets less intimidating.

It doesn’t fix the world instantly, but it gives you a way through it.

Final Thought From Me

Problem solving isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about staying curious long enough to understand what’s really going on.

If something feels overwhelming, you don’t have to tackle all of it at once. You only need the next step. And then the one after that.

That’s how I handle things. Maybe it could help you too.