Module 7 · Planning & self-regulation · Research-supported

Problem solving, step by step

Name the problem, list options, pick one, test it.

6 min read · Level: Intermediate · Free — no account needed to read

The problem it solves

When a habit keeps breaking in the same place, how do you fix it systematically?

The concept

Problem solving is a simple sequence: define the problem precisely, list several possible solutions, choose one, try it, and check whether it helped. Then keep it, change it or try the next option.

Barriers are specific. “I don’t have time” becomes “on Tuesdays my class runs late”. A specific barrier has specific solutions.

The Habit Troubleshooter in this lab is structured problem solving for habits: it helps you define the problem, suggests causes, and offers techniques to test.

Why it matters

Problem solving is a recognised behaviour-change technique and a core skill in structured self-help programmes; it turns vague frustration into testable steps.

Research-supported: Good studies support it, but there are fewer of them, the effects are modest, or they come from a narrow set of situations.

See it happen

Every Wednesday, Kofi’s gym habit fails, and he calls himself inconsistent.

The ordinary first approach

He’s just not consistent enough.

With the idea

He defines it: “Wednesday meetings run until 7 and the gym is crowded after.” He lists options and tries a Wednesday morning run instead.

What changed

A vague self-criticism became a specific problem with a specific test.

Easy to get wrong

• Defining the problem as a personal trait.
• Stopping at the first solution you think of.
• Not checking whether the solution worked.

Try it now: Solve one barrier

1. Write one specific barrier to a habit.
2. List three possible solutions — including one that seems odd.
3. Pick one to test this week and decide how you’ll know it helped.

Apply it to one of your habits

For one of your habits, what is the specific barrier, and what will you test?

Reflect

• Which of your “personal flaws” turned out to be a specific barrier?

Go deeper — evidence & sources

• Michie, Richardson, Johnston, Abraham, Francis, Hardeman and colleagues (2013). The Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) of 93 Hierarchically Clustered Techniques. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. doi:10.1007/s12160-013-9486-6
• Sheeran & Webb (2016). The Intention–Behavior Gap. Social and Personality Psychology Compass. doi:10.1111/spc3.12265