Here's something nobody tells you in school: the hardest part of any problem isn't solving it. It's figuring out what the actual problem is in the first place.
We spend the majority of our lives drowning in noise (notifications, opinions, obligations, options) and we never slow down long enough to ask: what am I actually trying to solve right now?
That question is worth more than any answer.
The apple problem nobody asked
You remember those word problems from math class? Johnny has 8 apples. His mother's uncle owns an orchard. He needs to sell 4 bushels by Friday. How many apples can he pick each day?
Every kid hated those and looking back, it's not because the math was hard, it's because the problem was buried under a pile of useless information. You had to dig through the noise first just to figure out what you were even solving for.
That's life. Except instead of apples and bushels, you've got deadlines, relationships, finances, side projects, and a phone that won't stop lighting up with notifications.
The first question to ask isn't how do I solve this. The first question you should ask is: what actually matters here? What's the variable I'm actually trying to solve for, and what's just clutter?
Signal vs. noise is a learnable skill
I picked this up through physics. Not the math itself, but the habit of thinking. Before you solve anything, you need to define the system. You identify what's relevant and what you can throw out. Then you name the thing you're actually trying to find.
You don't need a physics degree to do this, but you do need to practice it.
Most people never do because the modern world actively fights against it. Every app, every platform, every notification is competing for your attention. They don't want you focused, they want you reactive. Reactive people keep scrolling, while focused people build things. You are reinforcing your role as a consumer everyday through your current actions.
The most dangerous part? We're so used to the noise that silence feels wrong. Sitting down to actually define a problem feels like wasted time. We'd rather stay busy than think clearly.
One problem at a time
Here's the practical part: You cannot solve multiple problems at once. I know that sounds obvious when said aloud, but look at how you're actually operating.
How many 'priorities' do you have right now? How many plans (A, B, and C) are you seriously entertaining or at least keeping warm simultaneously?
Every time you split your focus, you're degrading the quality of your thinking on each individual problem. The noise compounds, the end goal gets fuzzy, and when the end goal gets fuzzy, everything starts to feel equally urgent and equally impossible.
You need to pick one goal, define it clearly, throw out everything that doesn't help you solve it, break it into smaller pieces, then begin to solve those.
That's it. That's the whole skill. It just takes practice.
This week's question
What are your current problems you’re trying to solve? Write these down. Out of that list, what's the one problem in your life right now that would change the most if you solved it? Not your top five, but the one most important thing.
Circle that one. Then write down everything that's actually required to solve it. Most of what you wrote down in your first list isn’t relevant to the second list.
That's signal. Everything else is noise.
Until next week,
— Ian