Monthly Archives: January 2016

There are always two forces at play in every situation, the driving force and the restraining force. The key in solving problems to achieving goals is to identify and remove the key restrainer. The problem solving technique force field analysis is what we’ll use to do just that.

In my previous article and video, I explained how to choose an important problem to work on. I suggest reviewing that article and downloading the worksheet as it is imperative that you choose a problem or goal that has major impact in your life or work.

Process

Draw a line across the top of a lined paper and then draw a line down the middle from the top line so that there are two columns. In the middle above the horizontal line write down the problem in one or a few words. I will use stress as an example as it is common and can dramatically affect your personal and work life.

Draw an arrow to the left of that word in this case stress and write Drivers. To the right of the problem word draw another arrow and write the word Restrainer. (see my sample below).

Under the column of Drivers make a list of all the positive forces that are driving you to reduce stress such as exercise, socializing, family time, eating well, sleeping more, hobbies etc. You could also include some of the benefits such as better health, happiness, improved relationship, clearer thinking, better sleep etc.

It is common to act right away on the drivers but we will not do that and rather work on the restrainers. We want to identify the key restrainers and really the main one is often enough.

Under the column heading of Restrainers list all the possible restrainers for the drivers on the left. What’s holding you back? Why are you not already allowing the drivers to make you stress free? The restrainers in this case could be time, motivation, workload, bad habits, fear, and many more.

Brainstorming

Essentially what you are doing is brainstorming the list of items. When you brainstorm don’t judge what you are writing down, just write down whatever comes to mind. This can be done with a team as well and if it is best to follow certain guidelines for brainstorming. I will cover that in future articles and videos so subscribe to this blog or my newsletter or YouTube channel now.

Review the list of restrainers and see if you can combine some that are essentially the same or very similar. This is called the Nominal Group Technique. I’ll cover that process as well in a future article and video.

Next is to choose the biggest or most powerful restrainer. The simplest way is to score each one by high, medium or low importance and then scoring your high items on a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest importance. This will help you to narrow the list down and then choose one item to work on. You can use my Problem Priority Worksheet from my previous article to guide you through this.

In my next article and video, I will show how to deal with this key restrainer to solve your problem and achieve your goal. Stay tuned for that!

FORCE FIELD ANALYSIS

Stephen Goldberg

Problems keep us from achieving what we want in life and work. In this new series of articles and videos, I’ll show you how to use creativity to solve a key problem or achieve an important goal.

I was recently watching the movie The Martian and besides being highly entertaining I realized it was teaching me how to think creatively. I recommend the movie for those two reasons. In the movie the main character was faced with the dilemma of surviving on Mars long enough for a crew to rescue him. Both he and NASA had to come up with creative ways for him to stay alive.

The Martian’s predicament was forced upon him so he did not have to choose his problem, but we do and that’s the first step and sometimes the hardest. How many times at the beginning of a new year have you made a resolution or set a goal only to forget about it shortly after? I know I have many times.

Sometimes it’s easier to choose a goal or a problem based on what hurts the most. What causes you the most pain in your life or work? We often will take action to avoid pain rather than to gain something that might seem to hard to achieve. Health is a good example. We all know what to do to eat better or to exercise more to give us better health, but it is often when illness strikes that we take action.

To choose your problem to solve or goal to achieve, start by making a list of items. You can do this on your own, with a partner or with a team at work. Conduct a brainstorm session with yourself or your team. Write down all the things that come to mind.

Read over the list and leave it. You might want to go for a walk, run or other type of physical activity. I find that exercise tends to trigger creative problem solving and doing this might help you to think of the items you wrote and bring clarity to the most important thing.

You can download my worksheet on my website to guide you through the process. To choose your item to work on rate each one as either high medium or low importance. Using the lowest hanging fruit approach might help. If you want to eat an apple hanging in a tree the easiest approach is to pick the ripest one that is hanging the lowest.

Next go over the items you classified as high and rate them on a scale of one to ten for importance, ten being the most important. From that list choose the highest scored time or decide between those that are tied.

You should now have a highly important problem to solve or goal to achieve. Congratulations. In my next article and video, I’ll show you to advance this process further using various techniques including force field analysis.

Go ahead and check the link and download the worksheet. Get started today and use your creativity to make a positive change in your life or work.

Stephen Goldberg