Thinking in Problems: Problematize to Reach Objectives

One of the simplest yet most powerful exercises I use with students is flipping their objectives into problems.

Take this real example: a student once told me, “I want to save more money.” Straightforward goal. But I asked her to reframe it:

“Why am I not saving enough money?”

That shift alone already changes how we think. It invites curiosity, rather than discipline. And once the question is on the table, we can start looking at real causes.

She admitted that she couldn’t consistently hit her savings target. So we broke it down further, using categories I often suggest to guide reflection:

• Behavioral: I go out a lot with friends and don’t set a budget when we eat out.
• Environmental: We always pick expensive, trendy neighborhoods.
• Psychological: I don’t really think about how much I spend when I’m out.
• Knowledge-based: I’ve never really learned how to manage money properly.
• External (control vs. no control): Inflation makes everything more expensive lately.

These categories help give shape to something that otherwise stays vague. And once you identify what’s really going on, your “objective” stops feeling like a motivational poster and starts becoming solvable.

In her case, after a short reflection, she realized two key things:
First, she already had an automatic saving mechanism through her job, so her expectations for extra savings were probably too ambitious. Second, she had recently signed up for a couple of new classes but hadn’t cut any other expenses—so her budget simply didn’t adjust.

That quick moment of reframing revealed more than any generic resolution could. She didn’t need a savings tip, what she really she needed was to rethink her assumptions.

I think that this is the real value of thinking in problems: before jumping into solutions or chasing goals, we need to clarify what’s in the way. Only then can we act with precision.