Advice for Life: Identify the Problem

Identify the problem is one of the 12 commandments in The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and applies to virtually any problem you may be facing.  For example, in The Happiness Project, Rubin has a problem hanging up her coat, i.e. she never does it and leave it wherever it lands because she hates hanging it up.  This is identifying the problem.  Once you've identified the problem, it can be much easier to come up with a solution, in this case, put a hanger on the back of the door to hang up your coat which worked for Rubin. 

I decided to try this for myself.  My problem is finding the time to exercise.  Now that the problem has been identified, I can come up with solutions, i.e. break exercise into smaller chunks, work out at lunch, exercise while watching t.v. etc.  Do I always act on these solutions?  No, but every time I tell myself that I have no time to exercise, I think of these solutions and I am exercising more.  It's a start.  Alternatively, you could always ask an honest friend for advice, since other people's problems always seem so much simplier to solve than our own.