Have you ever had a problem you thought about nonstop?

We all have. We all face challenges. Some are easier to work through and solve than others.

However, the more challenging problems can often require a great deal of mental energy. In our quests to seek an answer or solution, we eventually reach a point where problem-solving is no longer productive. We waste time and mental energy over-rationalizing, overthinking, or losing sleep over it, weighing the possible solutions and their pros and cons, over and over again.

Sometimes, we are too close to the problem. The solution is right before us, but we can’t see it. We can’t see the forest through the trees.

The good news is that there are a number of tools and methods to help you problem-solve. One of the most tried-and-true methods is reading. In this article, I’ll explain how reading can help ensure that your problem-solving is productive rather than prohibitive.

The Science Behind Reading

If we look at the science behind problem-solving, it stems from motivation. We get our motivation from a chemical in the brain known as dopamine. Dopamine is associated with pleasure, and it plays an important role in many cognitive functions, such as thinking, moving, sleeping, attention levels, motivations, and even our moods. This is because human beings are naturally motivated to seek information, especially when we face a problem or challenge.

Like anything, developing reading as a habit can take time. Depending on the individual and the complexity of the habit that one is trying to form, it can take an average of 18 days to up to a year to develop a habit. All in all, consistency is the key to forming a habit and making it stick.

5 Ways Reading Improves Your Problem-solving Skills

Even though there is a wealth of digital tools and applications to help us solve problems today, good, old-fashioned reading is still a tried-and-true tool.

Of course, reading about a particular topic relevant to our problem might arm you with methods or tactics for approaching the problem to solve it. But did you know that even reading for pleasure can improve your problem-solving skills?

Here are some ways that reading—anything—can help improve your problem-solving skills.

1. Improves critical thinking skills.

Reading helps open one’s mind. Engaging with content and material encourages critical thinking, allowing one to analyze information, evaluate arguments, and draw conclusions.

Asking questions is useful when reacting to what you are reading and hearing. It also helps improve your own writing and speaking skills. The knowledge you gain from asking questions not only encourages your own individual thinking and opinions but also provides a foundation for more complicated thinking in the future.

Reading also encourages individual thought, allowing you to form inferences and conclusions. When you open your mind to new thoughts, ideas, and even ways of thinking, you can apply those new ways of thinking to new problems, ultimately improving your problem-solving skills.

Why is all this relevant? Critical thinking is fundamental to effective problem-solving. As discussed in this blog here, critical thinking is the tool, methodology, and process used during problem-solving, decision-making, leading, innovating, negotiating, and influencing activities.

Critical thinking also extends into communication with others, which involves identifying assumptions and fallacies in arguments, which helps us dive deeper into the root causes of issues. It also involves examining rules or social norms and identifying opportunities to challenge the status quo.

Asking questions allows you to drill down to the root cause. By pinpointing the root cause of a problem, you wade through the facts rather than trip over opinions, fallacies, biases, weak statistics, and omissions. When you understand the actual root cause of a problem, you are in a better position to solve it.

2. Expands knowledge.

Reading provides us with access to a vast amount of information across different subjects, disciplines, and narratives.

If you’re struggling to solve a problem, reading an article, book, social media thread, use case, or other resource expands your knowledge in a particular area. This can obviously help you learn about approaches and methods for solving a particular problem. Reading offers different perspectives, insights, and ideas you may otherwise have not considered.

3. Stimulates creativity.

Creative thought underlies many innovations in science, technology, and the arts. It also underlies solutions to common problems that we encounter in our daily lives. Referring back to the role of dopamine, according to the NIH, several genetic studies have shown a relationship between divergent thinking and dopamine neurotransmission.

In summary, the interaction between different parts of the brain that are involved while focusing and concentrating and those parts of the brain that are involved with neuroplasticity, or being open to new information or learning a new skill, are key for creative behavior. Both of these parts of the brain are activated during the act of reading.

In addition to the science, reading stimulates creativity by exposing you to imaginative narratives, innovative concepts, and unique approaches to challenges. Drawing inspiration from literature, poetry, or even scientific articles can help you view problems in a different light or angle, which can also spark creative solutions and workarounds.

4. Sharpens focus and reduces the risk of errors.

Reading allows your mind to focus on one particular topic or one problem at a time. This can also help “center” your mind rather than succumbing to your mind’s free-flowing thoughts. Sometimes, thoughts race through your mind so quickly that you start one task, jump to another task, and then another without finishing the first two. This introduces risks for human errors.

5. Improves communication.

Reading improves your vocabulary, language comprehension, and communication skills. Articulating your problems clearly and understanding others’ perspectives can facilitate more effective problem-solving, especially in collaborative settings.

The best and most direct way to solve a problem is to face it head-on. Being proactive about spearheading and scheduling meetings or conversations with any necessary stakeholder groups or individuals to brainstorm and problem-solve is often the best course of action. You might not go into the conversation with answers, but sometimes, simply talking through it out loud gets you one or two steps closer to the solution.

What Works for Me

As an avid overthinker, reading allows my brain to focus on a particular topic rather than allow it to think negative thoughts or worry. For me, reading helps avoid that. Therefore, I make it a daily goal to read. I begin every morning by reading 10-20 pages from a book on a particular topic, technique, or idea related to a “theme” or something I am working on or know I will need to face on that particular day, along with a cup of coffee. This helps my brain “wake up” and gives me ideas for approaching something I am working on.

For example, it could be resolving a conflict, developing a new process, solving a problem, or preparing for a brainstorming meeting. Reading helps me problem-solve, ideate, make connections, and set a positive tone for the day.

Improving Reading Comprehension Quality

Not everyone is a “read-write” learner. And even if you are, that doesn’t necessary mean you are a good reader. For example, do you often find yourself reading and flipping page after page and then stopping to ask yourself what you learned?

The first step to improving your reading comprehension quality is to SLOW DOWN. After all, you need to plan to learn. For example, before you begin reading a new book or magazine, develop an outline of the topics you want to get from it. Make a list of questions to find answers to.

Discover What Works for You

In summary, reading enhances knowledge, critical thinking, creativity, focus, and communication skills, all of which are valuable and necessary assets for problem-solving.

Whether you’re facing a personal challenge or a complex organizational problem, reading can provide you with the tools, perspectives, and knowledge you need to tackle it effectively and communicate effectively.