Category Archives: Problem Solving

Making Good Decisions

I recently read a few news items that relate, at least partially, to decision-making, and thought I’d share some key points. In Danny Sullivan’s summary of Google Zeitgeist conference, he quotes Google cofounder Larry Page as saying There are no … Continue reading

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Scarcity of Time and/or Dollars Negatively Impact Our Thinking

The study of behavioral economics is unveiling some very interesting characteristics about human behavior, such as those described in the popular books Predictably Irrational and Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. It seems like we are learning something new in … Continue reading

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Watch Out for Superficial Thinking

Last week there were several articles on the big tech sites talking about how “the iPad is cannibalizing laptop sells.” I avoided most of the articles because (1) I could care less if the iPad impacts laptop sells and (2) … Continue reading

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The Cost of Wasted Attention and “Being Always On”

You may have read my most recent article and thought to yourself “Keener is an old man that just can’t keep up with today’s pace of information flow.” Yes, I am an old man by some standards, but I can … Continue reading

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The Impact of Stress on Problem Solving

A recent NYT article talks about new studies on the effects of stress. The subject studies involved chronically-stressed rats, so some could say that the results do not apply directly to humans, “who have better mental hardware.” There is some … Continue reading

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Advice Worth Paying For

Like solving problems yourself? Me, too. We are problem-solving creatures, by nature. Without some problems, we lose spirit and spunk, and some of the real zest for life. But what about those problems you just can’t seem to wrestle to … Continue reading

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When to Trust Your Intuition

I recently read that behavioral scientists have determined that you can most trust your intuition when it pertains to an area in which you have expertise or experience. Conversely, they determined that you can least trust it when it pertains … Continue reading

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Use Change Analysis to Solve Problems

Many years ago I participated in the investigation of a couple of industrial accidents, having been trained on how to conduct various methods of causal analysis. The problem-solving techniques I learned have become second nature to me, and I sometimes … Continue reading

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Getting Successful Outcomes

Are you getting the results you want out of your projects? Are you defining those results upfront? Ah, that’s the key, isn’t it … defining the results you want upfront. In his highly acclaimed Getting Things Done: The Art of … Continue reading

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Keep Stress from Breaking Your Brain

Stress can get people down so much that they can’t even think clearly. Have you ever had that happen to you? It might not be a common occurrence but it can happen, even to people you would not suspect it … Continue reading

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