Have you ever felt that something is wrong but you canāt figure out exactly what it is? You try your best to figure out the reason behind the nagging feeling to no avail, until later in the day you somehow stumble upon the solution and then realize the problem! Thatās a hidden-until-solved problem!
Hidden-Until-Solved Problem: A problem that is hidden to you until you discover the solution to it first!
Is this a thing with everyone or am I just talking nonsense here š¤£?
How I discovered Hidden-Until-Solved problem
I only became aware of such a feeling/problem a few months ago. I was feeling very anxious one day and couldnāt figure out why. Things just didnāt feel right. I spent a long time trying to figure out why I was feeling weird, until giving up thinking perhaps I was just tired.
Later that night, while driving home, I started planning what to do tomorrow at work. I was working on an ambiguous project back then and didnāt have a concrete idea about the current state of the ongoing project. Due to various challenges, I just couldnāt envision the end of it. For a brief second, I got overwhelmed by all the uncertainties of the project. But I kept on thinking until I found the following solution:
When dealing with ambiguous tasks where you canāt see the end, just focus on taking the next baby step. While the end is unclear, the next step is often obvious. Focus on making small progress every day and that should be enough to keep your doubts in check.
The moment I figured this out, a breath of relief went over my body. Suddenly I started to feel very relaxed; completely different than what I had been feeling all evening. Thatās when I connected the dots: I was stressed due to the ambiguous nature of my work projects.
My subconscious brain had been stressing about this all evening and I had no clue. It was only when I solved the problem that I realized it was the problem that had been nagging me all day.
Do you have a better name?
The problem was obvious once I had the solution. Since the solution made me feel better, itās safe to assume the problem the solution solved was bothering me. I just didnāt know what the problem was. Hence, I named it the āHidden-Until-Solvedā problem.
I like to name ideas. It makes the abstract idea feel a bit more concrete. Easier to explain and talk about it with others. If you have faced similar problems or have a better name for this, feel free to chime in in the comments.