Rolling on from the ‘Yuck’ list, let’s get super critical. What’s YOUR problem?

Whilst exploring changes in my own career, I was really frustrated with the lack of advice which suited my vibe, background and experience all intertwined. Oh Yeah was created as a direct response to this, guidance that ‘gets life’, both honest and relatable.

But before I even refined Oh Yeah’s purpose, I created a problem statement based on two major pain points of my personal experience:

Pain point 1:

An overbearing tone of voice from the mainstream careers space which didn’t resonate with me – too alpha, majority male, exec speak, corporate. Not everyone of course, and there are incredible resources I’ve put in the free resources guide (including The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis who say 'ditch the ladder, discover your opportunity and design your career’). But on the whole, the landscape is proper dry and sometimes overbearing. I mean, just have a look in the podcast genre of business and careers. It’s got a shocking lack of diversity, warmth and humour, forgetting that we are humans, not just workers.

Pain point 2:

Careers websites with poor user experience and navigation, with no real storytelling arc or ‘curation’. I was often flailing around looking at websites, overwhelmed with the amount of content. It sucked time, was frustrating and gave no feeling of joy when exploring my options.

So I created a problem statement and after several iterations, landed on this:

‘Accomplished working women are experiencing imbalance in all parts of their lives, overwhelmed with choices on how to move forward with their life and career.’

And from this problem statement, after several attempts to hone down exactly what I wanted to solve, I came up with Oh Yeah’s mission statement:

Oh Yeah will game-change how relatable, life-career advice is offered and experienced by busy women around the world.

Good problem statements should not be complicated. They need to be simple and direct, describing in one sentence exactly what the problem is. It needs to leave little ambiguity on what should happen next to solve it.

So regardless of the path you’re thinking about taking, what’s the problem you need to solve? It may not be about leaving your job to become an entrepreneur, but viewing your current situation with a problem statement will start to get you ‘unstuck’. Because this problem statement forces you to pinpoint and refine what you are facing, helping to unpack what you didn’t realise was holding you back.

How do I create the right problem statement?

There are lots of templates out there, used mainly for project work - but this one is particularly useful as it comes from the design world, handily called ‘How to use a problem statement that you’ll actually use.’ (my kinda copy writing!):

I’ve distilled it down to the Oh Yeah essentials, refining it for the purpose of your own explorations. So, instead of applying this to a functional problem at work or project, I’ve grounded this approach so you can apply it to your everyday living:

Who is having the problem? In this case, it’s you.
What is the problem? Describe the unmet need that exists and outline the gap between current state and the desired state.
Where does this problem occur? This could be a location (workplace, home, elsewhere), an object or something you use for everyday living or a process (such as commuting).
When does this problem occur? When does it happen? Every week, every day? Chances are it happens frequently which is why it’s become an ominous cloud in your everyday life and why you’re here at Oh Yeah in the first place.
Why is the problem worth solving? This should focus on the importance of fixing the problem. What kind of impact will it make on you, your family, relationships, your living circumstances…and here’s the big one - your time and energy? In short, what makes this solution high on impact FOR YOU?

I’ve created a prompt sheet to put this into practice below:

2. Draft the problem statement

As Mural suggests, start writing out a statement that is as clear and comprehensive as possible. But be aware of how you’re framing the problem, mindful to avoid any bias (and emotions, in some cases). Try to remain completely objective by following these pointers:

Describe the symptom, not the root cause. If this happens, go back and uncover why something is happening, not what.
Focus on one problem, not many. Don’t try and capture too many problems at once, as it won’t clearly frame the gap between the current and desired state.
Present a broad solution. It can often be tempting to write a problem statement in such a way that only one solution is possible. Fix this by looking for ways you can broaden the focus.

For example: ’My partner and I often work late and get into arguments when we finally get home. Knowing how to navigate this stress hour will improve our relationship and energy.’

Actually, probably not the right example (how are your work hours?!) but it was a great excuse to share this article.

Finally, refine and iterate your problem statement and this is where our Oh Yeah tactics can really help, so dig deep here. Get personal during this reflective time: what is it that’s really making you stuck? What is your personal problem statement? This will help refine and articulate further where you don’t want to be.

I’ve put down these prompts below so you can start playing around with your problem statement:

It’s important to note this may feel difficult whilst doing this exercise. So before you start, do plan ahead on how you can gently shift out of deep thought and transition the energy after working on your problem statement. Perhaps it’s as simple as going for a long walk, a change of scenery, or heading out for some nourishing food. An action that is active but still restorative in its intent.

Your Problem Statement

I’m hoping these two exercises in personal growth can help show you how much you’ve evolved since Season 1. How has the ‘From and To’ approach shifted the feeling of it all? How have the flavours sharpened whilst you’ve been taste-testing throughout season 2?

It’s always brilliant to see how much has naturally progressed after a few short months, which is why it’s important to date all your thoughts and scribblings. I love that this can allow you to see and feel the transition without judgement from yourself or anybody else. This is exactly how we should embrace the changing of ideas; you’ve grown on the journey towards your next step, even if you’re wrestling with the demons of ‘history’ and everything you’ve invested in the past. Oh Yeah’s next chapter, ‘The Liminal Season’ will tackle this area further, where we’ll explore a cognitive bias of the sunk cost fallacy.

The Oh Yeah Juice

Your Problem Statement

Who is having the problem?

What is the problem?

Where does this problem occur?

When does this problem occur?

Why is the problem worth solving?

My problem statement