Much of what we do is based on our prior experiences. As a result, the
level of sophistication with which we attack these problems will vary with
the individual. Whether the problems we face in everyday life involve selecting
a daily wardrobe, relating to friends or acquaintances, or dealing with
professional issues or personal finances, we pretty much function automatically,
without considering the method or strategy that best suits the situation.
We go about addressing life’s challenges with an algorithmic-like
approach and can easily become a bit frustrated if that approach suddenly
doesn’t fit. In these situations, we are required to find a solution to the problem.
That is, we must search our previous experiences to find a way we
solved an analogous problem in the past. We could also reach into our bag of
problem-solving tools and see what works.