Kidlin’s Law: how to approach the solution to any problem?

How often does it happen to you that you cannot solve a problem? So, it turns out that if you clearly formulate it in writing, it will be half solved! What to do with the other half? Here, apparently, you will have to work a little more, but it will still require half as much as if you did not write down the problem.

At least, that’s what Kidlin’s law says. We announce our programs “ Best Self-Education Techniques ” and “ TRIZ in Practice: Creativity at Work and in Life ,” which are directly related to our topic today, and move on to consider Kidlin’s Law.

Kidlin’s Law: what is it?

So, what is the essence of Kidlin’s law? In its original form, Kidlin’s Law is formulated as follows:

If you write the problem down clearly, then the matter is half solved.

This phrase can be translated as follows:

“If you clearly write down the problem, then the matter is half solved.”

You can also find other translation options. For example, this: “If you can write your problem clearly, then you are already on the way to solving it” [ M. Korsakova, 2023 ]. One way or another, this is the meaning of Kidlin’s law in simple words.

The author of Kidlin’s law believed that it was important to “write” the existing problem, and not “describe” in the sense of “tell in words.” Written speech is a higher level of verbal thinking , and it is clear written formulations that are the basic condition for solving a problem.

In order to understand what we are talking about, it is enough to take the agenda of any meeting. The more clearly the agenda is formulated, the greater the chance that participants will speak on the substance of the issue and not be distracted by extraneous nuances that are not relevant to the matter.

However, in order to clearly formulate an agenda, you must first formulate in writing all the tasks and problems that must be resolved during the meeting. Without this step, it is simply impossible to draw up and approve an agenda, be it a meeting in a corporation or a meeting in the legislative assembly.

Of course, you can find many examples of vague wording, from which it is difficult to understand what exactly is required from meeting participants. However, the result in such cases, as they say, is obvious. If this is a business, it risks drowning in the “stormy sea of ​​the market” at the first serious storm. If this is legislation, we get a lot of regulations that make life difficult for ordinary citizens and at the same time do not contribute in any way to the prosperity of the state’s economy.

Even more radical explanations of Kidlin’s law can be found. For example, a proposal to supplement the law with the wording “If you can draw your problem, then you are already on the way to solving it” [ M. Korsakova, 2023 ]. Many modern business coaches consider visibility to be the basis for understanding and solving a problem. And it doesn’t matter whether the task is depicted with arrows, circles or squares, drawn on a piece of paper by hand or in Power Point.

This is not to downplay the importance of preliminary oral discussions. On the contrary, when we speak, we seem to be “weaving the fabric of reasoning.” The threads of this fabric may initially be uneven and tangled, clinging to each other or duplicating each other, layering and looping.

This stage is extremely important and it is no coincidence that in the business world people often ask their colleagues: “Can I tell you my idea? I need to think” or even “I need to think about you.” This is the first stage, but writing is the next level.

In the process of writing , a person finds a way to express a thought as clearly, completely and concisely as possible. To do this, a person must do a huge amount of mental work, separating the important from the unimportant, system-forming moments from those that are unimportant for the final result.

In turn, in order to cope with this task, you need to summarize and group information, avoiding confusion and chaos. Relatively speaking, you need to find out what the causes of the problem are and which of them can be eliminated to solve it.

If the causes can no longer be eliminated, then it is necessary to formulate options for dealing with the consequences of the problem, for which you need to write down what, in fact, consequences this or that problem brought. Many business coaches see this “written stage” as so important that

they are ready to assert: “You are a manager as much as you can write” [ M. Korsakova, 2023 ].

Writing a problem and making it clear to everyone means giving people the opportunity to work together to solve the problem, so it’s not for nothing that Kidlin’s law can be seen in collections under loud headings in the spirit of “laws of the Universe”, “5 important laws about the world”, “5 main thoughts in the world” things you should know” [ bannedbook, 2019 ].

This is a brief overview of what Kidlin’s law is and why it is needed. How can this law be used in practice? I think everyone can find an application to their own situation for themselves. To make this easier, let’s look at a specific example of the application of Kidlin’s law.

How to apply Kidlin’s law?

The author of the article Problem Solving With Kidlin’s Law shared his case study of the practical application of Kidlin’s Law [ B. Bittaruns, 2022 ]. To begin with, the author draws analogies with mathematics, where for solving problems there are rules, laws and formulas , following which you can find a solution.

Similarly, for solving life problems, there are laws, using which you can reach the optimal solution. And one of them is exactly Kidlin’s law: “If you clearly write down the problem, then the matter is half solved.”

The key word here is “clearly” because to clearly state a problem in writing we need to have some understanding of the problem. Once we can clearly write down what the problem is, we will find that it is much easier to solve than we thought until now.

Why is that? The fact is that we are all living people, and our emotions can sometimes and even often prevail over common sense. This is especially noticeable when we are faced with a problem that we cannot solve. This makes it easy to become anxious and stressed.

The proper first step in any problem-solving strategy is to determine what exactly the problem is. If we can clearly write down the problem, then we are already on the way to solving it. Of course, simply stating the problem will not solve it completely; there is still some work and effort to be done. But at least the written wording will provide some form of strategy for how to move forward. Let’s consider several of the most common life situations in the context of Kidlin’s law.

How does Kidlin’s law help you write articles and reports?

Let’s look at the situation using a specific example. So, when a task appears to write an article, report, abstract of a certain length or a certain number of words, many do not know where to start. Moreover, this occurs even if the topic of the article or report is well known.

Simply put, a person can summarize the essence of a topic in a nutshell, but making a detailed report on the same topic of 2-3 pages is already a problem, and you need to start somewhere. What to do in this case? You shouldn’t immediately throw all your energy into coming up with an effective beginning if it can’t be “thought out.”

The author of the article shared his experience that in such cases he begins to take notes in a notebook and structure them into certain semantic blocks. It is not necessary at this moment to keep in mind the thought “where to start” or try to write an article “on the fly” from beginning to end. You just need to write down all the thoughts that come to your mind.

At first it turns out a little chaotic, thoughts are duplicated and it is not always clear which of them should be included in one or another section. As you think about the topic and refine your formulations, the structure of the article, report, or scientific work becomes clearer , and previously chaotic thoughts are gradually distributed in a cause-and-effect sequence.

This way, the plan of an article or abstract becomes clear, and only then you can think about how to reveal the points of this plan, what information is missing so that each section is complete and contains comprehensive information. Thus, having started to write down his problem associated with a misunderstanding of “how to start an article,” the author comes to a clear structure of the article and a clear plan according to which he needs to write.

The outline itself implies a beginning, a climax, and an end to the story, so “where to begin” is no longer a problem. The general tone of the article suggests the optimal introduction. In this simple way, Kidlin’s law provides a solution to the problem of how best to start an article or report.

How does Kidlin’s Law help fight procrastination?

The habit of procrastinating “for later” is very common and prevents many people from doing their work efficiently and on time, coming to the exam well prepared and confident in their knowledge, and simply finally starting to do exercises in the morning.

No matter what task needs to be completed, most people tend to put it off until the last minute. Even when we know a deadline is creeping up on us, we always think, “I still have time.”

As a result, we are busy with everything but what we need to do urgently and urgently. This not only harms the productivity and effectiveness of our efforts, but also puts pressure on the psyche, because understanding the consequences of not doing work or not being prepared for exams is a powerful stress factor.

However, we can use Kidlin’s Law to break this seemingly endless cycle of procrastination. If you clearly write down what you actually have to do, then half the problem will be solved. How? The key word, as we remember, is the word “clearly”.

“Prepare for exams” is too vague a wording. “Learn all the tickets” is a little better, but very confusing, because each ticket contains questions from different topics, and during preparation you will often have to “jump” from one topic to another, which will create chaos in your head and quickly exhaust you emotionally.

But if you clearly write down what exactly you need to know and understand by the time you take the exam, then it will be much easier to get down to business. Simply because there is no point in postponing something when it is definitely possible to do it and it is approximately clear how long it will take.

In approximately this way, you can stop putting off physical education and sports. You should simply write down a list of exercises that you need to do tonight and tomorrow morning. Don’t know what exercises to do?

Our material “ How to start playing sports ” will help you , and you will see that choosing exercises to start is not at all difficult. And when it becomes crystal clear to you exactly how you should start playing sports, you will already be halfway to starting to exercise.

Kidlin’s Law for Order in Finance

Kidlin’s law also helps bring order to personal finances. In fact, almost all tips for organizing your finances begin with a recommendation to write down all your income and expenses. This step is completely enough to understand why you lack money and how much exactly you lack.

Next, you will have to record in writing the obligatory expenses (groceries, utilities, transport, hairdresser, gym), which are repeated from month to month. And then add those that are needed once a quarter or every six months (purchasing clothes and shoes for the season, summer or winter tires for a car, going on vacation).

This way you will have a complete picture of what you absolutely need and what you can’t do without. With a high degree of probability, the amount will be noticeably less than what you spend. And maybe even less than what you earn. Next, you just have to clearly write down your actual problem: “What exactly is there not enough money for?”

Think and write why you need even more money: for better food, entertainment, vacation? Will all the money you earn be enough for you if you stop buying nonsense and finally take the never-used cups out of the cupboard instead of buying new ones instead of the two that just accidentally broke?

If you cannot clearly answer any of the questions, this may be a signal to solve the problem of lack of money. Perhaps you are too susceptible to spontaneous purchases, which get boring faster than you have time to take full advantage of them. Maybe you should learn to cook, because for the cost of a small bag of fried potatoes at a fast food restaurant, you can fry a whole frying pan of potatoes at home and season all this happiness with a can of stew, which is definitely tastier and will be enough for 3-4 servings, not just one .

Thus, having clearly written down the problem of lack of money with all the nuances, income, current expenses and wishes for future purchases, you will see its solution with your own eyes. If to achieve financial stability and accumulate savings you just need to give up wasting money, then Kidlin’s law has solved your problem even more than half, because what is required from you is not more, but less effort. In the sense that you no longer need to wastelessly wander around stores and buy everything.

If it turns out that you can’t do without additional income, then all that remains is to solve the second half of the matter, namely, find an additional source of income. Moreover, you will have a clear picture of exactly how much you need to earn extra, and it will be clear that for this you do not need to “kill yourself” at a second job all weekend, but rather work, say, a couple of evenings a week.

Kidlin’s Law for Decision Making

In fact, the scope for applying Kidlin’s law is almost limitless. Every day we make some decisions, big and small, important and not so important. And, if things have stalled somewhere, Kidlin’s law will come to the rescue.

You just need to clearly formulate in writing what problem you have, and then the search for a solution will be more clear, and therefore faster. This approach is applicable both at the everyday level and for making important business decisions.

The author of the article gives an example from the practice of working with personnel when the issue of staff reduction arises [ B. Bittaruns, 2022 ]. This is a difficult task that is difficult for any decent person and leader. However, if we proceed purely from the main tasks of the company, then everything becomes simpler.

The author advises, as an option, to write down the pros and cons of each employee potentially subject to redundancy. Once all this is written down, you can look at each one to determine who has more negatives than positives. Then the decision will be as objective as possible, and the problem will be solved.

Of course, the manager does not always have such a situation in its pure form. Often it is necessary to take into account not only the competence of the employee and his contribution to the work of the company, but also the nuances of the law that make it difficult to fire a slacker if he has acquired a certificate of disability or is raising a minor child alone.

However, stating the problem in writing will make it easier to find a solution in this case as well. At a minimum, the manager will see how many employees are trying to parasitize on the “social network” and his good attitude, and will be able to think in advance how to minimize the harmful impact of this factor on the company’s growth.

In general, to effectively use Kidlin’s Law to solve problems, business people are advised to first answer several questions in writing:

• What are the visible manifestations of the problem? To do this, you need to write down all the symptoms of the problem, and then analyze the possible causes.
• What is the severity of the problem? This implies the cost of solving the problem in financial terms, a potential decrease in efficiency and other complications that may arise in the long term. Understanding all of this should help determine the scope and severity of the problem.
• Who cares about the problem and why? It is necessary to identify the parties interested in solving the problem and those interested in ensuring that the problem goes unsolved for as long as possible. This will make it easier to find help in solving the problem and neutralize possible opposition in a timely manner.
• What is the criterion for solving a problem? If in the technical field the criterion is as clear as possible (works – doesn’t work), then for management, creativity, jurisprudence, and interpersonal relationships you need to think about the criteria additionally.
• By when should this problem be resolved? Preliminary determination of deadlines will allow you to draw up an action plan that will lead to solving the problem.

Correctly identifying a problem requires seeing its symptoms, determining its impact, understanding the stakeholder landscape, and establishing criteria and time frames for resolution. And this must be done before you begin to solve the problem itself.

A common pitfall is that people start working on a solution to a problem before they have understood and articulated it. Usually this leads to a negative result, because they decide not what is needed and, accordingly, not in the right way.

The actual statement of the problem should be a combination of the above points in a simple and understandable written formulation, which is the essence of Kidlin’s Law. So, let’s summarize the benefits and scope of Kidlin’s Law:

• Management and management decision making.
• Making everyday decisions.
• Organizing finances.
• Fighting procrastination .
• Working with creative problems that do not have a unique solution algorithm.

In fact, Kidlin’s law is also potentially useful for solving technical problems, because saying “something is broken here” or clearly writing down at what stage the breakdown manifests itself (does not turn on, does not start, does not rotate, does not drive) are different degrees understanding the problem and ways to solve it.

However, in the production and technical sphere, clearly written (note the word “prescribed”) instructions and manuals for diagnosing and troubleshooting can help you get started. But in creativity, when the manual is not written down, and even the director himself (artist, poet, writer, musician – underline what is necessary) can hardly imagine the future result, Kidlin’s law becomes a truly indispensable assistant.

Who came up with Kidlin’s Law?

We have practically figured out Kidlin’s law and the possibilities of its application. However, the most astute readers are probably asking the question: “Who is Kidlin? Who is this person who came up with such an interesting and useful law?”

As often happens, the author of a statement that has “gone to the masses” often remains unknown or at least not very famous. The author of Kidlin’s law seems to be from this series. The surname Kidlin is very common in the English-speaking world, but we cannot find a clear unambiguous indication of who exactly is the author of Kidlin’s Law.

Actually, we have no choice but to take the word of more knowledgeable Internet users who read English-language literature and undertake to assert that Charles Kidlin was a management consultant at General Motors [ Response to Mail.ru, 2023 ].

Moreover, in English transcription you can find the spelling of the name as Charles Gidlin, then the name of Kidlin’s law is the result of the similar sound of the letters “K” and “G”. By the way, in Russian the name of the author of the law is sometimes written as “Charles Gidlin” [ bannedbook, 2019 ].

A long and branching Google search leads to the world’s largest citation site, BrainyQuote, where Kidlin’s law is stated in a slightly different formulation: A problem well stated is a problem half-solved [BrainyQuote , 2018 ].

The source claims that the phrase belongs to a certain Charles Kettering. At the request of Charles Kettering, we find ourselves on the website of the Encyclopedia Britannica (abbreviated Britannica), where it is said that Charles Kettering (1876-1958) is an American engineer whose inventions played an important role in the evolution of the automotive industry [ A. Tikkanen, 2022 ]. Among other things, it contains information that Kettering was vice president and director of research at General Motors from 1920 to 1947.

It seems that Kidlin and Kettering are the same person, whose name and quotes were recorded by ear, and therefore each subsequent reference contained a different spelling. It seems that those who played the game “Broken Phone” as a child are not particularly surprised.

All these nuances are not so important. It is much more important to remember Kidlin’s law in time when your business has stalled and it is not clear how exactly to solve the problem that has arisen.

It will become easier for you to solve any problems if you complete our “ TRIZ in Practice ” and “ Best Self-Education Techniques ” programs. So we invite you to our programs, we wish you to have no problems at all or as few as possible, and ask you to answer the question on the topic of the article: