Problem Solving

I've been cranky lately.

I had a project that needed to be done over the summer and I just didn't get it done. One of our school's goals is to improve problem solving skills across the curriculum. The difficulty is that not everyone is an expert in problem solving in the formal sense. So my task was to create problems for each area of study in our building. Six problems each for ten departments didn't sound like a lot at first, but when you begin working on them and it starts to feel like you're pulling teeth after twenty, you know you're in trouble.

I'm a little bit obsessive/compulsive. Okay, a lot. When I have a task in front of me, it eats at me until I get it done. I can't relax, can't concentrate on anything else, and I get edgy. I've been trying to work on my secret project ever since school started and I couldn't seem to get focused because I had this huge albatross on my back. So, yesterday I left Sera and Magi at home and went into school on Sunday and knocked the project out. I hadn't had such focus in a long time. I worked all day and got it done.

The funny thing about stuff like this is that once I obsess over something like that, the line of thinking leaks into everything else I do. I started watching TV last night, and new word problems started popping into my head. After a while, though, my head cleared and I felt light and happy again, the weight finally gone. I came up with some new things to write about in my blog. I made a list. The next couple of weeks' worth of posts could be fun to read. I know they'll be fun to write.