Here's another psychological technique that will improve your ability to solve problems as they occur. It is a form of self-hypnosis and was developed by researchers at Duke University. First, you select the major problem bothering you. Next, you go off by yourself where it is quiet. Sit down and allow yourself to relax, with your eyes closed. Most people find they can get in such a relaxed state by slowly imagining numbness spreading over their bodies beginning with their toes, and not even excluding their eyelids.
While in this relaxed state, you simply describe the problem to yourself in your mind and tell your subconscious mind that you want the problem solved. You then get up and go about your business. Not infrequendy, the results are almost immediate and the solution will come to you when you least expect it. Sometimes the problem is solved a little later with the solution appearing in different or unexpected ways. Repeat the procedure periodically until the problem is solved to your satisfaction.
I know this sounds too good and too simple to be true. But it has been tested and found to work. During experiments testing this technique, one hundred and fifty-five college students tried it on a wide variety of problems. Eighty-six percent of the students reported complete or partial success at helping or preventing depression; 94.9 percent reported complete or partial success at becoming wide awake when sleepy; 97.2 percent reported complete or partial success at overcoming fatigue; 91.9 percent reported complete or partial success at curing procrastination; and 98.7 percent reported complete or partial success at improving their social relations. Many executives and students I have worked with report similiar success with a wide variety of business and personal problems.