What Jigsaw Puzzles can Teach You About Creative Problem-Solving

Everyone has problems—even highly successful people. But what sets them apart from others is their approach to overcoming the obstacles in their path.

Effective problem-solving is a skill developed through trial and error and the overall experience of life. Because there’s a lot of “learn-as-you-go” in developing your problem-solving chops, you should always be on the lookout for tips and techniques, even in the oddest places.

I did recently—while solving jigsaw puzzles.

After the holidays, my wife and I took up the pastime, taking on 1000-piece behemoths at a time. During spare moments, you could find one or both of us hunched over the pieces scattered over half of our large, country-style dining table. So far, we’ve finished about a half dozen.

I realize jigsaw puzzles aren’t everyone’s bag, especially if disorder and chaos put your teeth on edge. Typically, I’m like that—but for the sake of a little fun, I find that if I push past that initial feeling, it eventually fades.

Once I’m into a puzzle, those dopamine pleasure centers in my brain start pinging when I begin to see disorganized pieces come together into coherence one by one.

And, that’s when I realized that puzzle-solving is a snapshot—or perhaps a metaphor—for problem-solving writ large. I began to see many of the same mental functions taking place while in puzzle-solving mode as when I face a real-world problem.

So, here are a few of my takeaways about the process of jigsaw puzzle-solving and how it can relate to problem-solving on a grander scale.

One piece at a time. As previously mentioned, solving a jigsaw puzzle begins as a sensory overload of scattered pieces—and the more the pieces, the greater the overload.

This can be overwhelming even for jigsaw veterans. The first cope is to find and connect the border pieces; but that constitutes maybe less than ten percent, still leaving hundreds of pieces in various states of dishevel in or out of the frame.

Puzzling really is the ultimate “journey of a thousand steps,” only in this case beginning with one piece connecting to another. And then another, and another. Rinse and repeat.

Similarly, a real-world problem can be equally overwhelming when faced initially. You advance toward a solution, though, when you can make those first few connections, one piece at a time.

Use a variety of solving methods. You can employ various methods when solving a jigsaw puzzle. You can: look for similar colors; scan for shapes; build onto the main body of assembled pieces; or work individual sections off to the side.

The same with problem-solving: The more problem-solving methods you have to employ, the more agile you are during the process. This is especially true if you hit a wall—switching from one approach to another helps you avoid mental paralysis.

Keep an eye on the big picture. When you’re focused on individual pieces, you can easily lose sight of the whole puzzle, i.e. the pretty picture of the finished puzzle on the box cover. It helps, then, to take a regular glance at the completed puzzle image to maintain your perspective.

In the real-world, it’s also beneficial to back away from the micro-level of individual problem components for the birds-eye view of the entire issue. Keeping the big picture front and center better helps you understand how all the smaller components of a problem may fit together.

Allow for incubation. After spending time intensely searching without success for a particular piece, I’ve turned to other things to clear my head. More than one time after returning, I immediately notice the piece I had so diligently sought before (as we Southerners say, “If it were a snake, it would have bit me”).

Similarly, have you ever agonized over a problem until finally taking a break in frustration? Then, while walking, shaving, listening to music, etc., the “light” suddenly comes on: You see everything more clearly, perhaps the solution itself.

That’s the power of incubation—your subconscious mind continues to work through the problem even when your attention isn’t on it. Then, like a dog bringing a bone to its master, it delivers the insight to the active mind.

So, take a breather now and then, and let it incubate.

Seize opportunities. It’s also common for me to be looking for one puzzle piece, when I suddenly notice another one and instantly knew where it should go.

The same can happen while problem-solving: In the course of studying one aspect of a problem, you stumble upon an insight for another part. So, leave yourself enough mental flexibility to be open to answers you weren’t actively seeking.

Change perspectives. I can look at an area of the puzzle and ask, “What goes here?” I can also look at an individual piece and ask, “Where does this go?”

The same with problem-solving: You can focus either on the overall problem (“What could solve this?”) or on possible solutions (“How could this help?”). Neither perspective is better than the other; in fact, going at it from both perspectives can bolster your chances of arriving at a successful solution.

Embrace other team members’ solving style. My wife usually likes to sit or stand in one place while she’s working on a puzzle. I, on the other hand, like to walk around the table. Neither way is better or worse—it’s a matter of what works for each of us.

If your problem-solving is a group effort, your team members will bring different personality styles and life experiences to it. That’s not a bad thing if you respect those differences. Each in their own way can contribute significantly to the final solution.

A final thought: It’s easy to contrast real-world problem-solving with puzzle-solving as the difference between work and play. But don’t push this difference too far: All work and no play makes for a dull slog when working a problem.

There’s problem-solving and then there’s creative problem-solving. The latter taps into more than the analytical side of your mind—into that same reservoir of playfulness you use to solve puzzles for recreation.

So, add a little whimsy to your efforts to maneuver around your next life obstacle, maybe even pretend that it’s all just one big jigsaw puzzle. You may find it will exponentially enrich your problem-solving ability.