Describe a person you know who gave a clever solution to a problem
You should say:
- Who this person is
- What the problem was
- What solution they gave
- Why you think it was a clever solution
Sample Answer:
Until recently, I had an unsolvable problem. Or at least, I was completely sure that my problem couldn’t be resolved. I felt demotivated and disappointed as I made lists of tasks for each day but was unable to complete them no matter how hard I tried. I tried to cope with this problem myself. For example, I sorted tasks by priority and I avoided checking my emails or texting my friends, hoping that these strategies would help. No matter what I did I couldn’t get all the work done. And I was really angry with myself. The turning point for me was realizing that I didn’t even want to start doing anything at all.
I was so upset that I complained about this situation to my colleague. I told him that I had already tried all the time management strategies, but nothing helped. This person gave me a really simple, yet efficient solu my problem. He advised me to stop making to-do lists because I planned much more than I could do. I salą list and thought that I had to complete all the tasks on the list. He told me that to-do lists don’t work for visual thinkers like me and recommended me to start using a different approach to planning my day. At first, he drew a circular diagram which looked like a clock face. Then he took my long to-do list and asked me to estimate how much time each of the tasks would consume. So he transferred the tasks from my to- do list to this diagram. Every time he shaded a sector for the task. At some point, there were no empty sectors on the first diagram. He drew the second one. And I realised that when I made lists of things to do, it seemed to me I was obliged to do everything on the list by the end of the day. I realised that the problem was not about poor productivity, but my inability to make realistic plans. He taught me to set achievable goals and avoid plannina too many things.
I am convinced this was a clever solution because, mist of all, it worked for me and helped me solve my pro” m fast and efficiently. What’s more, it didn’t require me to put any extra effort into solving the problem.