Before trying to solve, think first

most of us solve problem as straight away try to do it without thinking or planning when given a problem. This often lead to slow productivity because the method used is not effective enough to solve the a given problem. Perhaps there is a better way solving the problem, you might not know it. Therefore just keep these checklists in mind before starting any problem solving:

Do your research and gather as much information as you can.
Any question, don't wait... ask Google.
Give yourself various alternative solutions.
Be creative and don't afraid to break the rules.

If you could follow all these mention above, you could be a better problem solver.