Sometimes you need to solve a problem before you know exactly what kind of problem you have.
Imagine you can’t find your wallet. That’s a problem that you need to solve, but there are details you don’t know yet. Maybe your wallet is between the couch cushions. Maybe it’s on the floor of the convenience store you just visited. Maybe it was lifted by a pickpocket and they’re draining your bank account right now. Those are different kinds of problems, and you aren’t sure which one you have just yet!
What should you do? Start from the bottom.
It doesn’t make sense to panic and immediately call the bank to cancel your credit cards. It makes sense to try to solve the easiest version of the problem first – look in the couch cushions or the floor of your car. That’s not only the most likely situation, but it’s also the easiest to solve, and the attempt doesn’t hinder other attempts if it turns out you have to go up one level. But if you go with the most extreme solution first, then even if you find the wallet in your couch later, the cards are all already canceled and that’s a big headache.
Time is a factor, of course, but often the easiest solutions are also so quick they won’t meaningfully affect the major ones if you need them.
Remain calm, work your way from the bottom up.
