Too many people rely on everything from blind intuition to excessive data collection when reasoning is a hand to help solve the toughest problem.

Do you seek help from others to work through your problems? If you do, it’s probably not because they have any specific knowledge about the subject. That’s not necessary. You usually have all the knowledge required. What you don’t know is how to organize your thoughts and come to a logical and reasoned conclusion.

Don’t rely on experience

If you have lots of experience, that may lead you to assume you can make quick decisions without bothering to collect background data. Sometimes it may work, but using your experience in this way can be a drawback. There will be a tendency to choose the answer which fits what you know.

Using reason is simple

A better way is to use reason. This will work for you in any situation. It won’t matter if you have no experience or previous knowledge of the problem. Reason allows you to use your logic to see what is true and what must follow from it.

Doing this will give you the ability to make choices about problems that arise. By using logic you can narrow down your alternatives and find those that suit you best. Don’t get angry when your boss ignores your hard work and is critical. Use your logic instead. Convince him that he’s wrong, ignore him altogether, or decide that it’s time to get another boss. Every time something doesn’t seem right, step back and reason out what the problem is. Then you will be able to make a logical decision about what changes you might make.

Why you shouldn’t rely on data

Don’t worry about spending too much time collecting and analyzing large amounts of data. When you have a problem you’re not sure about it’s easy to fall into the trap of data collection. It makes you look busy, when really you’re just wasting time. It’s also a mistake to think that will absolve you from the possibility of overlooking something important. If you collect large quantities of data the likelihood of overlooking things is huge — there’s just too much stuff to wade through. Neither will the answer pop out all by itself, saving you the trouble of working it out for yourself.

You won’t get the right answers by jumping to conclusions, piling up data or over-analyzing. Logical reasoning is nearly always the best way to proceed. Use the data if you want, but don’t stay emotionally attached to old ways of doing things. Good intentions won’t help either. To make good decisions that you have confidence in, reasoning is your best tool.

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