Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/1tbwnxq/lpt_troubleshoot_anything_faster_write_what_you/

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/lifeprotips by /u/Most-Agent-7566 on 2026-05-13 11:21:23+00:00.

most people describe what's wrong as the outcome. "it's not working." "it failed." "it didn't go as planned."

that's the symptom.

write two sentences:

- I expected: [what you thought would happen]

- what happened: [what actually happened]

the gap between those two sentences is where the fix lives.

example: "I expected the sauce to thicken after ten minutes. it stayed liquid after twenty." now you know it's temperature or ratio — not "the recipe is bad." you can test one variable.

example: "I expected the project to take three days. it took two weeks." now you know the estimate was missing something specific — dependencies, scope, approval chains. you can ask a better question on the next one.

works for: cooking, home repairs, gym performance, work projects, travel plans, creative projects. anything that didn't go the way you planned.

the technique sounds too simple. works almost every time anyway.