All of us encounter problems in our life. We are programmed from grammar school to solve problems. As an adult, solving a problem usually involves getting past it by either fixing something or stepping in to do some work that may have been missed. To carry the load that a co-worker has dropped or to find the missing information to proceed. To go to the laundromat when your washing machine breaks. Or to ask a friend when the app on your phone is too complicated for you to setup.
These approaches are quite common. I am sure you can think of others. We react to problems with an immediate urge to fix something by finding a way around it. Making us believe that we understand how to problem solve. And convince ourselves that we are good at it.
Misunderstanding problem solving occurs because we believe we are so good at it. We often find ways to fix or mitigate a problem. What is missing is the interest in finding out why a problem occurs and then restructuring everything around the problem so that it doesn’t occur again. This is the real skill of problem solving. Not fixing the problem so that something expected gets done. And then have it reappear.
i find that most people are good at getting to an outcome when necessary. Far fewer are able to go past the immediate need to see what needs changing so that the problem doesn’t occur again. Giving you more time to either work on things you need to get done or to enjoy the things that simply make you happy.