problem solving skills book

The 11 Best Problem Solving Books

Adventurer, Tech Geek and Lover of Productivity Hacks. 

Learn how you can improve your problem solving skills with this curated list of the 11 Best Problem Solving Books on the market.

Looking for new insights and best practices when it comes to coming up with proven, quality solutions to the problems we face both at home and in the workplace?

Fortunately, there are a variety of problem solving books out there that are filled from front to back with new and exciting ways to conquer the issues that we deal with on a daily basis.

Whether we like to admit it or not, problem solving skills are high in demand these days whether it’s in the workplace or in the comforts of your own home.

One thing that is for sure is that life is definitely easier when you have the skills to solve problems with ease.

The best part is that problem solving is that it’s a skill that anyone can learn.

Below, you’ll find a list of the best problem solving books that should be helpful for those interested in really diving into the art of problem solving.

Table of Contents

Best problem solving books, sprint, how to solve big problems and test new ideas in just five days, the innovator’s dilemma, switch, how to change things when change is hard, problem solving 101, seeking wisdom: from darwin to munger.

• The Art of Thinking Clearly 

Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

How to solve it: a new aspect of mathematical method, what do you do with a problem.

• The Art and Craft of Problem Solving 

The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

Author Dr. Jason Selk and Tom Bartow

Sprint offers a transformative formula for testing ideas that work whether it is for yourself or for a large corporation. The ideas that Sprint provides you are already tested and successful ones therefore you have nothing to lose giving them a try. Whenever you are feeling stuck and don’t know how to solve an issue, check out these ideas and test them out to see which one works best in your favor.

Author Clayton M. Christensen

Named one of 100 Leadership & Success Books to Read in a Lifetime by Amazon Editors, The Innovator’s Dilemma offers a different approach to problem-solving. This book helps you look at your problem from an outsider point of view. Whenever you don’t know where to go next and how to solve an issue, the best thing is stepping out of the box and seeing whatever is that you are missing to identify in order to solve it. 

Authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems: the rational mind and the emotional mind that compete for control. The concept of this book is using our internal “switch” and learning when to use each type of mind. Mainly, allowing ourselves to have full control on when we decide to use the emotional side and the rational side. These factors will allow you to make decisions in a more concise manner and therefore have a smarter mentality when it comes to problem-solving. 

Author Ken Watanabe

Originally written to help Japanese schoolchildren learn how to be better problem solvers, this book ended in every businessman’s desk as the information was just too valuable. This book is filled with simple-to-follow case studies to illustrate different solutions to problem-solving. 

Author Peter Bevelin

This book covers everything from the exact moment we come up with an idea, to the point where we are stuck and don’t know how to move on past the issue. Through a psychological point of view, the author helps us understand the way our minds evolve. He essentially leads out a misjudgment point of view to one of a better and wiser thinker. 

The Art of Thinking Clearly

Author Rolf Dobelli

The Art of Thinking Clearly isn’t just another one of the best problem-solving books, but it is a guide to living a more convenient life, where every step that we take has its own action and consequence. Understanding that problem-solving comes from having an organized mind is the first place to get started when we are capable of thinking clearly, the solutions come to us in a clear manner as well. 

Author  Maria Konnikova

Who wouldn’t want to have the mind and the skills of problem-solving that Sherlock Holmes has? Well with this book you are able to acquire some of those astounding skills to use into your daily life. Holmes is one of the world’s most proficient problem solvers and Konnikova highlights the key characteristics that make him so effective in order for the reader to apply them. 

Author George Pólya

George Pólaya uses this mathematical method to help people to think straight. Through his brilliant method he has helped a lot of people tackle their problems only by changing the way that they think. Our mind is more powerful than we know, and therefore knowing how to work our way around it might help people deal with daily life struggles. 

Author by Kobi Yamada

What Do You Do with a Problem? Especially one that you can’t get rid of and can’t find a way to fix? Kobi Yamada tackles this exact scenario and offers the reader multiple ideas to deal with that one problem that seems to not go away. The key in the book is to never avoid a problem, the more we avoid dealing with one issue, the bigger it will become. 

The Art and Craft of Problem Solving

Author  Paul Zeitz

This text offers unique skills and solutions to approach a problem. Not only it helps to identify how to fix the problem but also to understand the problem itself. Understanding how the problem developed and when it started to become a problem for us, is important in order to avoid future conflicts. Tackling the problem is one thing, learning how to stop problems for developing is another great quality. 

Author Dan Roam

Herb Kelleher was brainstorming about the traditional method we deal with problem solving and it was in this exact moment where he grabbed a bar napkin and a pen and decided to scribble what problem solving would look like. He believed that people could understand something better by looking at it, and for that reason he decided to incorporate this lesson into his book. 

Used properly, a simple drawing was more demonstrative than a simple PowerPoint, but it can help crystallize ideas, think outside the box.

Did you find this list of problem solving books to be helpful? If I missed one that you recommend, please leave a comment below.

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Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People Hardcover – March 5, 2009

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 128 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Portfolio
• Publication date March 5, 2009
• Dimensions 5.6 x 0.68 x 8.5 inches
• ISBN-10 9781591842422
• ISBN-13 978-1591842422
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About the author, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1591842425
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio; 1st edition (March 5, 2009)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781591842422
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1591842422
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.6 x 0.68 x 8.5 inches
• #126 in Business Decision Making
• #256 in Decision-Making & Problem Solving
• #278 in Cognitive Psychology (Books)

About the author

Ken watanabe.

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