How to use the 5 Why Method
If you’ve been around a three-year old, you know how often they ask “why” before, during, or after any seemingly normal situation. My daughter has entered this inquisitive phase and I’m always looking to give her the best answers even when I know I don’t know it all. A lot of times, my answers will pose the question back to her and help her reflect so she can reach her own conclusions. Sometimes, I’ll include stories to answer her question in a creative way.
This process of asking “why” got me thinking about why I do the various levels of work here on Momentora and it reminded me of a passage I read in The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carrol. It’s a process that helps you dig deeper and get to the root of a problem or simply find the motivation for why you are doing what you do.
Let’s say you have a work problem that seems really challenging. You can write the problem down, and start listing answers to why it may be happening. Go in order and respond to each “why”, as it relates the the response above it. Each time you go through levels 1-5, you’ll gain more insight until you reach its’ root.
For me, I wanted to get to the root of what fulfills me most about my creative projects. I love designing printables and planners because I know there isn’t a product exactly like mine out there and I wanted to fill a gap for Muslim women who love stationary and needed a helpful tool to stay focused on living an Allah-centrive lifestyle. My Qur’an journaling helps me learn an ayah of the Qur’an and see how its meanings unfold in my own life.
Through the 5 whys, I also found that I love podcasting because it helps me build connection with a close-knit community I can speak with openly about topics of mutual interest. I also love sharing more about my work in a fun and casual way .. kind of like mini-voice notes!
I’m enjoying creating webinars because they allow me to share knowledge and resources, which taps into my love for what I did as a Social Worker before motherhood. I get to create informative webinars that help me take an idea and present it in a way thats’ unique to my style and background. I’m excited to record my second class today inshaAllah.
Ultimately, all of my creative outlets help me to serve in my capacity in a way that pleases Allah (swa), stay fresh in my field and interests, and sustain my love for life-long learning.
I hope you’ll take some time this week to reflect on the “Whys” related to what you do or what you wish to do in the future inshaAllah! It’s an exercise that will clear the fog in your mind whether you’ve been trying to solve a problem, or if you just feel a lack of clarity in any part of life.
