What a Grilled Cheese Taught Me About Problem Solving

One night after a night out with friends, I found myself in the kitchen, tasked with making grilled cheese sandwiches. I gathered all the essentials: fresh bread, American cheese, butter, and my trusty pan, ready to fire up the stove.

With everyone watching, there was a bit of pressure to get it right. After all, what’s the secret to a great grilled cheese? Toasty, golden-brown bread and gooey, melty cheese. Simple, right? But that crispy bread is everything—it can make or break the sandwich.

So, I got to work. Heated the pan, buttered the bread, assembled the sandwich, and set it on the hot skillet.

Then, my friend asked me, "Why are you buttering the bread?"

I paused. "Because it makes the bread crispy," I said, a little confused by the question.

She gave me a look and said, "Yeah, but why not just melt the butter in the pan first, and then put the bread on it? It’s easier and you won’t tear the bread."

And that’s when it hit me: She was absolutely right. It was a small tweak, but it made the whole process simpler and more efficient.

That moment stuck with me. As I work on projects today, I often ask myself: Am I buttering the bread, or could I be melting the butter?

In other words, am I sticking to the way I’ve always done things, or am I open to finding an easier, more effective solution? Sometimes, we don’t realize we’re making things harder than they need to be. The solution is right there in front of us—we just need to step back and rethink how we’re approaching the problem.