I’ve got a practical challenge for you this week to try to combat feeling overwhelmed by the problems the planet is facing, and instead to feel inspired by getting on with five fun, effective (‘ffective?) solutions (fixes?)

Brew up a cup of tea and settle down for ten minutes with a pen and paper.

Ready?

Write a long and alarming list of every problem that keeps you up at night. It’s up to you whether this is global or local, about wild places or social issues. I’m not sure whether this will be cathartic or profoundly depressing, so make sure you have a biscuit or two.

Warren Buffet has a great system to help streamline decision-making. The best way to get some stuff done is to actively not do everything else. It’s time to trim down your list:

• Highlight the few issues that really bother you the most.
• Highlight the few issues that you are best-equipped to do something about. Think about your work, your studies, your community, your skills.
• Now cross everything else off your list. From now on, they are not your problem. Don’t fret about these things any more: some other reader of my website will sort those ones out for you.
• You now have a much shorter list of focussed concerns. Look for issues that are interlinked. Delete any that are not connected. For example, ​deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and climate change are deeply interconnected issues. Tackle one of those and you’re helping the others. These interlinked issues are the ones we want to be concentrating on today.
• Finally, choose just five of the remaining problems. Delete the rest. Have another biscuit.

Now comes the more enjoyable part of the mission. Pour another cup of tea, because it’s time to find solutions:

• Write a long and irate list of what the blooming world needs to do in order to blooming well fix your big five problems. Switch to green energy! Plant trees! etc. etc. Go on, let it all out!
• Highlight the few solutions that appeal to you the most: because they are satisfying, fun, meaningful, will earn you loads of money etc. etc.
• Highlight the few solutions that you are best-equipped to do something about. Think about your work, your studies, your community, your skills.
• Look down the list for solutions that are interlinked. Delete any that are not connected. For example, ​planting trees helps deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and climate change. Tackling one solution helps the others. These interlinked, amplifying, positive feedback loops are the solutions we want to be concentrating on today.
• Now look at your list and choose just five solutions. Delete the rest. You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. Some other reader of my website will sort the other ones out for you. Have another biscuit.
• Write down your Big Five solutions, and try to incorporate them into your adventures, conversations, philanthropy, voting, and work life. Make sure they all feel fun and rewarding to get involved with.
• Send me a photo of your list, and then let’s go find some solutions…

Here is my Big Five. Five things I really enjoy doing, which just so happen to be interlinked solutions to the issues that were grinding me down the most. I don’t even need to think about the problems any more – if I get on and do all this fun stuff, and encourage others to do them too, then the problems will get ever so slightly smaller…