Fix the cause, Not the effect

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In last week’s issue, we talked about How ChatGPT Prompt gave me my Time back and saving me 20Hr/week.

I have managed to reclaim my time, but I still find myself wasting a lot of it analyzing problems. Many of you may have heard the term ‘analysis paralysis.’

Every time I faced a problem in my work, whether it was low engagement on a campaign, delays in project timelines, or even personal productivity

I had a bad habit: I rushed to fix the symptoms.

If emails were not converting, I’d just try a new subject line.
If a project was delayed, I’d blame the tool or team.
If my day felt unproductive, I’d just try a new app.

But here’s the truth: I was only treating surface issues.

The real root cause was untouched, so the same problems kept returning again and again. That’s when I realized—I needed a structured way to dig deeper.

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The Solution: ChatGPT for Root Cause Analysis 🧠✨

That’s where Root Cause Analysis (RCA) comes in. It’s a method that goes beyond surface-level fixes and finds the actual reason behind recurring issues. And the best part? With the right ChatGPT prompts, you can run RCA on any problem in your business, projects, or even daily life.

Here are 5 powerful frameworks from today’s cheat sheet that I started using:

1. Define the Problem Clearly

Most mistakes start here. If your problem statement is vague, your solutions will also be vague.

👉 Use ChatGPT to break down your issue into symptoms, impact, and possible hidden causes.

2. Five Whys Analysis

Ever asked a child “why?” five times in a row? That’s the trick here.

👉 For every surface issue, ask “why” repeatedly until you reach the core. ChatGPT helps you document each step in plain English.

3. Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa)

Sometimes problems have multiple dimensions—process, people, tools, environment.

👉 ChatGPT can create a text-based fishbone structure that organizes contributing factors under clear categories.

4. Problem vs. Symptom Clarification

One of my biggest past mistakes was confusing symptoms (like poor open rates) with problems (wrong audience targeting).

👉 ChatGPT can separate these in a two-column table: one for symptoms, one for actual hypotheses behind them.

5. Timeline of Events Analysis

Most problems don’t explode overnight. They build up over small, missed signals.

👉 Use ChatGPT to reconstruct the sequence of events, highlight key decisions, and spot moments where intervention could’ve stopped the escalation.

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🟣 Why This Works

Root Cause Analysis is powerful because it stops the cycle of fixing the wrong thing. Once you identify the real issue, every action you take actually moves the needle forward.

I have started applying this across campaigns, business decisions, and even daily productivity—and the results are night and day.

🟣 Final Words

If you have been putting out fires instead of solving problems at the root (like I used to), try these prompts today. ChatGPT makes it easy, structured, and actionable.

And here is the exciting part, this is just the start. If you enjoy this, I will cover more Root Cause Analysis frameworks and prompts in upcoming newsletters.

👉 Let me know if you’d like me to dive deeper!

If you missed Tuesday’s issue read it here → ChatGPT Prompt Gave Me My Time Back

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