The One-Paragraph Problem Statement: How Tiny Written Goals Stop Your Coding Sessions from Wandering

If you’ve ever sat down to “just code for a bit” and looked up two hours later with nothing meaningful to show for it, you’re not alone. Most developers don’t fail for lack of skill or effort. They waste time because they start typing before they know exactly what they’re trying to achieve.

A tiny fix for this: write one short paragraph before you start.

Not a spec. Not a ticket. Not a 10-page design doc.

Just one paragraph that clearly states the problem, why it matters, what “done” looks like, and how you plan to approach it.

This one-paragraph problem statement functions like a lightweight methodology: minimal process, maximum clarity. And it’s often enough to stop your coding sessions from wandering.

The Core Idea: Write Before You Code

Most coding sessions start like this:

“I should improve the search performance a bit… let me poke around.”

Twenty commits later, you’ve tweaked queries, renamed variables, half-refactored a module, and somehow started building a debug dashboard you didn’t need.

Now compare that to this:

Problem statement:

Search results for queries over 10,000 records are taking 3–4 seconds to return, which is creating noticeable lag in the product and generating user complaints. Within the next 90 minutes, I want to reduce the average query time on the /search endpoint to under 800ms for the top 3 high-traffic use cases by (1) identifying the slowest queries, (2) confirming whether missing indexes or inefficient filters are the root cause, and (3) implementing and testing the smallest set of changes that improves performance without altering result accuracy.

That paragraph doesn’t just sound better. It directs your brain. It tells you:

• What you’re fixing
• Why it matters
• What “good” looks like
• How you’re going to attack it

Instead of wandering, you’re executing.

The Structure of a One-Paragraph Problem Statement

Your problem statement should be short enough to write in 2–5 minutes but rich enough to steer your work. A simple structure:

In this coding session, I want to [solve this specific problem], which matters because [context / impact]. I believe the root cause is likely [hypothesis], and I’ll consider this done when [concrete outcome]. My plan is to [focused approach/steps] while avoiding [obvious scope creep traps].

Let’s break that into the key components.

1. Clearly define the specific coding problem

Avoid: “Improve onboarding flow” or “Work on auth.” Those are themes, not problems.

Instead, pinpoint one clear issue:

• “Users can submit the sign-up form with an invalid email and still get to the dashboard.”
• “The createOrder endpoint returns a 500 when the cart contains more than 50 items.”

Signs your problem is specific enough:

• You can test it with a single action or small test scenario.
• Another developer could read it and know where they’d start looking.

2. Put it into context: why this problem matters

Without context, it’s easy to get lost in technical rabbit holes.

Add 1–2 sentences that answer:

• How does this problem affect users, teammates, or the business?
• How does it fit into the larger project, sprint, or product direction?

Examples:

• “This bug is blocking people from completing checkout on mobile, which directly hurts revenue.”
• “This refactor is necessary so we can support multiple payment providers next quarter.”

Context protects you from over-engineering. You’ll naturally tailor your solution to the true importance of the problem.

3. Look for the root cause, not just symptoms

Your paragraph should include a hypothesis about the underlying cause, even if it’s just a guess.

• Symptom: “The UI hangs when loading large projects.”
• Hypothesis: “We may be fetching all project data at once instead of paginating or lazy-loading.”

By naming your suspected root cause:

• You’re forced to think before poking randomly at the codebase.
• You can quickly invalidate your hypothesis and move to the next idea instead of half-fixing everything.

You’re not committed to being right. You’re committed to being deliberate.

4. Describe an ideal outcome in concrete terms

“Make it better” is not an outcome.

Good outcomes are measurable or at least verifiable through a simple check:

• “Reduce average response time from ~2s to under 700ms for the top 3 endpoints.”
• “Prevent duplicate invoices from being created when a user double-clicks the ‘Pay’ button.”
• “Ensure the user can upload a 50MB image without the request timing out.”

If you can’t describe what “done” looks like, you’re not ready to start coding. You’re still in problem definition mode.

5. Propose a focused solution or approach

This is not a detailed design. Think of it as a lightweight plan:

• “I’ll start by reproducing the bug locally, then add failing tests, then fix the logic in OrderService.”
• “I’ll profile the three slowest queries, try adding indexes, and re-measure before touching any app logic.”

Even a rough plan:

• Reduces decision fatigue mid-session.
• Keeps you from hopping between unrelated approaches.
• Makes it easier to stop at a natural checkpoint.

And if your initial path doesn’t work, you can update the paragraph. It’s a living guide, not a contract.

6. Treat it as a tiny methodology

The beauty of the one-paragraph statement is that it’s process without process-hell.

• No forms.
• No templates in triplicate.
• No 30-minute grooming ceremony before every keystroke.

You simply write:

1. Problem
2. Context
3. Root-cause hypothesis
4. Desired outcome
5. Proposed approach

…in 5–10 lines of text.

It’s structured enough to guide you, but light enough to use every time you sit down to code.

Where to put it:

• At the top of your scratch file or notebook
• As a comment at the top of the main file you’re editing
• In your commit message draft
• In a ticket or PR description

Any place you’ll naturally see it while you work.

7. Use it as a shield against scope creep

Scope creep often feels like productivity:

• “While I’m here, I might as well clean up this other function.”
• “This bug is related; I’ll just fix that too.”
• “Let me quickly redesign this component so it’s more generic.”

Suddenly, your session’s goal has changed three times.

Your one-paragraph statement is your scope contract with yourself:

• If you’re about to take on new work, ask: Is this part of the paragraph I wrote?
• If not, either:
  • Add it to a later task, or
  • Explicitly revise the paragraph and accept the trade-off you’re making.

The act of rewriting the paragraph makes you confront the cost of changing direction, instead of drifting into it.

A Full Example

Here’s what a complete problem statement might look like before a 60–90 minute coding session:

Problem statement (today, 3–4pm):

The /invoices page takes 4–6 seconds to load for customers with more than 200 invoices, which is causing timeouts in the support team’s workflow and creating a poor user experience for our highest-value accounts. I suspect the root cause is that we’re loading full invoice details (including line items) instead of a lightweight summary list, and possibly making multiple N+1-style DB calls per invoice. I’ll consider this session successful if I can (1) identify the exact source of the slowdown, and (2) implement a change that reliably reduces load time to under 1.5 seconds for accounts with up to 500 invoices, without changing the visible behavior of the page. My approach: profile the endpoint in staging, confirm the query patterns, introduce a summarized invoice query and/or pagination if needed, and add a simple performance regression test. I will not redesign the invoices UI or touch unrelated billing logic in this session.

Reading that, you already know:

• What you’re doing
• Why it matters
• When you’re done
• What you’re deliberately not doing

That kind of clarity changes how you use the next hour.

Putting It into Practice Today

To start using one-paragraph problem statements, try this simple routine for your next coding block:

1. Before you open your editor, open a scratchpad.
2. Spend 3 minutes filling in:
   • Problem
   • Context
   • Root-cause hypothesis
   • Desired outcome
   • Approach + explicit “won’t do” items
3. Keep that paragraph visible while you work.
4. If your work drifts, either:
   • Realign to the original paragraph, or
   • Consciously rewrite it and accept the trade.
5. At the end, quickly review: Did I achieve the outcome I wrote down? If not, update the paragraph to reflect what you learned.

Do this for a week and notice:

• Fewer half-finished “mystery” branches
• Clearer commit messages and PR descriptions (they practically write themselves)
• Less cognitive thrash when you resume work the next day

Conclusion: Tiny Writing, Big Leverage

You don’t need heavy processes to make your coding sessions effective. You need a tiny bit of written clarity.

A one-paragraph problem statement:

• Defines the specific problem
• Anchors it in real context and impact
• Pushes you to think about root causes
• Describes a concrete “done” state
• Gives you a lightweight plan
• Guards you against scope creep

It’s a small habit with outsized leverage. Before your next coding session, resist the urge to “just start.” Write the paragraph first—and let your code follow your words, not the other way around.