It may seem counter intuitive to look for trouble rather than solutions but in almost every case it's a better idea.
Take for example hum. Many of us experience hum in our systems and the first thing we do is try various hum breaking tricks: cheater plugs, Humbusters, different cables. We're working on solutions before we know what the problem is. All we really know at this point is the symptom - not the problem.
The challenge is not trying solutions but finding the problems. I always instruct people to start at the amplifier and work backwards to isolate the problem. Remove the inputs to the amp, see if the hum is still there. Keep this process up adding back one piece at a time until you hear the hum. Now you've isolated the problem - and a solution is much easier to figure out.
Imagine if you went into your doctor with an ailment and he gave you a different pill to try each day - if one worked then he'd know what was wrong with you - provided the others didn't kill you first.
Look for trouble first and solutions to the trouble second. It sharpens your focus.
