[Series 012] Why Did I Fail Despite Working Hard? How to Stop Wasting Effort (5 Whys Deep Dive)

In our last article ([011] "Why Do I Have to Go to School?"), we learned about the 5 Whys technique. It's a tool where you ask "Why?" five times to dig beneath the surface and find the real reason behind things.

But here's the problem: just asking "Why?" five times doesn't automatically get you to the truth.

Many people try the 5 Whys and fail. The reason? They can't tell the difference between 'symptoms' and 'root causes'. When you only chase what you can see on the surface, even five Whys won't stop you from wasting your effort.

Today, I'll show you how to use 5 Whys properly—how to avoid getting stuck in the 'symptom trap' and reach the 'root cause'.

🧐 Symptoms vs Root Causes: Why Does It Matter?

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Let's start with the key concept.

• Symptom (Phenomenon): What you can see or measure on the surface
• Root Cause (Essence): The fundamental reason that created the symptom

Let me give you some examples:

• Symptom: Your maths test score dropped by 15%
  👉 Root Cause: You've been copying notes without understanding concepts
• Symptom: Your best friend keeps cancelling plans
  👉 Root Cause: They feel like you only talk about yourself and never listen
• Symptom: Your Instagram posts get fewer likes
  👉 Root Cause: You're posting what you think people want, not what you actually care about

See the difference? Symptoms are 'results', root causes are 'reasons'.

The problem is our brains are designed to react to symptoms immediately. Test score drops? "I need to study more!" Friend cancels? "They must be busy!" Fewer likes? "I need better photos!" We react without thinking.
This is how wasted effort begins.

📉 The 5 Whys Trap: Getting Stuck in Symptoms

the-story-why.blogspot.comIn the AI Era, If You Don't Want to Be Replaced, Cultivate 'THIS' First

Just because you know about 5 Whys doesn't mean you'll automatically reach the root cause. Many people fail like this:

❌ Bad Example: Stuck in the Symptom Trap

Problem: Our school basketball team keeps losing games

1. Why are we losing? → We're not scoring enough points
2. Why aren't we scoring? → Our shooting accuracy is poor
3. Why is our shooting poor? → We don't practice shooting enough
4. Why don't we practice enough? → The coach focuses more on defence drills
5. Why does the coach focus on defence? → Because we don't have enough practice time

Conclusion: We need more practice time! (❌)

Something feels off, right? Even though we kept asking Why, we only scratched the surface. Is "lack of practice time" really the root cause? No. It's just another symptom.

🌳 Proper 5 Whys: The Path to Root Causes

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Now let's try the same problem, but digging towards the root cause:

✅ Good Example: Finding the Root

Problem: Our school basketball team keeps losing games

1. Why are we losing? → We're not scoring enough points
2. Is it really just about shooting? What about teamwork? → (After checking) Actually, players often don't pass to open teammates
3. Why don't they pass? → In practice, the coach mostly rewards individual plays, not team plays
4. Why does the coach reward individual plays? → The team doesn't have a clear playing style—some want fast breaks, others want slow build-ups
5. Why isn't there agreement on playing style? → The team captain and coach never properly discussed the team's identity and goals

Real Root Cause: "The team lacks a clear identity and strategy, so everyone plays their own way instead of working together"

Now the solution is completely different:
❌ Get more practice time
✅ Team meeting → Define playing style → Train unified tactics → Build team chemistry

🎯 From Symptoms to Root Causes: 4 Principles

Here are the key principles to make your 5 Whys dig to the root cause:

1. Question Answers That Can Be Measured
   "Grades dropped", "Fewer likes", "Not enough time"—these are usually symptoms. Root causes look like "Priorities are unclear", "Trust has broken down", or "There's no system to notice when things change".
2. Ask 'What' or 'How', Not 'Who'
   The moment you blame a person, you stop looking for root causes and start finding scapegoats. Ask about structures and systems instead.
3. Look for Patterns
   One failure might be random. But if the same problem keeps happening? That's a fundamental flaw. Ask: "Has this happened before?"
4. Look Beyond the Data to See People
   AI sees data ("Team losing streak: 5 games"), but humans can read invisible context ("Nobody trusts each other"). Data shows 'What', but root causes are in 'Why'.

✍️ Practical Training: 3-Step Root Cause Worksheet

Now it's your turn. Think of a problem you're trying to solve, and follow these three steps:

📝 STEP 1: List the Symptoms (Observe)

Don't judge—just write what you see.

(e.g., Grades dropped, zoning out in class, arguing with parents...)

🤔 STEP 2: Run 5 Whys (Investigate)

Important: After each answer, ask: "Is this the real cause, or just another symptom?"

• 1st Why: Why did this happen? → ____________________
• 2nd Why: Is that really why? What else changed? → ____________________
• 3rd Why: Why did that happen? → ____________________
• 4th Why: Why does that pattern exist? → ____________________
• 5th Why: Why does this keep happening? → ____________________

💡 STEP 3: Write the Root Cause (Insight)

"The real problem is [ ____________________ ]."

🤖 AI Only Processes Symptoms. Root Causes Are Your Job

Here's something crucial to understand: AI is brilliant at finding patterns in data, but it's terrible at understanding context.

AI shows 'What'. Humans dig into 'Why'.
The 5 Whys technique helps you systematically dig into 'Why'. And this ability is your competitive advantage in the AI age.

Today's Practice Task

Choose one problem where you're "working hard but not getting results." Fill out the 3-step worksheet above.

Compare your first guess about the cause with the root cause you discovered. Share your insights in the comments! 👇