Once you grasp why people behave as they do, you will be able to interact with them more effectively. Be firm with bullies at work don't allow them to pressure you into doing anything unwanted. Be forceful in your opinions, but act with a bit of caution. Keep away from office politics. Getting into them is easy but getting out is very difficult.
Effective problem solving does take some time and attention more of the latter than the former.
Take it too fast and you may not be in as good shape. Working through this process is not always a strictly linear exercise. You may have to cycle back to an earlier step. For example, if you're having trouble selecting an option, you may have to go back to thinking about the interests. The more difficult and important the problem, the more helpful and necessary it is to use a disciplined process.