If you really want the square root of an arbitrary complex number, then solving simultaneous equations is great.... well, it's what you've got. If you happen to know that you're dealing with a complex number that has a "nice" square root (i.e., rational real and imaginary parts), then you can use some tricks.
The norm of $a+bi$ is given by $a^2+b^2$, and is a multiplicative function. Thus, if you want the square root of, say $-\frac7{12}+\frac59i$, start by checking its norm: $\left(\frac7{12}\right)^2+\left(\frac59\right)^2=\frac{49}{144}+\frac{25}{81}=\frac{841}{1296}$. That's equal to $\left(\frac{29}{36}\right)^2$, so the square root, assuming there's a nice one, has norm $\frac{29}{36}$. Looking at that, you might guess $\frac56$ and $\frac26$ as options for real/imaginary parts, in some order. To decide which one, I'd look at where $-\frac7{12}+\frac59i$ lies in the plane - it's along the $\Bbb R^2$ vector $(-21,20)$. Splitting that angle in half mentally, we expect something in the part of the first quadrant nearer the positive imaginary axis, so we try $\frac13+\frac56i$, and that works.
Again, this is not a general approach for any complex number, but for something that arises in a context where you expect its square root to be reasonably nice, and where the numbers aren't too messy, this is great.