Almost every project I work on, I get to a point where I am stuck. Does this happen to you? I’m sure it has for one project or another.
I might be stuck because it is a technical issue that is supposed to work, but just won’t. I’m sure you’ve been there before! I might be stuck because I am writing a speech and I just can’t figure out the best way to have my audience relate to what I am trying to say. Whatever the problem, it doesn’t matter.
The real problem is that I usually do one of 2 things:
- I procrastinate by deciding to check my email or go on twitter. I tell myself I need to just check my email one more time. I waste time on mundane tasks instead of working on important tasks.
- I sit there forever trying to solve the problem, going around in circles knowing that I have thought about it for way too long, but unable to stop until I can figure out the solution.
Both of these options just end up wasting my time. I rarely solve the solution or get much of anything done when I am busy reading my tweets or catching up on email. And I rarely solve the problem if I sit and think about it for hours on end. My mind just starts to turn into jello and stops thinking.
The most effective solution I find to work for me is to actually just stop working all together. I either go spend time with my children, or take an exercise break, or maybe even just sleep on it.
Whenever I go back to the problem (it’s best when I go back to it the next day), I always end up figuring out the solution. And you know, I usually can find the solution in a matter of minutes instead of a matter of hours.
