When you are stuck on a problem for a couple of days you can sense frustration coming in more and more quickly every time you try to solve the issue. Some people give up entirely while some keep going. In some cases it feels like you don’t know anything, self-doubt creeps in and you come to believe you will never get it. Day after day, you try without success. You search for the answer. You try different key words using search engines online hoping that someone, somewhere asked the same question or had the same problem as you and received a solution. You have nothing to show for it except one hundred ways how not to fix your issue.
Right when you are at your wits end, you decide to let go of the problem you’ve been struggling to find a solution. Let the solution come to me you think to yourself. You decide to focus on other things related to your project or do something completely different. You do anything to remove focus on the problem. A great method to get your mind off the problem is to create a win for yourself. Something that you can learn, achieve quite easily and will make you feel good about yourself.
By removing yourself from the problem and focusing on another task, your mind is subconsciously working on the problem. That’s why you get the answer to some of your lingering questions in the shower. Your mind works on the problem in a different setting and it shoots up an idea from a different perspective. It’s like your mind has a birds eye view of the problem. By distancing yourself from the problem and have a larger view which creates a different perspective. A different perspective means new solutions to test out. Sometimes all it takes is a different angle at the problem to solve it. A burst of excitement and energy comes whenever you think of a new solution. This is where you go back to work on the problem.
Taking a step back and removing the focus on the problem will allow you to unlock some of the knowledge you gained while searching for the solution. It will give your mind time to make the connections in all your research and untangle all the thoughts and put them in order. In some cases, a different approach such as removing yourself from the problem is ten times better than trying harder to solve the problem.
It’s also important to be persistent when solving problems. It will get frustrating when hours or days are spent without any progress. Know that all the brainstorming and research, is progress. You are figuring out what does not work. The only way you will not solve the problem for certain is by quitting. The difference between someone who gave up and the someone who didn’t is managing their emotions. Frustration is present regardless who you are when something does not go your way but the ones that don’t quit don’t make it take over their thought process.
You might just need a different perspective on the problem. Stop trying harder and try differently.
Take care.