Previously, I've discussed the dangers of "powering through" your work. I also shared the pitfalls of powering through when you are stuck. Now, I'll share one of my biggest secrets to becoming unstuck. Are you ready?

Walk away.

I discovered this approach by accident several years ago.  When wrestling with a particular problem, you might uncover such complexity and intense risk, that you can’t find a clear path. Options seem hard to find. You might even feel any option you pursue could be dangerous for your career.

Walk away.

Seriously. Sometimes, the best way to find a solution is to walk away for a while.  Get completely out of the problem and stop actively thinking through it.  I’ve found this works best for me under certain conditions:

  • I walk into something I enjoy.
  • I schedule a reminder to walk back into the problem and do not think about that reminder or the problem.
  • If I don’t find myself relaxing in the “walking away” phase, I find something else that will.

First, “walk into something I enjoy” includes spending time with my family, doing something outside, or engaging in some activity I can get lost in.  Examples are walking the dog, doing almost anything with my family, or working out in the yard with my family.  By the way, I do not have a green thumb and have been known to kill plants in my care, but I do appreciate the physical activity and fresh air of working in my own yard. Outside makes a difference.

By walking away, I let my conscious mind let go of the tangled complexity of the problem and let my unconscious do what it does best: make sense of random and chaotic elements. For this to work well, it includes at least one good night's sleep. Sleep becomes the workshop of the unconscious mind.

Second, I will usually set a reminder in my calendar for when I’ll re-engage with the problem.  Then I ignore the problem until that reminder goes off.  Ignoring the problem is an important step and requires a "trusted system" that you know you will refer back to regularly.

Finally, if I find myself sneaking in thoughts about the problem, it’s my conscious mind signaling it’s not letting go of the problem completely.  The conscious mind has to let go so the unconscious can work on the problem.  If I find my mind drifting back into the problem, I find another activity that allows me to “walk away” from the problem for a bit. For me, getting outside, doing something physical, or connecting with people I care about provide the best tactics to unplug. Sometimes I’ll find something to fix around the house.  As a homeowner, there is always something to fix and it combines all three of my "unplug tactics."

I’ve used this "walk away and back" approach for many difficult problems and it’s produced many unique solutions.  But what happens if you can’t walk away for a while or you can’t get your mind off the problem?  That’s where my third approach comes in handy. I'll talk about that approach next time.

P.S., If the concept of a "trusted system" is new to you, see David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) approach to managing work. I now have many different trusted systems for the different types of work I do. Happy to say more about that if you are interested. Let me know in the comments.