You guilty of this stress, too?

My recent conversation with a client reminded me of something I’m way too guilty of.

When I have a lot to get done, especially when I’m stressed or trying to solve a problem, my instinct is to double down.

• Put my head down.
• Try harder.
• Stay at my desk until I figure it out.

Sound familiar?

It feels productive.

I mean, if something needs to get done, walking away from it seems like the exact opposite of what you should do.

But sometimes, the harder we push, the more stuck we get.

• We reread the same paragraph.
• We stare at the same problem.
• We go around and around trying to come up with a solution.

We convince ourselves that another 30 minutes of staring at the screen will finally give us the answer.

Aaaaand…nothing.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is step away.

Because your brain needs space to think differently.

Here are three ways to make that work.

#1. Know when pushing harder has stopped helping.

There’s a difference between perseverance and spinning your wheels.

When you’re making progress, keep going.

But when you’ve been sitting with the same problem, rewriting the same sentence, or getting more frustrated, pay attention.

Your stress level is going up while the quality of your thinking is going bye-bye.

I used to think walking away meant I was wasting time.

Now I’m trying to get better at recognizing when staying is actually the bigger waste of time.

Because sitting there longer doesn’t mean you’re getting more done.

Sometimes it’s just another hour at your desk.

#2. Create space instead of escaping.

There are times when I want to completely check out.

Give me a couch, a good show, and absolutely nothing that requires me to think.

There’s a time and place for that.

But I’ve never been three episodes into Netflix and suddenly thought, “I know exactly how to solve that problem!”

My best ideas tend to come when my brain wanders.

• On a walk.
• At the gym.
• In the shower.
• Driving without listening to a podcast.
• Doing something around the house that doesn’t require much thought.

I’m away from the problem, but my brain isn’t occupied by something else.

And that’s the difference.

We spend so much of our lives consuming.

Emails. Podcasts. Social media. TV. News.

Even when we take a break, we immediately reach for our phones.

But sometimes your brain needs a little quiet.

You don’t have to sit in a dark room and meditate for an hour.

Just give yourself a few minutes to not produce and not consume.

You might be surprised by what comes up.

#3. Come back with fresh eyes.

The point of stepping away isn’t to avoid the work.

It’s to come back to it differently.

• Maybe your stress level has come down.
• Maybe you suddenly see an option you couldn’t see before.
• Maybe the problem that felt enormous an hour ago doesn’t seem quite as complicated anymore.

When you come back, ask yourself:

• What am I actually trying to solve?
• Is there another way to approach this?
• What’s the simplest next step?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stepped away from something I’ve been wrestling with, only to have an idea pop into my head while I’m walking or working out.

The answer didn’t come because I tried harder.

It came because I finally gave my brain room to find it.

The Bottom Line

So the next time you’re stuck, stressed, or staring at the same problem without making progress…

Resist the instinct to automatically double down.

• Get up.
• Take a walk.
• Go work out.
• Put your phone down.
• Give your brain some room.

Sometimes the fastest way forward is to stop pushing for a few minutes.

And let the answer come to you.

XO,

Mridu

P.S. If you know you can make better use of your time and energy, that’s exactly what I help with. Learn about training here or explore one-to-one coaching here.