When Stuck in a Project, Start by Taking Time Off

It can be as easy and as beneficial as putting away your favorite game until you play it again.

There have been many times when I found myself stuck in various projects and activities. Other times I was in the flow.

As many did, I wondered what to do first when I am stuck.

Reading the story “But I want to be an artist” in the book Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel & Shya Kane shed light on one of the possible first steps in tearing down the wall of resistance, resignation, and being lost.

It might sound unexpected and strange, but here it is:

Take some time off your tricky project or activity.

When I say taking time off, I mean both active involvement and any type of thinking about it (constructive, on nonconstructive, worrying, or creative).

If deadlines allow, take at least three days off — even better a week or two — from your project. Whatever it is.

Pretend you never had this project in the first place.

You might ask how you are going to remember to come back to it, or rather how you are going to forget about it since you’ll be thinking the whole time, “In three, two, one day, I’ll have to start it again.” A possible solution here is to make an appointment for this project in your calendar.

If you are skeptical about the possibility of not thinking about your project during the designated break, then consider any board or card game, you like to play with your family and friends.

You don’t think about that when you are not playing it, even if you and your children have planned to play it again. You just mention it, agree a time when you’re all free to play, and then forget about it until you take it from your collection and set up the game.

You can proceed in the same manner with your project, however challenging it might seem. You can choose to think of it as an exciting game in which you want to level up and win, or a puzzle you are eager to solve.

By taking a break, you aren’t giving up on your project. You are simply taking some time off, during which you can enjoy another project or activity “game.” Leveling up in the latter might give you just the boost in energy and ideas you need for your “entangled” project.

Thank you for reading this article! I hope you enjoyed it. Here another story you might like:

Note: This article is a modified excerpt from Turn Your No Into Yes: 15 Yes-or-No Questions to Disentangle Your Project.

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