Struggling with a Complex Task? Ever Consider Taking a Walk?
You’ve been working on a tough problem for a while — a complex code segment, slide deck, email, maybe an event summary, or people feedback. We’ve all been there. That’s when you need to step away. Close the laptop and go for a walk.
I know what you’re thinking — “But I need to power through this now! I can’t afford a break.” Actually, that’s exactly why you need that walk. Detach your mind and engage with something completely different. Don’t just dwell on the problem during the walk — that defeats the purpose.
Play a game with a friend. Read the next chapter of your book. Call someone you’ve been meaning to catch up with. Or finally deal with that nagging issue you’ve been avoiding, like that billing problem. Anything to get your mind off the original task. Then come back to it fresh.
I can’t tell you how many times this has worked wonders for me across all sorts of situations. I even have a block my email outbox sometimes to avoid prematurely sending things I wish I had revised. Our brains can play funny tricks on us when we’re deep in the weeds.
When I’m working on a doc, presentation, diagram, or other output, I’ll make a solid first pass. But then I let it go and move on to something else for a while — hours or even a day or a week. Without fail, ideas and improvements will hit me later regarding that original piece of work from days ago.
A few things happen when I step away. First, I stop actively, and consciously thinking about the problem with my logical brain. But my subconscious mind keeps chewing on it in the background. I’m still aware that this issue is simmering.
So I’ll pay extra attention when chatting with folks about totally unrelated topics. Maybe they’ll make an offhand comment that sparks a new angle or connection for me on my original problem. I get so many useful insights this way simply because my ambient awareness is heightened. It makes me wonder how much I’m obliviously tuning out on a daily basis when my mind is too cluttered.
By disengaging for a bit, and then going about other activities with the issue still looming in the periphery, I start seeing a much bigger, more holistic picture than if I had simply powered through alone. Solutions and ideas reveal themselves from the most unlikely places and situations.
This dynamic applies to people’s problems too — issues within teams, personal conflicts, etc. I’ll be in a meeting, hear someone make a certain point, and observe how others are reacting. I may not have the full answer right then, but by paying close attention and letting things marinate, further insights will hit me later in an entirely separate context.
It’s crazy how often I’ve cracked a work-related dilemma I’d been struggling with for weeks during a casual, unrelated chat or personal activity with my kids. Or vice versa — something my kids said or did unlock a breakthrough perspective on a thorny work issue. The human mind works in such amazing, serendipitous ways when we give it the time and space to meander.
One super helpful trick is creating psychological distance. Imagine yourself floating high above, looking down at the world, at your very self-sitting there stressed in front of that screen or walking down the street. Visualizing your situation from an outsider’s perspective like this can help eliminate that destructive, frantic brain chatter. Suddenly your problems don’t feel so huge and insurmountable.
You can also gain helpful distance by imagining how you’ll look back on this situation years from now. In that imagined hindsight, those intense hang-ups from today will likely feel far less monumental and earth-shattering. The point is to temporarily escape being fully engulfed in your current, overwhelming reality. Just a little bit of mental separation can work wonders.
So next time you’re grappling with a tough issue, resist that urge to just bear down and force a solution. Step away, create some helpful distance — physical, psychological, temporal — and let your incredible brain work its magic in the background. You’ll be amazed at the clarity and insights that emerge.
Until next time, Cheers,
Amit
Please say hi here or connect with me on LinkedIn!
