To Shift, or Not To Shift

One of the biggest challenges I face as a budding entrepreneur is what to do when I get stuck on a project.  I know I’m not alone; in fact, this post was inspired by a friend on Facebook who is one of those wacky serial entrepreneurs you’ve read about (thanks for the idea, Travis).  It was nice to find out I wasn’t the only one who gets in this mode from time to time.

The question remains, though: what should you do when you get stuck?  Is it better to muscle through in an attempt to get to the other side?  Or are you better off just giving in to the “stuck”-ness and switching gears to a different task?  Or should you, as my friend Joel D Canfield says you sometimes should, just call it a day and head for the beach?

The answer, of course, is that there’s no one right answer.  That said, here’s what I do: I meditate.  Rather than make a decision when I’m feeling frustrated by a lack of progress or productivity, I’ll consciously make an effort to step away from the project for a set period of time, say 15 or 30 minutes.  During that time, I might push my chair back, close my eyes, and let my mind wander; or I might take a brisk walk and take in the scenery (this is especially effective on perfect spring days like the one we had today in Sacramento).

Whatever I do, I purposely let go of any thoughts of the project I was stuck on and just take some time to enjoy being (thanks to Paul Coltharp for reminding us of that one).  You’d be amazed at how powerful this little exercise can be.  Sometimes I return to the project with a fresh outlook and manage to get past the place where I was stuck; other times, I realize I’m not going to get anywhere right then and I pick up something else to work on and leave the current project for later.  Either way, it beats staring at a blank computer screen and waiting for something to happen.

The power of this technique lies in its simplicity.  If you really want to get past the place where you’re stuck, sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and let go.  Trust me, the problem will still be there to solve when you get back; you however, might have changed just enough to be able to solve it more effectively.