When I'm jammed on a technical problem, time evaporates. I'll bargain with myself on when to separate. After a lengthy back-and-forth in self-negotiation on "one more thing!" I'll go for a walk. Recovering from mental despair, walking helps my mind collect unexplored methods to attack the frustrating problem. I'll organize my bubbling ideas to rebuild hope that this intractable problem is solvable.

Moderate physical activity helps my mind focus, and studies have confirmed my experiences. At least for me, doing something physical unlocks new ways of thinking. Another great example is showering. My likelihood of achieving the desired outcome increases proportionally to my number of showers. Showering is a time to navigate said problem. I just have to watch for the incoming Slack message my manager desperately awaits an answer.

There is my ritual of making tea or coffee as a build proceeds. Better yet, speaking to myself out loud to a rubber duck to navigate logic. Sometimes, writing, typing, or talking to another human will help separate me from the frustrating problem. Yeah, there are many ways to unstick what is stuck. For me, it requires separation to refocus my approach. More importantly, I have to do something physical.

But what is my most productive activity? I look no further than doing laundry. Performing the folding, sorting, and stacking is a great way to organize my plan of attack on a frustrating situation. In my experience, it has dispatched all my technical and personal problems.

Funny as it sounds, there is no other place like speaking to my pile of warm linens as our system demo proceeds on Webex. The best ideas had come from here.