How do you clear your brain when you're facing a hard problem?

Andres Avila Wille — Fri, 31 May 2019 16:55:45 +0000

More often than not, while working, I can spend countless hours coding and solving any problem that comes up. However, sometimes I face a problem that at first looks simple, but grows into a mammoth. After hours of trying different things, always receiving unsatisfactory results, I feel like my brain's been drained and I'm losing the battle. That's when I know I need to take a step back, and away from my monitor and focus on something else. Others can see this as procrastinating or even rage-quiting. For me, however, it's part of the process. I turn my attention to something else, "reset" my brain, or do something else, while thinking on different ways to solve the issue in the background. More often than not, I go back to my desk, and after a few minutes... It works!

We all know this breaks are necessary and important, but I also think it's important what do you on those breaks. Sometimes, working home, I do push-ups or take a brief jog. When I'm done, I feel like my brain is working faster and better. Other times, I just sit and read a random article, watch a TV show, or even play video games. I've found myself playing FIFA while solving the issue in my head, and then I sit and translate my thoughts to a working solution.

Do you do any of these, or have any different ways of resetting your brain and face those mammoths?

DEV Community: Andres Avila Wille

How do you clear your brain when you're facing a hard problem?