Daily Softlock: A 60-Second Stuck-State Check

A page can be online and responsive while your next step never moves. I call that a softlock: not a crash, just a stuck state.

The 60-second check

1. Name the state. What exactly is waiting, blocked, or repeating?
2. Find the smallest observable move. Choose one action that would prove the state changed.
3. Try one reset. Refresh the view, change the input, or take a short step away—then test again.
4. Set a stop condition. If the same signal appears twice, record it instead of spending another hour guessing.
5. Write the next move. Make it specific enough that future-you can start without reloading the whole context.

This is a lightweight product and process prompt, not clinical advice or a diagnosis. The goal is simply to turn “I’m stuck” into one visible state and one testable next step.

For a daily prompt, try Daily Softlock. Want a quick interactive version? Take the Softlock quiz.

What is your earliest signal that a task has entered a softlock?