Unplug and Walk Away to Encourage Slow Thinking and Subconscious Problem Solving 

 What do you do when you feel stuck or frustrated with something you’re working on? What if it has a tight deadline, or you’ve convinced yourself that you will get it finished today, no matter what? We’ve all been there and what we usually do is buckle down and try harder.

What if there was a different way? What if doing the opposite, walking away for a bit, can help you get done faster in the end and do a better job. That’s what this post is all about. 

One of the best things you can do when you feel stuck or you’re simply not making as much progress as you’d like is to walk away. I’m serious. Shut your computer, get out of your chair, and step away. If possible, get outside. Move around. Go for a walk. Run a few errands. Head to the gym. It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you change your environment and you move your body. And don’t even be tempted to take your work with you in the form of your smartphone or tablet. In fact, I want you to forget about it for a little while. 

Here’s why this is important.

By stepping away and doing something completely different (going for a walk instead of trying to write that blog post or clean out your closet for example), you give your subconscious a chance to take over. While you’re busy taking the kids to the park or shopping for groceries, it’s hard at work at whatever task you felt stuck on. By the time you get back, it will have all sorts of fun ideas for you. In fact, they may pop up while you’re out and about. 

The jury is still out why exactly the movement is so important. There’s the obvious that it increases blood flow throughout the body, including the brain, but I believe there’s more to it than that. Many people across the centuries have reported that they’ve done some of their best thinking during walks and quite a few have reported major breakthroughs after stepping way and getting out and about for a bit. 

Give it a try and see what your own subconscious comes up with. If nothing else, you’re giving your conscious brain a break and you will return to work with a fresh mind and a fresh set of eyes. You may just be surprised how easy it is to work through the insurmountable problem, and how much easier the work flows after you took a break and walked away. 

 Until next time...

Lisa