Go for a Walk

Here's some practical advice what to do when you can't solve a tough problem within a reasonable amount of time: Go for a walk.

Apparently, 'reasonable' here means: Around 10 minutes.

If you're stuck with something for more than 10 minutes, it becomes increasingly unlikely that you will find a solution by thinking longer, or harder.

You can go for a walk, or do something else that will occupy your mind. Whatever it is, stop thinking about your problem. Working hard on a problem for 10 minutes creates a lot of stress, and now it's time to back off and let that stress transform into a positive training impulse - by resting.

Slow the fuck down, and let the answer find you.

Walking is such a great thinking tool, it has it's own philosophical school named after it.

But Aristotle did not walk around while lecturing, it's just that he and the dudes met at the place with walkways.

Maybe he should have walked more. Then he would have taken a different approach to the elements problem and would not have stopped at four.