You'll get stuck and frustrated

At some point, you're going to hit a wall. You'll be doing something new, building something ambitious, trying to solve a problem, and then—bam. You're stuck. No next step. No obvious way out. Just you and the problem. "Goddammit. This fucking thing again."

I call that the goddammit point. It happens every time. You reach this phase in the work where progress grinds to a halt and you feel like you're circling the same dead ends. You're frustrated….You're tired…Goddamnit!

First: that's normal. Second: don't stop. But do pause. When I hit the goddammit point, the best thing I can do is step away. Walk your dog or the metaphorical dog if you know what I mean. Let your mind focus on something in front of you.

There's a concept from programming I love called "rubber duck debugging." You explain your problem out loud, as if to a rubber duck sitting in front of you. The act of articulating the issue often reveals the solution. We used to say, "Hey, can I rubber duck something with you?" Just talking it through with someone would unblock the jam.

Sometimes, that's all you need. And sometimes, you'll be stuck for a while. Like when I was writing this book. It's taken over a year. They say you have to write the first book to understand the book you really want to write. In my case, I had to write four versions to find the real one.

There were stretches where I didn't touch it for a month. But I didn't quit. I paused. That's the difference. Don't mistake a pause for a stop.

When I'm working in my workshop and get stuck on a project, I don't put it away. I leave it on the workbench. In plain sight. So I keep thinking about it. So it keeps reminding me it exists. Because if I put it in a drawer, it can disappear. Out of sight, out of mind….Stopped. Keep your stuck problems where you can see them.