Brick walls
Those problems you can’t get around
You know you’ve hit a brick wall when you’ve reached a point at work where you’ve got a problem that you can’t see your way around. You’ve tried over and over again, but no luck. You find yourself hitting your head against a brick wall. We’ve all been in that situation.
The key is to remember “if you stop hitting your head against the brick wall, the pain goes away”.
How to tackle brick walls
Here’s a tip to how I tackle this situation:
The first step is recognising you are doing it? Recognise that’s where the pain is.
Stop and take a break. Have a cup of tea or a chat with a colleague. Maybe go for a walk.
Think about what the problem is and not how to solve it. What’s the real problem? Articulate it so that it is clear in your head, what the problem is that you are trying to solve.
Is it the problem, or is it the symptom? Is there a deeper problem underlying the one you have recognised? If you fix that would it make a big difference to the situation?
Think about what’s causing the problem to continue being a problem? Define the root of the problem.
Try tackling one of the symptoms of the problem to try and and help. You may find yourself in a different place.
Step back and Re-Energise
By redefining the problem you may find another way around it. Once you have taken a step back, relaxed and re-energised you will think more objectively about the problem and be able to come up with new ideas and solutions.
So in summary: Stop, take some time out and get some new stimulus into your brain. You won’t solve the problem by banging your head against a brick wall.