Help, I’m Stuck! 19 Ways for Getting Unstuck from a Problem

In his great book, The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life, Bernard Roth begins the chapter on getting unstuck from a problem with a great analogy:

“A drunk man is walking along the street and collides with a lamppost. He bounces backward, only to collide with the same lamppost and experiences a similar backward bounce. These actions are all repeated several more times. Finally, in frustration, he sits down on the ground and says, “I give up. They all have me surrounded.” ¹

Usually, if we aren’t drunk, once we see an obstacle in our way or bounce into something a couple of times, we walk around it. However, there are times in life where, like the drunk guy, we believe that we are surrounded and respond just like he did.

Speaking of Getting Unstuck

One summer in college, I worked for a landscaping company and one of my co-workers, Steve, had a propensity for getting stuck, literally. To say he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer would be putting it mildly.

We had a pickup truck that towed a trailer with our riding mower and walk behind mower on it. One time, despite my warning him not to take it onto very wet grass because it would sink and get stuck, he did it anyway.

“It won’t get stuck.”, he said.

Lo and behold, guess what happened? Exactly, it got stuck. This led to him call my hot-headed boss who was furious for having to come to tow him out.

And of course, I got in crap because he knew Steve wasn’t too bright – “why didn’t you tell him not to?”.

More on Steve in a bit.

We All Have Problems That We Need to Deal with That Seem Insurmountable

And many times, these problems lead us to a feeling of being stuck.

So how do we get ‘unstuck’?

As Roth says: “The answer lies in changing the way you think about the problem.” And in today’s blog post we will cover 19 ways for getting unstuck from a problem. So, the idea is that when you feel like you are stuck with a problem, use one of these techniques for getting unstuck from it.

19 Ways for Getting Unstuck from a Problem

(1)  Moving to a higher level

Many times, we are trying to solve a problem by asking the wrong question. Roth gave an example of a student who was trying to fix his broken bed so he could get a good night’s sleep. He kept struggling trying to find the right wires, tools, and springs. Eventually, he solved the problem by buying a new bed. For him, getting unstuck was a result of changing his question from “how do I fix the bed?” to “how do I get a good night’s sleep?” Changing the question opened up the solution space completely and away from the problem of fixing the bed.

(2)  Reframing

To use reframing is to look at the problem with a different point of view. Roth gave an example that close to 85% of kids needed to be sedated before having an MRI due to being terrified of the machine. However, after working with and getting some kids opinions, the hospital reframed the experience into an adventure instead of a medical procedure. It was an immediate success and the child sedation rate dropped to almost zero!

(3)  Why it Won’t Work

This one consists of two parts. The first is to put the problem aside for a while and let your subconscious work on it as you are mentally clearing the decks. The second is to try to explain to a family member or friend why you are unable to solve the problem. Sometimes just by saying the reasons out loud, you are able to then realize what you need to do.

(4)  Premature Closure

This one has you continuing to come up with solutions after the first one. As Roth says, “The proper state of mind is one that welcomes each subsequent solution with as much joy as the first one, and then puts aside each aside and keeps looking. Ultimately you’ll face restrictions that will end the solution-seeking process.” ¹

(5)  What We Don’t Have

Sometimes what we think is a problem is not always a problem. As Roth says: ”…we are often more interested in what we do not have than in what we have. We may strive for something, and the effort may consume us. Once we have obtained our goal, it tends to lose its hold on us, and we are off to the next pursuit.” ¹ As he points out, 50% of the marriages in the U.S. end up in divorce and followed by remarriages. But do we always end up with something better? The grass isn’t always greener, and what we think is a problem, may not be.

The rest of the ones we will cover come courtesy of Rolf Faste, a friend of Roth’s:

(6)  Hard Work

While many times, the solution comes to us in a flash, what’s true is that flash is usually preceded by a lot of hard work and struggle.

(7)  Create a Supportive Environment

Keeping your work area uncluttered and needed supplies handy will help make your work area more stimulating and inviting.

(8)  Relax

Being in a relaxed state will allow your subconscious to do its best work. Many people have had major breakthroughs in both dreams and daydreams.

(9)  Brainstorming

We could (and will) do a whole post on brainstorming. As Roth says: “it refers to a more formal procedure through which a group of people gathers to deal with a specific issue. The object is to come up with many varied ideas.” ¹

(10) Lists

This one simply involves your making a list of all the possibilities. By creating a list that is inclusive enough, the idea is that you will move toward a solution.

(11)  Meta-lists

Meta-lists are lists that contain names of things that will be broken down into more detailed lists. For example, creating a list of cities to visit, then making a list of things to do in each city.

(12)  Idea Logs

Ideas logs are notebooks that contain your ideas, drawings, thoughts, and words to create a tangible record of your speculations. If you don’t record them, they are often lost forever.

(13)  Humor

Often times, joking around and having a sense of humor can get you to a place that serious thought is scared to go.

(14)  Conversation

Casual conversation and simply sharing your problems with others can oftentimes stimulate great ideas.

(15)  Forced transformations

According to Roth: “This is the process of purposefully modifying your ideas to make the conventional into the unconventional.” ¹ For example, combining two things like mayonnaise and ketchup to get Mayochup!

(16)  Diagramming Physical Process

This is one my mentor Howie will love as it involves creating a pictorial representation or flowchart of the process to identify where and when the problem(s) occur.

(17)  “What If?”

By asking “what if?” it can help to create an irreverent attitude about the problem which leads us to question assumptions about it.

 (18)  Working Backward

This is one that we discussed in a previous post on reverse engineering. It has you pretend the problem has been solved and work back to the start to understand what the milestones are.

(19)  Storyboards

Similar to a flowchart, storyboards are used in the movie industry. The idea is to map out your story or journey in a linear manner using pictures.

How to Use These 19 Ways of Getting Unstuck

Instead of going down the list or from method to method each time you are trying to get unstuck from a problem, Roth believes you are better off becoming proficient at a few of the techniques above and sticking with those.

And the more you practice, the better you will get at getting unstuck.

Which Brings Me to My Former Co-Worker Steve…

Not long after he got the trailer stuck, we were cutting the grass at a sewer plant and I could see him approaching two huge concrete tanks with the heavy-duty walk behind mower.

I told him not to get too close to where one of the tanks meets the wall, as in the picture above, or he would get stuck, and to use the weed eater instead.

“It won’t get stuck.”, he said.

“You are on your own this time dude!” As I bid him a good day as he waited for my irate boss to come to rescue him after getting stuck once again.

Talk about famous last words as he was not long for that summer job.

I would say that he could have definitely benefitted from reading this blog post, but I suppose like the drunk guy in the introduction, some people are better left being stuck!

Until next time, keep getting unstuck, and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

P.S. Wanna know more? Check out the entire book.

Use it or Lose It

19 of the ways for getting unstuck that we discussed above are:

(1)  Moving to a higher level
(2)  Reframing
(3)  Why it Won’t Work
(4)  Premature Closure
(5)  What We Don’t Have
(6)  Hard Work
(7)  Create a Supportive Environment
(8)  Relax
(9)  Brainstorming
(10)  Lists
(11)  Meta-lists
(12)  Idea Logs
(13)  Humor
(14)  Conversation
(15)  Forced transformations
(16)  Diagramming Physical Process
(17)   “What if?”
(18)  Working Backward
(19)  Storyboards

When to Use It

Use these ways for getting unstuck when you are stuck, duh!

What Do You Think?

What do you think of these ways for getting unstuck? Do you have any other ‘go-to’ ways for getting unstuck? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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References

¹ The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life by Bernard Roth