Taking a Break

It is important to remember to take a break every once and a while. Give your mind a chance to recover and it will do amazing things. One thing I know about myself is that I'm very persistent; once I dive into a problem I have a hard time giving up or stepping away. 

The other thing I know is that I can get somewhat scope locked. I get committed to a possible solution and then I don't let go. That's often times a bad thing. So what I've learned to do is, take a break every once in a while. 

If I feel stuck I will go to the restroom and wash my hands. I imitate TV surgeons, washing up my forearms and scrubbing my fingers etc. If I really concentrate on what I'm doing, I push the active thinking about the problem out of my mind. When I finish washing and try to resume my thinking about the problem at hand I often have a revelation of some sort that unsticks me.

I don't think there is magic in washing your hands (though its good practice) however, the momentary distraction from the current thinking unblocks your mind by creating space between your conscious thought and the cage you have subconsciously places around the problem space.