Blocked/Stuck/Spinning-Wheels
- Ask Questions.
- Formulate questions.
- Post on platforms like stackoverflow.com
- Consult with LLMs when possible.
- Take a step back from problem.
- Take a step back from immediate problem and learn more of the context of the problem.
Examine against
Definition: Getting stuck pursuing one specific approach when the real goal could be achieved through alternative methods.
Core Problem: Confusing the solution with the objective. You become invested in making a particular method work rather than stepping back to consider what you're actually trying to accomplish.
Example: Spending half an hour troubleshooting Bluetooth drivers when you just need audio for meetings (wire works fine).
Antidote: Regularly ask "What am I really trying to achieve here?" and use abstraction laddering to explore alternative approaches.
Related: Avoid Momentum Bias Dont Dig against a Rock When Well Digging
Identification
Identifying Solution Fixation
Warning Signs You're Stuck on One Approach
Effort/Progress Disconnect
- High time investment, minimal forward movement
- Repeatedly hitting the same obstacles
Emotional Escalation
- Growing frustration with tools/technology
- Blaming "stupid" systems rather than questioning approach
Research Tunnel Vision
- Only searching variations of the same solution
- Not exploring alternative methods to achieve the goal
Jargon Trap
- Deep in technical specifics unrelated to actual outcome
- Speaking in solution language rather than goal language
Investment Bias
- Reluctance to abandon current approach due to sunk effort
- "I've come this far, I have to make this work"
Quick Diagnostic
Ask yourself: "If explaining my goal to someone else, would I start with the technical detail I'm stuck on, or describe what I'm actually trying to accomplish?"
If you'd start with the technical detail, you're likely solution-fixated.
Reset Action
Step back and reframe using abstraction laddering:
- Ladder up: "What is this for?" (keep asking until you reach the real goal)
- Ladder down: "What are all the ways this could be achieved?"
Ladder Up/Ladder Down
Purpose: Break out of solution fixation by exploring the problem space at different levels of abstraction.
The Two Directions
Ladder Up - "What is this for?"
- Move toward higher-level purposes and outcomes
- Reveals the real goal behind your current approach
- Example: Bluetooth → audio connection → private meeting participation → professional effectiveness
Ladder Down - "How might we do this?"
- Generate alternative implementation methods
- Explores different paths to the same outcome
- Example: Private audio → Bluetooth, wired headphones, USB audio, different room, etc.
Why It Works
- Expansive thinking: Unlike root cause analysis, this explores possibility space rather than drilling into problems
- Architectural mindset: Builds hierarchy of purposes and methods
- Solution-space exploration: Shifts from "fix this thing" to "achieve this outcome"
Quick Process
- Start with your stuck solution
- Ladder up 2-3 levels to clarify the real goal
- Ladder down from that goal to find alternative approaches
- Choose the simplest path to your actual objective
Similar
5 Whys - is similar, however it evokes mental mode of error correction being seared as the error correction root causing technique. And that it isn't the mental you want to evoke during exploratory thinking.
Songs
When I'm Stuck - Dark Americana
Lyrics
## Verse 1
Been hammerin' this wall since the break of dawn
With calloused hands, my hope is gone
There's a door right there but I can't see
Too focused on what's in front of me
## Chorus
Gotta step back, find another way
Gotta ask "what for?" before I stay
Learn to see the forest through the trees
Get myself up off my knees
## Verse 2
Bought expensive tools to break on through
When a simple key was all I'd need to use
Diggin' deeper in the same old hole
While the answer waits there, plain and whole
## Chorus
Gotta step back, find another way
Gotta ask "what for?" before I stay
Learn to see the forest through the trees
Get myself up off my knees
## Bridge
Time to climb the ladder, step by step
See the view I haven't seen yet
Higher ground shows me the path
Saves me from this endless wrath
## Verse 3
Now I rise above the mess I made
Ask "what for?" instead of how it's played
From up here I see a dozen roads
Time to choose which way my story goes
## Final Chorus
Now I step back, find another way
Now I ask "what for?" before I stay
I can see the forest through the trees
Got myself up off my knees
When I'm Stuck (Delta Blues Version)
When I'm Stuck (Delta Blues Version) - another version
Lyrics
## Verse 1
Been hammerin' this wall since the break of dawn
Been hammerin' this wall since the break of dawn
My hands are bleeding and my hope is gone
## Verse 2
There's a door somewhere but I can't see
Yeah, there's a door somewhere but I can't see
Too busy breakin' what's in front of me
## Chorus
Mmm, I'm stuck down in this hole
Yeah, I'm stuck down in this hole
Diggin' deeper like it's gonna make me whole
## Verse 3
Brought them fancy tools to break on through
Brought them fancy tools to break on through
When all I needed was a different view
## Verse 4
See that ladder leanin' 'gainst the sky
See that ladder leanin' 'gainst the sky
Time to climb up high or lay down and die
## Chorus
Mmm, I'm stuck down in this hole
Yeah, I'm stuck down in this hole
But I'm climbin' out to make me whole
## Verse 5
From up here I see a dozen roads
From up here I see a dozen roads
Time to drop this hammer, lighten up my load
## Final Chorus
No, I ain't stuck down in that hole
No, I ain't stuck down in that hole
Found my way out, now I'm finally whole
Yeah, I found my way to be whole