Lifted from one of my old blog posts: - Pros and Cons: when I have too many answers, I try to make it objective by drawing up the pros and cons and seeing wher

Lifted from one of my old blog posts: - Pros and Cons: when I have too many answers, I try to make it objective by drawing up the pros and cons and seeing where that takes me. - Simplify: like a lot of developers, I can be prone to over-analyse when I am stuck on an issue for a while. So I remind myself to try simplifying the problem. Often by dropping a layer of flexibility the problem is a lot easier to solve. If I really need the flexibility, I can add it later when I have greater understanding. - Take a Break: sometimes I’m just trying too hard, and need to step back. I work from home, so a short walk outside is a welcome break. Actually getting away from the computer relaxes the grey matter. The vitamin D doesn’t hurt either. - Explain the Problem: very often I find that while I’m explaining the problem, I see it in a different way. If not, the input of another person usually throws a different perspective on the issue. If there’s nobody to bother immediately, just writing down an explanation can help. - Switch Gears: this works when I’m getting frustrated by a lack of progress. By switching to a small, unrelated task, I can Get Something Done and develop some new momentum. This also serves as a break from the original problem. - Write Some Tests: I don’t practice TDD all the time, but when I’m stuck trying to understand how things work, writing some tests first can be very illuminating. Having tests in place also gives gratifying feedback as I finally start to crack the underlying problem. I find this works best for really tough technical issues, where good test coverage is even more important than normal. - Write Some Code: if I have a partial solution, even if I know it is ugly or inadequate, sometimes I’ll just plow ahead anyway. Actually working through a throwaway implementation is better than standing still, as it turns up all the little details. I’m happy to throw that code away since I know the alternative was not getting anywhere.