SOMETIMES, YOU NEED TO STOP TO MOVE FORWARD
Sometimes, you spend a long time stuck on the same problem.
You try the same solution over and over again. You think of different approaches, only to return to where you started. No matter how hard you try, you cannot find the next step.
Then you decide to do something else. You close your book, get up from your desk, or turn your attention to another task.
When you return a while later, you may notice a detail you could not see before.
But does this time away really help?
Or have you simply stepped away from the problem?
GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES
When working on a problem, putting in more effort does not always mean making progress faster.
Sometimes, we repeat the same line of thought and return to solutions we have already tried. Even though we remain focused on the problem, we cannot see a new option.
In such moments, taking a break does not mean abandoning what we are working on. It simply means stepping away from it for a while.
In psychology, the possibility that performance may change after taking a break from a problem and returning to it later is studied as the incubation effect.
Research shows that this effect can occur in certain tasks. However, it is not possible to say that taking a break solves every problem or always leads to better ideas.
WHEN THE MIND TAKES A BREAK
In 2009, Ut Na Sio and Thomas C. Ormerod brought together research on the incubation effect in a meta-analysis.
The findings showed that the contribution of taking a break to problem-solving varied depending on the type of task. The effect was more pronounced in creative thinking tasks that required generating multiple and different ideas.
The researchers also indicated that how the break was spent could matter. An activity requiring high mental effort could reduce the incubation effect, while activities requiring less mental effort could be associated with better results in some tasks.
These findings show that taking a break alone is not enough. What matters is the type of problem we are working on and the conditions under which the break takes place.
Sometimes, a problem requires us to stay focused on it for longer. At other times, instead of continuing with the same approach, we may need to create some distance so that we can look at it again.
NOT EVERY BREAK IS THE SAME
Research examining the effects of taking a break does not focus solely on the benefits of resting.
In 2012, Benjamin Baird and his colleagues experimentally investigated the relationship between creative problem-solving and mind-wandering.
In the study, participants completed a creativity task that required them to find unusual uses for everyday objects. After the initial stage, participants were assigned to different conditions. In one condition, they performed a low-demand task that allowed their minds to wander. In the other conditions, researchers compared a more demanding task, rest, and continuing without a break.
After the low-demand task, participants performed better on the creative problem they had encountered earlier.
This result is noteworthy. However, the study does not prove that every kind of break, or a specific activity such as walking, increases creativity. The findings should be interpreted within the context of the task and experimental conditions used.
A cautious conclusion we can draw is this: when we take a break from a problem, not only the time that passes but also what we do during that time may matter.
WHEN YOU RETURN, YOU MAY SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Imagine reading the same paragraph in a book over and over again.
You can see the words, but the sentence just will not make sense. You spend some time doing something else. Then you return to the book.
This time, the sentence seems easier to understand.
We cannot say that this will always happen. Sometimes, when we return, we find ourselves at the same point. At other times, we need more information, a different method, or more work to solve the problem.
However, taking a break can create an opportunity to consider another possibility: instead of continuing to approach the same question in the same way, we can reconsider what we might be missing.
Progress is not always about doing more. Sometimes, we also need to reassess how we are moving forward.
MOVEMENT IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT SPEEDING UP
We often think of movement as speeding up, covering distance, and constantly moving on to the next step.
Yet changing a method, trying a different path, or stopping when necessary can also be part of the process of moving forward.
This does not mean that effort is unimportant. Some problems require patience, repetition, and sustained focus. With others, changing our approach may be more meaningful than continuing with the same method.
What matters is not always stopping or always continuing, but recognizing what we need in each situation.
MOVE FORWARD
For MOTION, movement is not simply about moving faster.
Sometimes, it means starting, sometimes trying, and sometimes stopping to think again.
Not every break brings a new idea. Not every pause leads to a solution. But in some situations, giving yourself time before trying again may help you see the next step.
Because moving forward does not always mean putting more effort in the same direction.
Sometimes, you need to stop to move forward.
MORE THAN ENERGY
MOVE FORWARD
SOURCES
Sio, U. N. & Ormerod, T. C. (2009).
Does Incubation Enhance Problem Solving? A Meta-Analytic Review.
Psychological Bulletin, 135(1), 94–120.
DOI: 10.1037/a0014212
Baird, B., Smallwood, J., Mrazek, M. D., Kam, J. W. Y., Franklin, M. S. & Schooler, J. W. (2012).
Inspired by Distraction: Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation.
Psychological Science, 23(10), 1117–1122.
DOI: 10.1177/0956797612446024
Gilhooly, K. J. (2016).
Incubation and Intuition in Creative Problem Solving.
Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1076.
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01076