Adam Alter

For some, it's creativity based. For some, it's relationships, interpersonal things. It's a pretty diverse concept, but there are a lot of commonalities that unite these different instances of being stuck.

We're extremely good at being physically stuck and getting unstuck. We're sort of well engineered for that in a biological and evolutionary sense. So if you stick a human in a position where he or she is physically entrapped, we marshal all sorts of resources. And every now and again, you'll read these stories of what is known as hysterical strength, which is where people lift cars to...

We're extremely good at being physically stuck and getting unstuck. We're sort of well engineered for that in a biological and evolutionary sense. So if you stick a human in a position where he or she is physically entrapped, we marshal all sorts of resources. And every now and again, you'll read these stories of what is known as hysterical strength, which is where people lift cars to...

We're extremely good at being physically stuck and getting unstuck. We're sort of well engineered for that in a biological and evolutionary sense. So if you stick a human in a position where he or she is physically entrapped, we marshal all sorts of resources. And every now and again, you'll read these stories of what is known as hysterical strength, which is where people lift cars to...

remove themselves from difficult situations, physical entrapment. But unfortunately, the same instincts that make us so effective at dealing with those circumstances actually paralyze us when we're emotionally or psychologically stuck. So the first thing you've got to do when you feel stuck is to really deal with those emotional responses. And there are a number of things you can do.

remove themselves from difficult situations, physical entrapment. But unfortunately, the same instincts that make us so effective at dealing with those circumstances actually paralyze us when we're emotionally or psychologically stuck. So the first thing you've got to do when you feel stuck is to really deal with those emotional responses. And there are a number of things you can do.

remove themselves from difficult situations, physical entrapment. But unfortunately, the same instincts that make us so effective at dealing with those circumstances actually paralyze us when we're emotionally or psychologically stuck. So the first thing you've got to do when you feel stuck is to really deal with those emotional responses. And there are a number of things you can do.

One of the sort of paradoxical things is to often slow down at the beginning. So your body will tell you and your brain will tell you to speed up, to act, to do anything to get unstuck. But without planning a proper strategy, you're going to fail.

One of the sort of paradoxical things is to often slow down at the beginning. So your body will tell you and your brain will tell you to speed up, to act, to do anything to get unstuck. But without planning a proper strategy, you're going to fail.

One of the sort of paradoxical things is to often slow down at the beginning. So your body will tell you and your brain will tell you to speed up, to act, to do anything to get unstuck. But without planning a proper strategy, you're going to fail.

And so very often the first thing you need to do is to slow down, to exhale, to sort of remove some of the pressure that will immediately feel as though it's upon you. Once you've done that, you can start to form some strategies for getting unstuck. You can... simplify the problem. There are a whole lot of different ways of doing that.

And so very often the first thing you need to do is to slow down, to exhale, to sort of remove some of the pressure that will immediately feel as though it's upon you. Once you've done that, you can start to form some strategies for getting unstuck. You can... simplify the problem. There are a whole lot of different ways of doing that.

And so very often the first thing you need to do is to slow down, to exhale, to sort of remove some of the pressure that will immediately feel as though it's upon you. Once you've done that, you can start to form some strategies for getting unstuck. You can... simplify the problem. There are a whole lot of different ways of doing that.

You can also, one I think very useful thing when you're trying to come up with new ideas for something, if you're trying to come up with creative solutions, for example, is to dial down how creative or novel the idea needs to be. So a lot of us seek something that's truly, wholly, radically original. And that's really paralyzing. And actually, there's very little true originality in the world.

You can also, one I think very useful thing when you're trying to come up with new ideas for something, if you're trying to come up with creative solutions, for example, is to dial down how creative or novel the idea needs to be. So a lot of us seek something that's truly, wholly, radically original. And that's really paralyzing. And actually, there's very little true originality in the world.

You can also, one I think very useful thing when you're trying to come up with new ideas for something, if you're trying to come up with creative solutions, for example, is to dial down how creative or novel the idea needs to be. So a lot of us seek something that's truly, wholly, radically original. And that's really paralyzing. And actually, there's very little true originality in the world.

And the best place to begin is to just tweak existing things that exist in the world. This is often a matter of taking two existing ideas and recombining them in novel ways, which is known as recombination.

And the best place to begin is to just tweak existing things that exist in the world. This is often a matter of taking two existing ideas and recombining them in novel ways, which is known as recombination.

And the best place to begin is to just tweak existing things that exist in the world. This is often a matter of taking two existing ideas and recombining them in novel ways, which is known as recombination.

One of the really good examples of this is Bob Dylan. When you ask a lot of really great talented musicians who is the most original voice or the most original songwriter of the 20th century, it's surprising that a lot of them say Bob Dylan is that person. Maybe it's not surprising, but what's surprising is how much they agree on that.