Paul Scheer

We're talking about stuckness, getting stuck and getting unstuck. And I'm speaking with Adam Alter. He's a professor of marketing at NYU's Stern School of Business and author of the book, Anatomy of a Breakthrough, How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most.

We're talking about stuckness, getting stuck and getting unstuck. And I'm speaking with Adam Alter. He's a professor of marketing at NYU's Stern School of Business and author of the book, Anatomy of a Breakthrough, How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most.

So Adam, I'd like to talk to you about some principles of stuckness that I think a lot of people believe, I also believe, and that when you're stuck, this would be number one, when you're stuck, one of the best things to do is talk to other people because when you're stuck inside your own head and can't think of any new ideas, go get some from somebody else, right?

So Adam, I'd like to talk to you about some principles of stuckness that I think a lot of people believe, I also believe, and that when you're stuck, this would be number one, when you're stuck, one of the best things to do is talk to other people because when you're stuck inside your own head and can't think of any new ideas, go get some from somebody else, right?

So Adam, I'd like to talk to you about some principles of stuckness that I think a lot of people believe, I also believe, and that when you're stuck, this would be number one, when you're stuck, one of the best things to do is talk to other people because when you're stuck inside your own head and can't think of any new ideas, go get some from somebody else, right?

So the next thing I wanted to ask you about is in my conversations with people about creativity, I think you said earlier on in our conversation that that one thing you need to do is maybe slow down a little bit. And and yet I find that if you're stuck. You need to move. You need to build some momentum.

So the next thing I wanted to ask you about is in my conversations with people about creativity, I think you said earlier on in our conversation that that one thing you need to do is maybe slow down a little bit. And and yet I find that if you're stuck. You need to move. You need to build some momentum.

So the next thing I wanted to ask you about is in my conversations with people about creativity, I think you said earlier on in our conversation that that one thing you need to do is maybe slow down a little bit. And and yet I find that if you're stuck. You need to move. You need to build some momentum.

And often creative experts will say that the way to be creative is not to try to think of a big idea, but start coming up with lots of ideas. Creative people come up with lots of ideas. They're always firing on new ideas. But it sounded like what you said in the beginning was, no, no, wait, slow down.

And often creative experts will say that the way to be creative is not to try to think of a big idea, but start coming up with lots of ideas. Creative people come up with lots of ideas. They're always firing on new ideas. But it sounded like what you said in the beginning was, no, no, wait, slow down.

And often creative experts will say that the way to be creative is not to try to think of a big idea, but start coming up with lots of ideas. Creative people come up with lots of ideas. They're always firing on new ideas. But it sounded like what you said in the beginning was, no, no, wait, slow down.

I also wonder, my observation anyway, is that it's kind of human nature to get stuck, that we're kind of wired that way. Because if we always feel like we're not stuck, then you're probably not going to get ahead. I may say I'm stuck in my job. There are a lot of people who would love to be stuck like I'm stuck. It's just that things haven't maybe changed a lot, but things are fine.

I also wonder, my observation anyway, is that it's kind of human nature to get stuck, that we're kind of wired that way. Because if we always feel like we're not stuck, then you're probably not going to get ahead. I may say I'm stuck in my job. There are a lot of people who would love to be stuck like I'm stuck. It's just that things haven't maybe changed a lot, but things are fine.

I also wonder, my observation anyway, is that it's kind of human nature to get stuck, that we're kind of wired that way. Because if we always feel like we're not stuck, then you're probably not going to get ahead. I may say I'm stuck in my job. There are a lot of people who would love to be stuck like I'm stuck. It's just that things haven't maybe changed a lot, but things are fine.

It's human nature to want to do something else.

It's human nature to want to do something else.

It's human nature to want to do something else.

And I wonder if because it's inevitable that you feel stuck, that a lot of people might sabotage or ruin a good thing because just because they feel stuck, even though things are fine, objectively speaking, you have this internal stuckness that makes you do things maybe you shouldn't that screw everything up.

And I wonder if because it's inevitable that you feel stuck, that a lot of people might sabotage or ruin a good thing because just because they feel stuck, even though things are fine, objectively speaking, you have this internal stuckness that makes you do things maybe you shouldn't that screw everything up.

And I wonder if because it's inevitable that you feel stuck, that a lot of people might sabotage or ruin a good thing because just because they feel stuck, even though things are fine, objectively speaking, you have this internal stuckness that makes you do things maybe you shouldn't that screw everything up.