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> What was interesting is that the higher-performing group (Alpha) was stuck less often that the lower-performing group (Gamma).

Which may just be correlated with high performance, not necessarily the cause.

If you make "don't get stuck" a motto, you can easily imagine people skipping over difficult problems and not thinking about a good solution.

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"don't get stuck" reminds me of the feynman method of problem solving:

1. Write down the problem. 2. Think very hard. 3. Write down the answer.

Rich Hickey's Hammock Driven Development, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f84n5oFoZBc, is IMO very good for actually not getting stuck in a bad place problem solving.

Wow, this was a big wake-up call. It's ironic because I am in research and I always did a lot of theory and problem definition up front for whatever I did, but I am now in this "reckless rapid prototyping" phase where if I get some idea I have to try it out RIGHT NOW, stepping back be damned. Ironically it results in getting stuck more than I would have wanted!

I guess this is the fourth tip?

- Step away from the computer

I share your concern that this will result in a lot of sloppy solution to lots of little problems which in turn results in one big mess of sloppy-but-it-works solutions which can be a big problem (but doesn't have to be). However, even when working out a good solution I think it's important not to get stuck. Make sure you are making some sort of progress; it's okay that it takes time but it is not okay if someone is just moving in circles instead of inching closer to the solution. Basically if something takes "too long" to get working, try a different approach or come back to it at a later time to try again. I quite like the "Don't get stuck" motto if we look at it that way.

"If you make "don't get stuck" a motto, you can easily imagine people skipping over difficult problems and not thinking about a good solution."

It is also important to define, what "getting stuck" means. For the research the alpha performers where the ones who fulfilled the goal quickest. If you switch the point of view from the teachers to the learning student, instead of fulfilling the requested goal quickest, you might follow an interesting problem that you discovered on the way. Is that getting stuck? No! It is following your own path of learning which is a very effective method. It does not look best to the teacher, but it can be very good for the learning student.

Asking your own questions and answering them is an important part of a learning process. It also makes you independent, so you don't simply do most efficiently what someone told you to do.

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