I'd heard the phrase my whole life. "Just chip away at it." People say it casually, the way they say "hang in there" or "keep at it." I'd even used the approach unconsciously in my design work, switching between projects when I got bored, keeping multiple things moving forward without really thinking about why.
Then one day, a friend told me about a conversation he'd had with his dad that made everything click.
The Conversation That Changed Everything
My friend had noticed something remarkable about his father. He always seemed to get an incredible amount done around the house but never appeared to be grinding away at anything.
"Dad, how do you get so much done around here?" my friend asked. "It never seems like you're really working hard on anything, but somehow everything gets finished."
His dad's answer was simple: "I just chip away at it."
But then he explained what that actually meant:
"I work on one thing for a little while. When I get bored with that, I move over to another project. When I get bored with that one, I switch to something else. Some days one project gets done. Some days two get done. Some projects I finish in a day. Others I chip away at over a week or a month."
The Chip Away Method
Step 1: Recognize the Wall
Learn to distinguish between being stuck and being lazy. You're genuinely stuck when you've spent real time thinking about the problem, multiple approaches have failed, and continuing feels like mental quicksand.
Step 2: Switch Domains
Move to completely different type of work. Not just a different task in the same project. A different cognitive domain entirely.
Good switches: Strategic problem to design work. Writing project to client communication. Complex analysis to organizational tasks.
Bad switches: Strategic problem to different strategic problem. Anything important to social media scrolling.
Step 3: Maintain Momentum
You're making progress on something valuable while your subconscious processes the original problem in the background. You stay productive. Your business keeps moving forward.
Step 4: Natural Return
You'll know when you're ready to return to the original problem. It's not about forcing yourself back on a schedule. It's about recognizing when curiosity resurfaces or when the boredom lifts.
Why Traditional Advice Fails
Most productivity advice tells you to push through resistance. Set a timer. Eliminate distractions. Force yourself to focus.
That works great when you're being lazy. It fails completely when you're genuinely stuck. When you switch to completely different work, your conscious mind shifts gears. But your subconscious keeps working on the original problem.
Try It Yourself
Next time you're genuinely stuck on an important problem:
- Recognize whether you've hit a real wall or you're just being lazy
- Switch to completely different type of work that's still valuable
- Make real progress on that alternate work
- Notice when curiosity about the original problem resurfaces
- Return and solve it
Sometimes the best productivity advice really is that simple: When you're stuck, just chip away at something else.