“Phone”

Happy Monday!

For the last couple of weeks I have been working pretty diligently to get extra work done so that I could take some time off, not quit but, just take a break for a little bit.…

And here we are!

I have not stopped doing client work, but I have cut back on the amount of time that I am sitting at the desk for just putting things out on the website.

I have to tell you, for a little mini vacation, this feels great. If you have read in my other newsletters, I have some new art styles that I am looking to try out. It is going very well, I’m just in the experimenting stage for now.

So, I’m sitting at my desk this morning with a new puzzle-book that Shannon picked up for me yesterday and a nice, warm beverage of choice. I have some easy-listening music playing in the background and I am ready to jump into the first puzzle. Page one, ready, set, go!

I use a highlighter when I do word searches, a habit I picked up several years ago and it really does help completing a word find, plus seeing all the bright colors on puzzles that you’ve finished can help add to the effect.

Last night I started with a couple of answers. Only a few. It was more of a test to see if the ink from the highlighters would bleed through the newsprint that these books are famous for printing on. It gave me a sense of how quickly I could file through the book by pulling a few words out of the page. The test was done, I got a couple finished, and I was excited to come down to my office this morning.

I sat down at my desk, placed my drink over by the speaker, grabbed the book and the highlighter and jumped right in. I flew through the answers.

Then I came to a problem.

In the “P” section I hit a snag on the word “phone.” I must’ve done something wrong and was not paying attention. I went from top to bottom again and still, no “phone.” The third try concluded with the same results. No problem I’m a professional, I’ll change plans, bottom to top.

Nothing.

If you have ever attempted anything like this you know there are many different ways to solve this, so I decided to do another approach, I started looking at the unused letters seeing if those five little letters would jump out at me and again, no result. FORTY FIVE MINUTES I spent looking for those five little letters. Nothing.

I could hear this book chuckling at me.

I stood up for a minute, stretched, sipped from my cup and sat back down again. It then occurred to me to go on to the next word. You see there are no rules, a timeframe, or even a plan on how to finish it so, I moved on and found every other word in the puzzle. I even managed to find words out of order. They were just popping out at me! How weird is that?

I then stepped back and took a 10,000 foot view of this issue, here’s what I came up with, see if I missed anything:

1.) sometimes it’s not about finding a specific answer, it’s about finishing the puzzle as a whole. Keep that in mind.

2.) when looking for a specific issue sometimes you have to change your point of view, top to bottom, bottom to top, spelling backwards, etc. when approaching an issue sometimes you need to change your attack.

3.) if you’re not getting it right away, come at it with a fresh pair of eyes. Take a break mentally or physically – stretch, get comfortable and try again.

4.) if you’re gonna solve a portion of the puzzle, move on to the parts that you can do. It is not about a specific order. It is about dismantling an objective, taking it down to smaller, bite-size pieces until it is manageable. I would call that taking the sharp teeth away from the monster. Level the playing field.

Now, I know what you’re thinking,

“Sketch, oh my God, this is supposed to be fun!” This is fun, but at the same time it is learning and sharpening one’s problem-solving skills and/or daily habits.

Nothing changes your outlook for the better than knowing you can systematically go through a problem; it gives you a boost of self-confidence that is unmatched. To say nothing of those special people in your life, when they look at you to help them because, “He just doesn’t give up,” or “give it to her, she won’t finish it until it’s done right.” Those are the kind of mental boosts that help you get through your day and they will help feed you during the next problem.

Whether solving a technical problem at home, dealing with issues at work, or just sitting doing a crossword puzzle, I hope this helps you.

Oh by the way …