It never ceases to amaze me that you can be stuck on a problem for 2 days, say “screw it I’m going for a walk around town” and then solve it fifteen minutes into the walk.
@christianselig this is the same concept as what Barbara Oakley calls the "diffuse mode" of thinking: https://youtube.com/watch?v=lJtUg-3DfUk&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
Learning How to Learn - Introduction to the Focused and Diffuse Modes

YouTube