The Puzzle Principle: What Word Games Taught Me About Perspective and Problem-Solving

I’m a little late to the party, but I recently started playing Wordle. Soon, I'd developed a daily habit and now my lunchtime routine includes Strands (my favorite), Connections, Spelling Bee, and the Mini Crossword from The New York Times. What began as curiosity has become a ritual: a satisfying midday reset that gives my brain a break and prepares me for the second half of my workday.

And it’s doing more than I expected.

One pattern keeps standing out: every so often, the Mini stumps me. I know the clues aren’t that tricky, but now and then, the answers just won’t click. I’ll stare at the screen, turn the clues over in my mind, and feel completely stuck.

So I walk away.

I step away for a while, and without fail, when I return to the Mini, I solve it within seconds. The same clues. The same brain. But a completely different outcome.

Why? Because I’ve shifted. Not drastically—but just enough.

It’s the same principle I’ve experienced in my professional life. I’ve worked on projects that felt too complex, decisions that felt too layered, or client challenges that felt too tangled to unravel. And time and again, stepping away—even briefly—has given me a new lens. Whether it’s a walk around the block, a good night’s sleep, or even switching to a different task entirely, I return with a different mindset. The problem hasn’t changed. I have.

I call this the Puzzle Principle: the idea that distance and movement (mental or physical) can generate clarity that raw persistence often can’t. It’s not about giving up. It’s about letting go—just long enough to let the brain recalibrate.

This has powerful implications:

• For leaders: Sometimes a stuck team doesn’t need more direction—they need space. Fresh input. Time to regroup.

• For creatives: Inspiration often hides behind the door you keep trying to force open. Step away, and it might swing wide on its own.

• For anyone juggling big responsibilities: Mental breaks aren’t indulgences. They’re performance tools.

We often celebrate tenacity and grit—and rightly so. But what if we also normalized pauses as part of high performance? What if the key to solving a problem isn’t to try harder, but to step back?

Neuroscience backs this up. When we rest or redirect our attention, the brain’s “default mode network” activates. This system helps us make connections, process emotions, and engage in reflective thinking—the very things that lead to breakthroughs.

We don't always have to force perspective shifts. Sometimes, they happen when we stop trying.

So I’ll keep doing my puzzles. And I’ll keep noticing the moments when stepping away brings me back stronger. Because sometimes, the best move is the one that lets your mind breathe.