Spending N hours on a problem that's very difficult to solve is often worse than deciding to find a way to avoid solving it. There are N₂ examples in my history where I solved a problem that was much harder than necessary — or spent a lot of time trying, then failed — when I should have just stepped back to ask if it was worth it.
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Spending N hours on a problem that's very difficult to solve is often worse than deciding to find a way to avoid solving it. There are N₂ examples in my history where I solved a problem that was much harder than necessary — or spent a lot of time trying, then failed — when I should have just stepped back to ask if it was worth it.