[brettkw]

I'm in the same boat. Anytime life presents a problem that I can't seem to wrap my head around I get up from my desk, take a short walk, and it usually comes to me.

As an added bonus I've discovered that there's a small lake less than a mile from my office that I never knew existed(part of a planned housing community) and I've seen all kinds of things I wouldn't have otherwise.

[bennyg]

Yes yes yes yes yes. Discovery/play is crucial to expanding creativity, and creativity is crucial to solving problems, especially really hard ones.

Take breaks and do stuff to break the norm. Of course, rigorous scientific literature on this topic is kind of lacking. But if anything, it keeps life interesting.