The word spuddle means “to put in a great deal of effort and achieve only very little.”

Let’s face it, all of us spuddle sometimes. It’s just a matter of how often and for how long. I spuddle when I have a proposal to write, when I have eaten a big lunch (especially when the big lunch contains cheese!), and when I have a headache.

Some of the ways I have learned to spend less time spuddling are as follows:

• I notice common themes around my spuddling to figure out when it’s most likely, and to thwart it when I can see it coming.

• If it has to do with a proposal or program, I look at previous versions and use them to start. I find it’s much easier to re-write and edit than to start from scratch.

• I ask a colleague to talk through a challenging project. Together we identify a first step, and I just take that first part on.

When do you spuddle and what tips do you have for others to get past their spuddling?