“I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don’t let anybody tell you different.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country
You want to be known for solving hard problems not only executing tasks. Much of this work will occur solely in your head and no tangible artifact will be created. Even though you cannot show your boss that you are sitting at a computer and creating something tangible this is still work and part of the job. Some problems cannot be solved sitting at a computer and cannot be forced to a solution.
Doing things that are hard don’t necessarily need to be hard to do. They may even be pleasant.
Figuring Out
Sometimes you cannot look directly at a problem because the solution will evade you. When you are stuck on a problem go for a walk or a drive and loosely think about it.
Learning
Maybe you have done a lot of thinking on a problem and realize there are gaps in your knowledge or maybe you need another perspective. Consider ways to gain that knowledge such as reading books, researching at a library, engaging experts, or reading technical papers.
Talking to Others
You can run your ideas by trusted colleges or experts in the field. They can tell you where there are holes in your thinking or give you another perspective.
Time
Some problems need time to percolate and multiple sessions of the activities mentioned above. It may take days or weeks to figure out. Your brain is a problem-solving machine but may not solve the problem on a “business schedule”.
Space
Sometimes you need to give yourself breathing room to solve problems. Staying busy will make it hard to give yourself time to percolate on a topic.
If you want to take on hard problems, you must be willing to apply these techniques to your work. If you are a manager and want to have an impactful team then don’t be afraid you must encourage this type of work too.
Funny video about thinking rather than just executing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV-vf-7LbC8