Why stepping away from a problem helps, and what the research actually says (2016)

A readable review of incubation research. A meta-analysis of 117 studies found a small-to-moderate benefit from setting a problem aside (d ≈ 0.29), larger when the break is filled with an undemanding task. Gilhooly's own experiments point to unconscious work rather than "forgetting the wrong approach", and suggest doing something different during the break: a spatial task helped verbal problems and vice versa. There's a link to note-taking: write the open question down clearly before you walk away, so there's still a goal left running.

Where I'm less sure: most of the evidence uses lab tasks like "think of unusual uses for a brick", and Gilhooly says his account fits small, knowledge-rich problems and needs more work for real-life ones. "Unconscious work" is the best remaining explanation rather than something observed directly. He also notes that famous anecdotes (Kekulé's dream, Coleridge's Kubla Khan) don't hold up.

Question: Do you deliberately park problems? Does writing the open question down before you step away make a difference for you?