In early December 2024, something new appeared on the Clubhouse level of Cowork Frederick, Frederick’s first and longest-running coworking space, where a community of remote workers and small business owners gather to work, learn, and support each other – and do jigsaw puzzles.
One member started it all by bringing in a puzzle from home. Soon, people who needed a break wanted some social time, or just couldn’t help but get sucked in, could be found at a table piecing together the scene shown on a puzzle box.
A few days after that first puzzle was finished, another appeared, and then another. Puzzles are now standard fare at Cowork Frederick for anyone to work on at any time.
It didn’t take long for those who “puzzled” to reflect on how lessons learned working on jigsaw puzzles could be applied to work and life.
Getting set up properly goes a long way
Every puzzler knows that the first step toward completing a puzzle is to dump all the pieces out of the box and turn every one of them over so the image is facing up. It’s not exactly exciting work, but it is essential for a smooth and well-organized puzzle experience.
The same is true in business. Jumping right in and getting to work can have advantages, but in most cases, taking the time to see what you have and organizing it pays off. It may be tedious, but putting in the prep work upfront sets you up for (quicker) success.
Establishing boundaries guides your actions
After you can see all your pieces in front of you, finding the edge pieces of a puzzle is typically the next step. This allows you to frame out the puzzle. It helps you understand the scale and proportion of your puzzle. Is the blue sky just one row of pieces or four? It’s hard to know unless you identify the boundaries.
When tackling a work project, knowing the constraints and objectives is essential. Are you clear on the “frame” of your project? If you – and your boss, colleagues, and/or client – don’t agree on the scope of work and desired outcomes, the odds are pretty low that you’ll be successful.
Beyond projects, this applies to your overall job, career, and/or business. Boundaries help define where you will put your attention and effort (and where you will not). That’s where a mission statement and a set of values can really help.
Taking breaks helps
Coworking puzzlers noticed how often, after taking a break and returning with fresh eyes, a piece they had been looking for all afternoon suddenly appeared before them. The lesson? If you’re stuck, try taking a break. Think about the difference between tackling something when you feel energized and refreshed and when you feel drained and exhausted.
Without breaks, you get tired and your mind isn’t as fresh. Productivity slows and the quality of your work declines. Studies have shown that taking time for a casual conversation, to look out a window, take a walk, or work on a puzzle😉 during your workday makes you more, not less, productive. If you don’t follow one of the prescribed methods for work sprints, establishing a rhythm of focused work, then break, work, then break can help you get more done.
Set a timer
When I sat down one afternoon at the puzzle with a fellow Cowork Frederick member, the first thing she did was set a timer. Having heard many say how easy it is to get sucked into puzzles and lose track of time (the word “addictive” was used more than once), the use of a timer made perfect sense. Didn’t we, after all, just talk about boundaries?
In fact, experts recommend establishing a schedule with focused periods of work and breaks to help you be your most productive self. The ideal schedule differs from person to person. Experiment to find what works best for you – then use a timer.
Setting a timer ensured the puzzle would be a break and not an all-afternoon distraction (definitely not helpful for productivity). When the timer went off, we headed back to the coworking space downstairs to work.
Try going around the problem
We’ve all been there—staring at something, not able to figure it out. Each time you try a new approach, you feel even more stuck. Sometimes, the trick is to move onto an adjacent area. Where puzzles are concerned, sometimes there is a space that you’ve tried to fill with piece after piece, but none have worked. Filling in nearby areas can give you clues as to the shape and color of the piece you’re looking for, making it easier to spot.
Whether writing, designing, planning, or any other work task; if you get stuck, try working on a related task that will generate ideas or bring clarity to the thing you were previously stuck on.
Teamwork makes the dream work
While puzzling can be a solo pursuit, at Cowork Frederick multiple people often work on a puzzle simultaneously. The teamwork often makes completing a puzzle easier and faster – and almost always more fun.
Working on puzzles in “teams” has an element of selflessness.
Sometimes, you have a piece you can see another person needs to complete as part of their section. Handing it to them so they can put it in place fosters goodwill and a sense of unity, even though you have to forgo the glory of placing it yourself.
The same is true of work. Diverse teams are stronger teams and produce better outcomes. And, when team members stay focused on the overall goal rather than their own, teamwork just works better.
Try seeing things from different perspectives
Sometimes, all you need to do to find the puzzle piece you’re looking for is to walk around to the other side of the table. Likewise, when making plans, making important decisions, or solving problems, viewing it from another angle can illuminate what you couldn’t see before.
Sometimes, that perspective shift comes from another set of eyes. Others often see things you can’t. Keep that in mind when working on projects and assignments, too.
Sometimes, the solution is right in front of you
It’s easy to miss things, especially when working on them for a long time. You get tired, your mind isn’t as fresh, and you can’t see the piece you’ve been looking to place that is right in front of you. It may be the time to take a break (see “breaks” above). Or, it may be time to call in a friend (see “teamwork”)
Sometimes, the solution is on the floor
Who hasn’t been the victim of a dropped puzzle piece? After a prolonged search, you conclude the piece is missing. The puzzle will just have to remain incomplete. As you step away, you spot something on the floor.
Yep. Sometimes the solution is not where you expect it to be. Broaden your search.
Take things one step at a time
Remember, a puzzle is completed one piece at a time. So are goals. They take time to complete. You don’t typically finish a 1,000-piece puzzle, learn a new skill, or build a business in a day.
It can be frustrating when progress toward your goals is moving slowly. We like getting to the finish line (and fast!), but along the way, the process is mostly just fitting in one piece at a time. But, each small, individual piece has its place in the larger image.
In conclusion …
While the puzzles here at Cowork Frederick gave us a bunch of insights and lessons learned related to work, the truth was that they were also just plain fun, and we had a good time working on them together.
Members found taking their mind off work and putting it on a puzzle helpful. The shift in focus helped break through creative blocks, allowing their subconscious to generate new solutions for work problems. Members found that staring at 1,000 small puzzle pieces for ten minutes was just what they needed to feel refreshed so they could go back to work ready to get at it again. It’s not just good for your mind and body, it can also increase your productivity.