You’re deep in eldritch code, a product problem, or a cross-functional issue that is affecting your team. Hours have passed, and you feel like you’re only starting to get your bearings with the issue. Finding a solution, let alone considering its consequences, seems further hours away.

You’re down a rabbit hole. You need to explore a very open-ended concern, but you also need to maintain a bias toward action.

Don’t go without a time box or teammate. Set a time limit. Or, ask a colleague to keep you accountable. You want a constraining mechanism to pull you out of the hole if you get lost.

“Rubber duck” the issue before you start. Explain it out loud or write a summary in your notes. You may activate a different part of your brain and talk yourself out of the rabbit hole entirely.

Keep notes. Track every conceptual tunnel you explore. Note the dead-ends and red herrings. Show something for your effort, even if you don’t find what you were looking for.

Tell teammates what the rabbit hole is and why you think it’s necessary. Ideally, you can explain this in a sentence or two at most. Think about how long you think it’s worthwhile to go down that rabbit hole. Don’t spend more than that in the rabbit hole!

When you encounter black boxes, rabbit holes in rabbit holes, note them and keep moving. You’re already distracted by this rabbit hole, don’t get distracted from your distraction! Not all rabbit holes are worth exploring – some lead to deeper problems without payoff.