What to do when faced with a seemingly unsolvable situation with a time limit?

Question

I am a computer sciences student and I usually have really tough programming assignments. I don't know if it is only happening to me but sometimes, particularly when deadline is approaching, I find myself in a harsh situation.

I cannot find my mistake in the code or come up with a another great idea. Then boredom comes in and the problem begins to seem unsolvable.

I would like to learn their ideas to cope with this situation. Is it better to focus on something else for a while? Or try again? Or try harder and harder and look for the solution on the net, etc?

Answer 1

I alway like talking about the solution with another programmer. Just talking makes me use a different part of my brain and most of the time I hear myself talk through a solution.

Answer 2

Sleep is good, or if not sleep then at least taking a break, going for a walk in the fresh air etc.

Brainstorming the problem with colleagues / fellow students can help. Even just explaining the issue to someone else can be enough to make the solution click in your brain.

Failing all the above, ask on Stackoverflow :-)