As a developer, I have made a living out of trying to solve problems. This talk is about what happens when you can't solve a problem, and combines scientific research, personal experience and professional learnings to explore what is happening in the brain when you get stuck and how you can get yourself moving again.

We will look at the common causes of feeling defeated such as tiredness, feeling oppressed by your workload and subject matter confusion. Each topic is broken down into component parts and we look at what might make one feel this way - often from a neuro-psychological perspective - and suggest mechanisms for overcoming these obstacles.

It is hoped that by exposing our current understanding of the brain and the metacognition that underlies our problem solving abilities, it will lend confidence to the participants when they find themselves in similar situations in the future as well as give them optimism in circumstances that often feel futile.