Stepping away from your projects from time to time can give you new perspective and new insights.
After trying to focus on increasing the number of photos I was taking for a couple months, I stepped away from my photography. When I went back to review my pictures, I was surprised to see some of them were really pretty good (don’t worry, lest I seem too generous, thousands of photos were not good at all). Stepping away gave me a different perspective on what I wanted in my photos.
When I edit papers, which I do pretty frequently, it doesn’t help to review a single paper again and again. Stepping away from a paper, even for ten or fifteen minutes helps me rethink the paper’s core thesis, or recall some concept that could strengthen the argument. Giving it some space helps move away from minor adjustments (+1 or -1 from the current state) to a reconsideration of the whole.
The same holds true from bigger problems, whether they are organizational problems, or conceptional challenges. Sometimes we get too involved with the subject matter, to down into the weeds that we can’t step back and see the big picture. In these situations being able to take a break gives you a chance to re-evaluate the whole, and gives you the opportunity for new realizations. So take a break. Take a walk. Make a cup of coffee. Go for a run or a bike ride. Absorb yourself in something else. When you come back to the task at hand, you will find that a quick break can make all the difference.