The Great Month of Puzzles

Feb 3

I spent January doing puzzles.

Not because they taught me business skills. Not because they made me more productive. Not because they were going to help me land clients.

Just because. (And TBH, I'd just bought a fun new puzzle table that I was itchy to break out, so I went all in on my puzzle stash.)

The Permission Slip

Here's the thing: reading is by far my #1 hobby. I read over 150 books in 2025. I'm already at 20+ for 2026. So when I decided to try a new hobby every month this year, I knew I needed to break up that reading focus and try something different. I also am striving to try more hands on hobbies this year to get me away from my digital screens.

Puzzles felt like a good place to start. I collect jigsaw puzzles as travel souvenirs or when I see something pretty. But I've also always been drawn to puzzle-solving in general - the satisfaction of finding the right answer, the right place for every piece.

It's the same euphoria I got from math class: solve for X, find where it fits. I occasionally play mobile puzzle games for that dopamine hit of making everything line up perfectly. Between my mom's overpacking skills and my dad's problem-solving brain, I can Tetris a suitcase within weight limits like nobody's business - give me a trunk to organize and I'm on it! (My SIL has even sought me out to repack her bags, true story!)

But doing physical jigsaw puzzles as a dedicated leisure activity, sitting down for hours at a time? That was new territory I hadn't leaned into yet. At least not since I was a kid. My mom has told me I was a big puzzler as a toddler and that feels pretty on brand.

And another truth? In January it was below freezing in Chicago for days on end. No Riverwalking. No outside. It’s the time of year I bunker down and hibernate. Puzzling is a good cold-weather cozy activity.

But here's what made it real: I invested in the environment. Last year, I did a 1,000-piece puzzle on the floor in our living room. It took 3 weeks and was constantly in the way in my 950 square foot condo. It was daunting me every time I entered the room taking up precious floor space. My back hurt from leaning over it sitting on the floor. It became less fun and more a chore the longer it went on. So before I dove into my month of puzzles, I invested in a puzzle tray with drawers - hard top, organized, can stow it out of the way.

I engineered my space to support the hobby. That's a permission slip in action.

Puzzling in Action

I started on a Saturday with a 108-piece Amsterdam puzzle from my travels. Knocked it out almost too quickly. It didn't scratch the itch.

So then I did a 500-piece the same day. Feeling the confidence I next attempted a 1,000-piece Sunday morning. While I got most of it done I did steal about an hour on Monday to finish it. That puzzle table coming in clutch to stow away the remaining pieces and preserving my work.

I almost purchased a new puzzle and then I remembered I had this Disney one I bought on our family trip to Disney World last year - also 1,000 pieces - that I had tucked away for that moment when I really needed a challenge. The design is complex. I've had to measure the border, redo sections, sort pieces by similar attributes. I even went to Reddit and YouTube looking for strategies. (One of my followers mentioned having the same puzzle and couldn't solve it either, which made me feel better.)

Here's what I learned: it's less about the size of the puzzle and more about the design. Each one takes a unique strategic perspective. Which is... extremely relatable to my work with The Social Question. There's a process, but each project needs unique attention and a unique solution.

The Guilt Check-In

Did guilt show up? Absolutely.

Getting lost in how quickly time passes with puzzling is real. I'd look up and two hours had disappeared. While hiring an intern has helped me better allocate my "me" hours versus my work hours, guilt didn't really hit until when that Sunday puzzle bled into Monday.

I had maybe 50 pieces left on the 1,000-piece. I really wanted to knock it out. So I stole some lunch time to finish it.

And you know what? I felt super accomplished after. Which made the guilt less.

But here's what also happened: I noticed I had better work-life balance with something for ME to do in the evenings or during lunch. The quiet time allowed me to think about projects and ideas - and I could easily pause to jot down a quick note when inspiration struck.

It also slowed me down from responding to emails after hours. The puzzle grounded me. I didn't need to respond to emails like text messages at that exact moment.

Better patience with complex projects. Better boundaries. More thinking space.

Not despite the puzzles. Because of them.

The Permission to Pivot

The Disney puzzle? It's still in progress. The border is 90% done, but there are errors I can't fix at the moment.

In fact, I abandoned it. I tried to save what progress I could by storing like-pieces together and not just piling them into the box but it’s clear the puzzle was not bringing me joy and needed a team environment to actually knock it out. I learned my lesson last year - slogging through a task for 3 weeks was energy draining, not energy boosting.

And here's another thing: I have free will. I don't HAVE to finish it if I don’t want to.

That's another permission slip right there. Not every hobby needs to be conquered. We won’t be good at them all. Not every project needs to be completed. Sometimes the lesson is in giving yourself permission to struggle, to pause, to pivot. (#FriendsReference)

As soon as I tore down the daunting Disney puzzle, I immediately did a fun, colorful cottage puzzle to give me that dopamine hit. At only 300 pieces I was able to knock it out in one evening. And felt the calm that only accomplishment can bring.

Puzzle Me This

Puzzles weren't "useful" to my business in the traditional sense. They didn't teach me new client skills. They didn't expand my network. Not directly anyway. But I do learn other soft skills like patience. So many times when I hit a “block” I walk away and come back able to find that missing piece or can look at the colors with fresh perspectives.

Puzzles this month gave me something I needed: space to think, patience with complexity, permission to step away and come back, and a reminder that not everything needs to be optimized.

However my squirrely energy is ready to try something new. I know I can do puzzles. What else can I try?

Next month: For February’s focus I am bringing the color back. Literally. I’ve been cooped up inside waiting out the cold weather. I recently found a stack of unused coloring books I’ve either picked up or been gifted over the years. In my annual client mailing I had also included some mini coloring books that I’ve taken to coloring a few pages a week in. Stay tuned for my recap on how I colored my world!

Links: Check out my ShopMy for all my links including the Bookshelf, Hobbies and Kid categories as they grow!