All of us know the feeling of being stuck. Maybe you're stuck in a job that feels unfulfilling

or in a relationship that's making you unhappy. Maybe you're stuck because you want to finish the novel you're working on,

or learn to speak another language or turn your hobby into a business, but you just can't seem to make it happen no matter how many attempts you try.

So is getting stuck just an inevitable part of life? Are there things you can do to set yourself

up for getting stuck less often? How do you know when it's time to quit versus push ahead?

And when you do feel stuck, what practical tips can you take to get past the

mental, emotional, and other hurdles standing in your way? Welcome to Speaking of Psychology,

the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association that examines the links between

psychological science and everyday life. I'm Kim Mills. My guest today is Dr. Adam

Alter, a professor of marketing at New York University's Stern School of Business and an

affiliate faculty member in the NYU Psychology Department. He is a social psychologist with a

particular interest in how subtle cues in

the environment can affect human cognition and behavior. He's the author of three books, including

the New York Times bestseller, Irresistible, The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business

of Keeping Us Hooked, which is about the perils of technology addiction. More recently,

he has been studying how people and organizations get stuck and how they can get unstuck. His newest

book published in May is called Anatomy of a Breakthrough, How to Get Unstuck When It Matters

Most. Dr. Alter has also written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, and the Washington Post,

among other publications, and has consulted with dozens of companies and organizations

around the world. Dr. Alter, thank you for joining me today. Thank you so much for having me, Kim.

I gave a few examples of different kinds of stuck just a moment ago, being stuck in work

in a relationship or in some kind of a creative endeavor. Now, when you think about being stuck,

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