Think the opposite.
逆を考えよう。
It was around midnight. The most critical task was not done yet. I had to complete it within 12 hours.
When I was in my late twenties, every working day was like this. I was a workaholic, and I had too many things to do. My boss never cared about my workload. He didn’t know about my tasks either — he just wanted me to get things done. Under such a circumstance, I had no luxury to think negatively — like “there is no way to get it done”. I had to get it done no matter what. Period.
Now I am no longer a workaholic, but still have the same mindset when getting things done. Especially difficult ones — I try to explore as many options as possible and to find the most effective & efficient way.
Sometimes the first idea works very well. And in some cases, the tenth, the thirtieth, or the hundredth idea works. I don’t even know which ideas work — until I do an experiment.
When nothing seem to be working, find a way to make you move one step forward. One small experiment is fine — when things stagnate, what you need is merely a tiny step. Not a magic bullet.
Don’t allow yourself to be in a passive mode. Try to find a way to make things work, and keep taking small steps until you get a momentum. And you’ll find things start changing.