The Chip Away Method is a framework for the universal problem of being stuck. Not the kind of stuck where you need more information. The kind where you've been staring at the same problem long enough that your brain has stopped generating new approaches.
The key insight is Step 2: switching domains, not just switching tasks. Moving from one coding problem to another coding problem doesn't work because you're using the same cognitive pathways. Moving from coding to design, or from strategy to hands-on building, activates different circuits and lets the stuck ones recover.
Step 4 is where most productivity advice gets it wrong. They tell you to schedule a return. This framework says wait for the pull. The moment you catch yourself thinking about the original problem with a new idea, that's the signal your subconscious has done its work. Forcing a return before that signal defeats the entire purpose.