sometimes I work on a problem way too late. Get stuck and try all kinds of things. Then I go home, eat, spend time with my family. The next day I open up my computer and immediately find and solve he issue.
It's very hard for me to put a problem down and simply not think about it for a period of time, but as I've matured I've realized how important that skill is.
I used to work the same way. Then, I discovered that if I drastically cut (and, in most cases, eliminated entirely) the amount of time I spent toiling after-hours on a given issue, I was able to achieve the same level of next-day success. You touched on the key here: sleeping on a problem, letting your brain solve it in the background, is really quite effective.
I agree completely. It happens so consistently for me that you'd think letting a problem go would have gotten easier. It hasn't. The part of me that needs closure must be very strong and seems to function largely in the subconscious/below the rational level.
It's a constant struggle to leave things behind and properly unwind at the end of the day.
It's very hard for me to put a problem down and simply not think about it for a period of time, but as I've matured I've realized how important that skill is.