Value traps are the ones where your thinking is not as clear as it should be. Value rigidity is the first one. It is a refusal to value anything other than a certain thing just because it “has” to be that way. A lot of times a solution will be staring you in the face, but you’re in too much of a hurry to notice it. Slow down — stare at it for a while! It’s very much like a fisherman sitting and waiting for a nibble. Value rigidity is usually an ego problem. Lose the ego and be humble. Let yourself be surprised, and solutions will show themselves.
Anxiety is another value trap, and it shows itself in excessive fussiness, overdoing things, and messing things up with your own nervousness. It leads you into a downward spiral. You have to relax and realize that everybody messes up, even the old pros.
Boredom is yet another value trap. The problem is that you’re no longer seeing freshly like a beginner. The best solution is to just stop and refill the well. Take a break. Go sleep. Or drink a cup of coffee. If you’re still bored when you get back to your project, it’s very likely that there are deeper distractions that you need to deal with before you can move forward.
Impatience is the next, and it’s often the first reaction to any sort of setback. When this happens, again you need to slow down, but allow yourself twice as much time as you think you need to so that you don’t rush and mess things up. Rachet up your immediate goals and forget about the overall goals for the moment.