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I used to believe that solving problems was all about finding answers as quickly as possible. If I didn’t see progress right away, I assumed I was doing something wrong. That mindset followed me into almost everything I tried, including games. When I started playing Sudoku more often, I brought the same attitude with me—and it didn’t work.

Sudoku didn’t reward my impatience. Instead, it forced me to rethink what progress actually looks like.

My Early Approach to Sudoku: Always Looking for the Next Move

When I first began playing Sudoku, I focused entirely on filling in numbers. Empty squares felt uncomfortable, like unfinished thoughts. I wanted to reduce uncertainty as fast as possible, even if that meant guessing.

Sometimes that worked. More often, it didn’t.

I would reach a point where the Sudoku grid felt locked. No number seemed correct. Every move created a contradiction somewhere else. At first, I blamed the puzzle.

Realizing the Problem Was My Approach

Over time, it became clear that the puzzle wasn’t the issue. My need for quick answers was. Sudoku doesn’t reward filling space. It rewards understanding relationships.

Once I accepted that, the experience began to change.

Learning to Sit With Uncertainty in Sudoku

One of the hardest parts of Sudoku is knowing when not to act. There are moments when the best move is simply to observe, even though that feels unproductive.

I struggled with that at first.

Staring at a Sudoku grid without placing a number felt like wasting time. But slowly, I noticed something important: clarity often arrived after patience, not action.