There is a period of any project where it feels like everything and anything is conspiring against you. Problem after problem start springing up, often at the worst possible times such as around a deadline or customer deliverable.

In these moments it can feel like a horrible game of whack-a-mole; the arcade game where you have a mallet and must hit one of five moles as soon as it pops up. The longer you play, the faster the moles pop up until eventually you can’t hit them fast enough.

Project whack-a-mole is the same game except you can’t walk away. Losing isn’t an option. Problems and issues start appearing, often problems that you’d never even considered. The quicker you try to fix – or ‘whack’ them, the more troublesome they become.

This is an attritional game. Whether you want to or not, you’ve got to relentlessly tackle the problems until they eventually stop coming. Sometimes this can take a few days or few weeks. Sometimes it can take months. You have no way of telling in the moment.

What do you do when you’re faced with a high-stakes game of project whack-a-mole? Here are three things that can help you beat the moles and get your project back on track:

Don’t keep doing the same things – that’s the definition of insanity. Sometimes changing tack and finding different approach can solve the problem.

Ask for help – don’t try and own everything, share the problems with your team, friends, mentors etc. and ask for their advice or help.

Be prepared to back-track – sometimes in a project we can take a wrong-turn which ultimately leads to a blind alley or cul-de-sac. Hitting lots of unforeseen problems is a sure sign that you’ve made a wrong turn and need to double back.

Keep a sense of humour – you’ll be amazed at how cheerfulness and a sense of humour in the face of adversity can help you persevere and keep going!