The desert is fine if that's what works for you. Most people (imho) grind away with no effect for days or weeks, and then have that flash of insight. A new thing to try. Most work is stupid, typing in stupid things to effectively prove the stupid thing doesn't work. This is more on the lever pulling edge of the spectrum. But then, eventually, there's that one insight that makes the whole thing tractable. In the shower. On a Tuesday. It only works because we've been thinking about the thing, in the background, for a long time.