Michel Durand-Wood wrote:

Effecting change in a city is like a stack of stones. And successfully moving the top stones requires a strong base of lower stones.

So if you’re working your tail off and feeling like you’re getting nowhere (or worse, the vortex!), you’re probably working at too high a level. You need to level down and give yourself a few quick wins before leveling up again. Work at as low a level as you need to succeed. Only then do you move back up the stack. Doing it this way not only creates the stable base you need for your stack, but it’ll also give you the mental strength to continue to work for change. (Because it’s always more encouraging to keep playing when you’re winning.)