Some years ask the questions. Other years answer them. You need both.

Not every stretch is supposed to produce a result. There are periods where the work is finding out what the actual question is, and they feel unproductive precisely because nothing is being concluded. Answers tend to arrive in different years, built on the confusion that came before them.

If this is a question year, stop grading it as though it were an answer year. Ask instead whether you are getting clearer about what you want, which is real progress with nothing to show for it. Keep notes, because the answering year will need them.