had a hand in = participated in
give up = stop trying
stepping stones = a way to make progress
I ntolerant of = not willing to accept/put up with
try taking a leaf out of Edison’s book = behave the same way as Edison
effective = successful
drift off to sleep = slowly fall asleep
scribble down = write down quickly
stuck on = unable to do
wander = move from topic to topic
tap into = make use of