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Seriously. I don't regularly work from home, but I have solved several difficult problems while doing laundry, and I can specifically think of one time recentl

Seriously. I don't regularly work from home, but I have solved several difficult problems while doing laundry, and I can specifically think of one time recently that was during a workday while I was folding towels. I know it's happened other times as well, I just can't specifically think if it was during the day while working from home. I've also solved problems while showering, mowing the grass, eating dinner, and laying in bed trying to fall asleep. Who knew -- developing software involves lots of thinking. You don't have to have your butt in a seat in front of the computer in the office to think. Sometimes doing something completely different is just what's necessary to break through -- whether this is getting up to get a drink, going for a walk, or doing sometimes completely non-computer-related like laundry.

jansho 9y ago
Absolutely agree. My profession is more creative and most of my eurekas happen when I'm doing mundane house chores. Something about the mind wandering about I suppose. I don't think it's a coincidence either that some of our best ideas often come just before we fall asleep.
HurrdurrHodor 9y ago
My high-school math teacher used to say that we have our best ideas for solving problems in the shower and on the toilet. :)
- Fnoord 9y ago
  There's actually scientific support for that theory. You gave an example of 'diffused mode' [1] of thinking as opposed to the 'focused mode' of thinking. Neither is necessarily 'better'; both have their place in our daily lives. The 'diffused mode' regularly doesn't get the credit it deserves as people (e.g. educational systems) are hammering too much on the 'focused mode'. If you are interested in learning how to use the 'diffused mode', more things related to learning, and optimizing the way you learn I can recommend the free course on Coursera called Learning How To Learn by Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski. [1] https://staciechoice1010.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/focused-vs-diffused-mode/ https://staciechoice1010.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/focused-vs... [2] https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn
marcosdumay 9y ago
An office space, with a computer always on your face and the expectation that you will be working is probably the worst environment possible for any kind of creative work. ... Or not. Make it an open office space, with people taking around you. Then you'll get the worst possible.
Paul-ish 9y ago
The hard time I have with having a computer in front of me is that I always feel the need to use it (eg surf hacker news), even if that isn't the best course for solving the problem I am grappling with. Sometimes a shower or a walk helps me disengage visually so I can spend some time with my thoughts.

jansho 9y ago

Absolutely agree. My profession is more creative and most of my eurekas happen when I'm doing mundane house chores. Something about the mind wandering about I suppose. I don't think it's a coincidence either that some of our best ideas often come just before we fall asleep.

HurrdurrHodor 9y ago

My high-school math teacher used to say that we have our best ideas for solving problems in the shower and on the toilet. :)

Fnoord 9y ago
There's actually scientific support for that theory. You gave an example of 'diffused mode' [1] of thinking as opposed to the 'focused mode' of thinking. Neither is necessarily 'better'; both have their place in our daily lives. The 'diffused mode' regularly doesn't get the credit it deserves as people (e.g. educational systems) are hammering too much on the 'focused mode'. If you are interested in learning how to use the 'diffused mode', more things related to learning, and optimizing the way you learn I can recommend the free course on Coursera called Learning How To Learn by Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski. [1] https://staciechoice1010.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/focused-vs-diffused-mode/ https://staciechoice1010.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/focused-vs... [2] https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

marcosdumay 9y ago

An office space, with a computer always on your face and the expectation that you will be working is probably the worst environment possible for any kind of creative work. ... Or not. Make it an open office space, with people taking around you. Then you'll get the worst possible.

Paul-ish 9y ago

The hard time I have with having a computer in front of me is that I always feel the need to use it (eg surf hacker news), even if that isn't the best course for solving the problem I am grappling with. Sometimes a shower or a walk helps me disengage visually so I can spend some time with my thoughts.