This is actually good, its how I do it, and I have success. You see programming as an abstract mechanical thing rather than abstract descriptive thing. Take a

This is actually good, its how I do it, and I have success. You see programming as an abstract mechanical thing rather than abstract descriptive thing. Take a look at http://users.evtek.fi/~jaanah/IntroC/DBeech/3gl_flow.htm http://users.evtek.fi/~jaanah/IntroC/DBeech/3gl_flow.htm and get the gist of the symbols, then chart out things like if, if/than, while, for, etc. Don't forget do/while, since this is also a fundamental, but its not always represented in your language of choice, and is sometimes simulated with things like an infinite loop with a break. Move up to some simple programs. These symbols don't represent data structures (arrays, objects) so you can fudge that part. When it clicks then stop using it. But keep in mind, when you run across something where the logic is confusing, or especially if you can't figure out a clean way to represent the flow, come back to your old friends, and you'll be amazed at how they will guide you. I still fall back on flow charts, they aren't a crutch, they are a tool.