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This is a great technique to enhance focus and spot details. After I read about it the first time I thought that must also work for other things. Since then, du
by xaedes 4y ago
This is a great technique to enhance focus and spot details.
After I read about it the first time I thought that must also work for other things.
Since then, during particularly hard sessions of of debugging or (code) reading, I use it to physically point at code/text. Sometimes with both hands. It forces me to actually pay attention to the thing I point at. In this way it also helps spotting tokens that would otherwise be skipped, like the double "of" in the third sentence of this comment.
Physically following some data, control or logic flow by tracing it out can also help to avoid losing the proverbial "thread".
- ed_elliott_asc 4y agoI write or draw it out
- xtiansimon 4y agoYes. Drawings and notebooks. As a recovering graphic designer I have a penchant for drawing and sketchbooks. But I’m working a project, it’s always hole punched letter size paper and Uni-ball Micro pens in black ink. Sometimes color is added or thicker black marker for complex diagrams or hierarchy. This way I can scan these pages when the project is over, and throw away the original sketches. Sometimes a sketch becomes critical and I make a digital version. For me, the process of sketching and digitizing notes makes the project indelible.
- metanoia 4y agoI definitely point and call to myself when doing deploys and running DB migration scripts... just to make sure I'm not changing production when I don't mean to.
- avs733 4y agoI've personally added 'say it out loud' (read or state the decision in a logic flow) loudly and clearly. another argument against open offices I guess.
- ddlatham 4y agoI use this to find a jar in the refrigerator that I know is there somewhere, but somehow I cannot see unless I actually point at each item, one at a time.
- bennysomething 4y agoMe too, how strange! I do something very similar, except I look from underneath each shelf as then I can see items that are behind bigger items.
- ekanes 4y agoI do this too, though in a scanning motion sort of way, and I swear it helps. A bit slower than just glancing around but you never miss what you're looking for.