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Maybe I have a holistic view but I think the adderall-popping hypothetical person is only good at churning out lines of code. The Kayaker is building experienc

Maybe I have a holistic view but I think the adderall-popping hypothetical person is only good at churning out lines of code. The Kayaker is building experiences and growing as a person, and probably allowing their subconscious to solve the difficult problems while they are consciously enjoying nature. I think that having a diverse set of experiences ultimately makes you a better problem-solver since you can apply abstract concepts from one domain to another. From an entrepreneurial perspective, you can see a need within one of your hobbies that needs to be fulfilled, and apply your technical skills to it. Meanwhile the adderall person has churned out 1000 lines of business logic for their employer. There is obviously more nuance to it than that, but the most intelligent people I have met were all incredibly well-rounded. I have also met people who probably had the potential to be equally as intelligent, but their laser focus on a single subject stunted their growth and they can only talk about/entertain ideas within their super specific niche. They become boring and unable to work with others.

jenny91 4y ago
There are certainly a lot of single-minded individuals who think just churning out lines of business logic will get them ahead, and I think most would agree that doesn't work in the long run. But there is also that crowd of people who know that a more holistic set of experiences helps them get ahead in their career. > Kayaker is ... allowing their subconscious to solve the difficult problems while they are consciously enjoying nature To an extent taking your mind off a problem and mulling over it helps. But there's no subconscious doing the work, in the end spending the weekend thinking about a problem with a few breaks will definitely make more progress than a weekend Kayaking and not thinking about work.
- softcactus 4y ago
  When I was in school I had epiphanies or "click" moments on several occasions either while I slept or while I was at the gym staring off into space and lifting weights with no other thoughts in my head. So from my personal experiences I do think that our unconscious mind works at some level solving problems.

jenny91 4y ago

There are certainly a lot of single-minded individuals who think just churning out lines of business logic will get them ahead, and I think most would agree that doesn't work in the long run. But there is also that crowd of people who know that a more holistic set of experiences helps them get ahead in their career. > Kayaker is ... allowing their subconscious to solve the difficult problems while they are consciously enjoying nature To an extent taking your mind off a problem and mulling over it helps. But there's no subconscious doing the work, in the end spending the weekend thinking about a problem with a few breaks will definitely make more progress than a weekend Kayaking and not thinking about work.

softcactus 4y ago
When I was in school I had epiphanies or "click" moments on several occasions either while I slept or while I was at the gym staring off into space and lifting weights with no other thoughts in my head. So from my personal experiences I do think that our unconscious mind works at some level solving problems.