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I've found that I will have times of really, really productive programming, usually around 5-6 hrs a day for 3-5 days. I'm not one of those guys that can claim

I've found that I will have times of really, really productive programming, usually around 5-6 hrs a day for 3-5 days. I'm not one of those guys that can claim to program 18 hrs a day for weeks on end, but I'm pretty happy with the quality and amount that I can program. However, historically, my biggest weakness is that once I finish a milestone in any particular project, I get too pleased with myself, I admire what I have built, and then take the next 2 days kind of milling around. I recently decided to take 1 yr off to pursue my own side-projects, so this is the one thing I'm trying to change about myself. I'm not one to advocate Performance enhancing drugs, but I've discovered that taking a 5 Hr energy around 11 am really helps me concentrate the rest of the day, especially when I'm learning new things. Every programmer has their own style, but the one thing I disagree with the OP is programming in a complete vacuum. I agree that programming by yourself really helps in terms of getting rid of your distractions. But the one thing I miss is sitting around and talking about problems with other programmers. I've found throughout my career that when I stuck on a particular bug or issue, as soon as I try to talk it out with another programmer, the answer comes pretty quickly. The physical act of trying to explain the situation seems to force you to take a different pathway in your brain that gives you another perspective that you might have been otherwise stuck on if you just say there thinking about it.

dsteinweg 15y ago
I overcome problems all the time by talking it out with someone--they don't even have to be a programmer. Just describing the process, what I'm trying to accomplish, the pieces of information involved, and the "why's" of each step can help me find where my logical flaw or bug is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging
- cuu508 15y ago
  Yeah, for every StackOverflow question I ask, there are several that I start formulating and then discard, as merely putting thoughts into words leads to new insights. Also I use paper a lot for solving problems and making decisions. Simply write everything down as if I was explaining the thought process to someone. Writing it down helps the same way as with SO questions, but also extends my very limited "immediate memory" (similarly as with arithemtic operations in head / on paper)
  - steve8918 15y ago
    yup StackOverflow is awesome, especially for the reason that you meant. In order to not look like an idiot, I do a bunch of research and try to cover my t's so that it is actually a decent question, and usually by the end of writing up the question, I have found my solution. Stackoverflow is the best resource I have, working on my own now.
SatvikBeri 15y ago
When I run into a similar issue and don't have a programmer to talk to off-hand, I write an e-mail describing the bug. I usually don't send the e-mail because by the time I finish writing it out, I've figured out the answer.
- deleted 15y ago
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dsteinweg 15y ago

I overcome problems all the time by talking it out with someone--they don't even have to be a programmer. Just describing the process, what I'm trying to accomplish, the pieces of information involved, and the "why's" of each step can help me find where my logical flaw or bug is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging

cuu508 15y ago
Yeah, for every StackOverflow question I ask, there are several that I start formulating and then discard, as merely putting thoughts into words leads to new insights. Also I use paper a lot for solving problems and making decisions. Simply write everything down as if I was explaining the thought process to someone. Writing it down helps the same way as with SO questions, but also extends my very limited "immediate memory" (similarly as with arithemtic operations in head / on paper)
- steve8918 15y ago
  yup StackOverflow is awesome, especially for the reason that you meant. In order to not look like an idiot, I do a bunch of research and try to cover my t's so that it is actually a decent question, and usually by the end of writing up the question, I have found my solution. Stackoverflow is the best resource I have, working on my own now.

SatvikBeri 15y ago

When I run into a similar issue and don't have a programmer to talk to off-hand, I write an e-mail describing the bug. I usually don't send the e-mail because by the time I finish writing it out, I've figured out the answer.

deleted 15y ago
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