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I like this, too. “Slightly unfinished, but fully understood” is a great place to pick up. A “slightly unfinished understanding” of the problem or task at hand

I like this, too. “Slightly unfinished, but fully understood” is a great place to pick up. A “slightly unfinished understanding” of the problem or task at hand is a great way to nuke one’s mental model and end up stuck trying to recreate it in the morning.

pinkmuffinere 3y ago
But how do you really know if the problem is fully understood? I often think I’ve understood a problem multiple times, and only reach a true understanding through repeated testing and fixes.
- el_benhameen 3y ago
  Sure sure, but a complete but incorrect understanding of the system is, to me, still better than an incomplete one. If I have a complete system in my head, I can use that to jumpstart my thinking the next day and then get to a correct understanding. But an incomplete understanding is even more confusing the next day because of all the loose ends.
  - thfuran 3y ago
    A complete but incorrect understanding is just an incomplete understanding with some extra confusion.
    - wlonkly 3y ago
      Sure, but the goal at the end of the day isn't to understand it fully, it's to have something that you can swap out and swap back in the next day.
icedchai 3y ago
Often, I find a good rest gives me greater understanding of a difficult problem or complex bug. Sometimes you get lost in the weeds. I also work much faster in the mornings, which helps.
- el_benhameen 3y ago
  Definitely. I’ve even had those magical moments where you wake up and realize you solved the problem in a dream. I think my preference is to have the major points of confusion cleared up so that they don’t become more confusing when I lose my mental model overnight.
- bombcar 3y ago
  This is the huge part. You found the bug, so your anxious mind is calmed, but you did NOT write the first fix that came to mind, so you have time to mull it over. Often you realize sometime in the night that the first fix would have had other subtle issues. And you’re less likely to throw a quick fix on in the morning.

pinkmuffinere 3y ago

But how do you really know if the problem is fully understood? I often think I’ve understood a problem multiple times, and only reach a true understanding through repeated testing and fixes.

el_benhameen 3y ago
Sure sure, but a complete but incorrect understanding of the system is, to me, still better than an incomplete one. If I have a complete system in my head, I can use that to jumpstart my thinking the next day and then get to a correct understanding. But an incomplete understanding is even more confusing the next day because of all the loose ends.
- thfuran 3y ago
  A complete but incorrect understanding is just an incomplete understanding with some extra confusion.
  - wlonkly 3y ago
    Sure, but the goal at the end of the day isn't to understand it fully, it's to have something that you can swap out and swap back in the next day.

icedchai 3y ago

Often, I find a good rest gives me greater understanding of a difficult problem or complex bug. Sometimes you get lost in the weeds. I also work much faster in the mornings, which helps.

el_benhameen 3y ago
Definitely. I’ve even had those magical moments where you wake up and realize you solved the problem in a dream. I think my preference is to have the major points of confusion cleared up so that they don’t become more confusing when I lose my mental model overnight.
bombcar 3y ago
This is the huge part. You found the bug, so your anxious mind is calmed, but you did NOT write the first fix that came to mind, so you have time to mull it over. Often you realize sometime in the night that the first fix would have had other subtle issues. And you’re less likely to throw a quick fix on in the morning.