Hacker News Reader

Comment by adamdoupe | Hacker News Reader

> Sometimes when you return to a problem after a rest, you find your unconscious mind has left an answer waiting for you.

This happens to me on so may occasions in may different areas. While programming, if I have a problem I'll sleep on it, wake up, and see the problem in a whole new light.

Also, before writing an essay for class, I will read the prompt throughly. This way my brain starts form sentences without conscious thought.

View on HN

I totally agree, and oftentimes, I don't even need a whole night. Just now, in fact, I left my laptop frustrated, thinking, "Shoot, what the heck is going on with this bug?!". I went to the bathroom and "forgot" about my problem during my pee. Then, one minute later, walking back toward my laptop, I paged the problem back in, and realized my sub-conscious (I guess) had already solved the problem -- I knew exactly what was going on with the bug.

It startles me how often and well this works. It seems like cheating, too, because it feels like I'm not doing the work! :)

I've had the same experience with taking a bath. Just forgetting about the problem (weather it is a bath or pee) seems to help.

Don't forget you can combine the two. This is often done for you already if you use the pool or hot tub at your apartment complex that kids were playing in all day.

To me sleeping is the greatest problem solving technique ever invented. I have even lost count of how many times this has worked for me. If companies had any sense, they would allow employees to take cat naps.

I second catnaps. I've written before on news.yc about the nap-success I've had. Certainly any company I run will have a quiet place where people can crash for 15 or 20 minutes in the afternoon. Of course, so far the only such company's world headquarters was located in my apartment, and that kind of feels like cheating...

Absolutely! I've gone on the record to say "sleep sovles all problems." Sleep itself doesn't--but waking up with a fresh, calm mind is much more useful than a chaotic, depressed mind that results when you are very frustrated with something.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com