You will laugh, but when I do the dishes, I solve sooooo many problems in my head and can't wait to get back on the keyboard and apply those solutions; it works wonders for me!
Most of the time, when I find myself stuck on a problem, I feel like my brain goes through an infinite loop of evaluating/cataloguing what I know about the problem and often stops actually "thinking" about it. I am trying to "see" something new in the data but just forcing my brain against a solid wall.
In my opinion, when I finally give up and go for a walk/chore, my brain is so bored by the boring task that it stops procrastinating and actually focuses on the problem.
^ THIS! Just...be careful when you get those solutions during shower time; in my attempt to rush out the shower to go get action, I've met the floor a couple of times LOL, so...BE CAREFUL!
Actually, to me it does what grounding (or earthing if you like to call it) does to electricity; it discharges my excessive thought process from 100% "CPU" usage down to 2% the most; that's when the solution comes right in front of me naturally.
Also, when I do other type of chores in my garden helps quite a lot!
I don't know: I think this tends to be a bit illusory. When it works you think "of course! This is great!"
But I've found as often the obvious brilliant solution while I'm away from the problem doesn't survive 5 minutes contact with all the constraints I forgot about while I was away from it.
Basically I think we count the hits, and discount the grind necessary to produce them.
Same here. If my subconscious could deal with it, it's probably not that big of an issue or wouldn't be on my plate.
Distance might help me see something I had missed, but that is an exceeding rarity. If getting away for a moment was magic we'd be in a nicer place. Everybody poops. Fewer put in effort.
I have the same issue with problems I solve in my sleep (or think that I’ve solved). I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and think “this is going to be soo good” and then the next day when I’m sitting in front of the keyboard I realise it was nonsense.
I have ADHD and find it very difficult to sit down with a book or audiobook, but if I'm doing the dishes, walking, or riding my bike, I can listen for hours. I'll often look for extra things to clean around the house because I want to know what happens next!
My hack is running. I feel I've cracked more major blockers in my gym shorts than at my desk. There's something to be said for stepping away and letting the solution find you.
Another effective hack is to verbally talk about the problem to someone else. That seems to change how the brain processes things and that new perspectives can find the answers internalizing could not.
