This is similar to the dual process theory outlined in, "Thinking Fast and Slow". It's partly why interviews are so hard. Your subconscious, system 1 mind, alerts you to solutions and danger and you need system 2 analytical reasoning to explain solutions. Unfortunately your system 2 doesn't work very well under stress.
My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
21–30 of 119 posts
Re: My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
#22Sometimes I wonder if I actually consist of multiple consciousnesses at the same time, all wondering what the heck the others are doing. And I don't mean that in a pathological way.
Yeah, same thought here. So frustrating there's no way of knowing with current our current knowledgeb
Re: My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
#23I've definitely experienced this, but more recently I've started experiencing something similar at a smaller scale - my subconscious finds syntax errors before me or the compiler do!
Sometimes I write a line of code and have this feeling that it's somehow _wrong_. More often than not, the moment I try to compile and run it, it fails. The problem is that usually it's only at that point that I become fully aware of this feeling. I'm actively trying to pay more attention to this, and really listen to my subconscious when I "know" that the code is wrong at a subconscious level.
Re: My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
#24Personally I find when I run into an intractable problem, what works for me is to exercise. For me that is riding my bike on quite paths. It sets my mind free and increases blood flow. Fertile ground for solving problems.
also has many great long term benefits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobiological_effects_of_phy... have you tried meditation too? exercise works great for me but it can also make me tense if I overdo it. meditation has many additional benefits particularly for this sort of subconscious delegation and helps to wind down after exercise (reduces cortisol, which exercise increases)
I practiced Qigong for years, but let it fall away from me when life got really hectic with work and kids. Really need to get back on some form of meditation.
Re: My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
#25Working things out from first principles is possible in principle(sic), but usually requires too much processing power. Chess players get better because as they practice, the memory many constellations of pieces relative to each other, and what outcomes they favor.
The same applies to many mental skills: you learn about problems and possible solutions, and then when you approach new problems, you recognize parts of those problems, or structural similarities.
How likely is it, that given the C language reference, and some hardware specification manuals, you'd arrive at the Linux kernel, with no programming experience? Possible, but only in the theoretical sense.
The message behind my ramblings is that you should embrace your experience and intuition rather than striving to work from first principles.
Re: My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
I second the exercise approach, as I used to solve tough problems over quiet twenty minute rides on back streets with low traffic. But the more I've learned (thus the more complex the block), the less effective this became. I worked on a passion project a few years ago where I was coding between twelve and sixteen hours a day for several months. When I was finally so burned out and weary that nothing worked anymore,…
I tend to be more tortured by my dreams of coding, I toss the idea around in my head, but rarely come out with a solution. Any idea's on how to better utilize my dream state?
Is it possible what you're seeing is driven by anxiety? Anecdotal, but I have noticed an inverse correlation between how likely I am to intuit a solution, and how much time I spend consciously ruminating on and worrying about the problem.
Re: My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
#27Not sure how much should be attributed to the subconscious, and how much to cognitive impairment due to tiredness.
Re: My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
#28I get this all the time when coding. I'll either write some crappy code that works but isn't elegant, or I'll hit a wall. Then either I'll go for a bike ride and get the answer, or I'll wake up in the morning and just type in the solution.
Thing is, it only works if I really care about the problem. I have to have gone through a period of trying to see it from multiple angles and failing to find a nice solution. I have to have tried and failed. I never get the answer for free.
I've even dreamed of coding the solution, either seeing the code or some geometric solution in my dream. When I see the code in my dream, it's not readable, it's just the "form" of the code.
edit: it's almost as if conscious thought is "programming" my subconscious to find a solution
Re: My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
#29For mind bending check the great explanation from CGP Grey, "You are two"[1], which argues the two brain hemispheres can operate independently.
Re: My Subconscious Is a Better Developer Than I Am
#30I'm like this, to the point that I actively harness it: whenever I have some bigger problem to work on I read it and just not work on it for the rest of the day. In the morning I just know I'll have a much better understanding of it somehow.
The morning always brings answers no matter how complex something seems. I find it extremely relaxing, just being aware that if something is frustrating I can just drop it for the day and tomorrow I'll know what to do.
Sleeping me is a damn fine mate to have covering my back.