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Expressive Writing Cools Brain on Stressful Tasks

msutoday.msu.edu

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Re: Expressive Writing Cools Brain on Stressful Tasks

#21

Post by faizshah »

yulker wrote: post #16
ghusbands wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Javascript allows it.

Does it actually allow it? I thought the declaration is just hoisted to the top of the scope?

I just recently read about this in the You Don't Know JS series of books:

"We can be tempted to look at var a = 2; as one statement, but the JavaScript Engine does not see it that way. It sees var a and a = 2 as two separate statements, the first one a compiler-phase task, and the second one an execution-phase task.

What this leads to is that all declarations in a scope, regardless of where they appear, are processed first before the code itself is executed. You can visualize this as declarations (variables and functions) being "moved" to the top of their respective scopes, which we call "hoisting".

Declarations themselves are hoisted, but assignments, even assignments of function expressions, are not hoisted.

Be careful about duplicate declarations, especially mixed between normal var declarations and function declarations -- peril awaits if you do!"

https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS/blob/master/scope...

Re: Expressive Writing Cools Brain on Stressful Tasks

#22

Post by Chiba-City »

We used (enforced) a writing method for software developers of three categories: So Far, More To Go, Save It For Later. It was something like a personal Kanban board for project members sharing a real schedule in weekly compiled/tested feature deliveries. This was a visibility feature for schedule and release rationalization. There were no Hail Mary pass negotiations or requests permitted. The prose mattered and project leads were forced to read them. It was not anything that could be rushed at the end. "Save it for later" kept team time boxed and synchronized and gave managers features to schedule for future version releases and sales messaging. We fired people who could not write English right alongside their Java and PL/SQL. It worked great. 100% project completion over 125 projects. I attribute it to HR weeding out ADHD gamers suffering bad grammar of inadequate educations needing paychecks. Software is 100% a product of communicative action. There are few excuses for execution failure absent bonafide academic grand challenges.

Re: Expressive Writing Cools Brain on Stressful Tasks

#23

Post by bartread »

Chiba-City wrote: post #22

We used (enforced) a writing method for software developers of three categories: So Far, More To Go, Save It For Later. It was something like a personal Kanban board for project members sharing a real schedule in weekly compiled/tested feature deliveries. This was a visibility feature for schedule and release rationalization. There were no Hail Mary pass negotiations or requests permitted. The prose mattered and proj…

"We used (enforced) a writing method"; "project leads were forced to read them"; "We fired people who could not write English right alongside" (emphasis mine in all cases).

Forgive my bluntness, but your place of work sounds awful.

"I attribute it to HR weeding out ADHD gamers suffering bad grammar of inadequate educations needing paychecks."

Ironic, considering how poorly constructed this sentence is.

You treat people like children and they will act like them. Let me reiterate: your place of work sounds terrible.

Re: Expressive Writing Cools Brain on Stressful Tasks

#24

Post by foo101 »

Chiba-City wrote: post #22

We used (enforced) a writing method for software developers of three categories: So Far, More To Go, Save It For Later. It was something like a personal Kanban board for project members sharing a real schedule in weekly compiled/tested feature deliveries. This was a visibility feature for schedule and release rationalization. There were no Hail Mary pass negotiations or requests permitted. The prose mattered and proj…

Wow! With such a hostile environment, I am surprised that you are able to hire any developers at all. I am also surprised that you have the luxury of firing employees. I would imagine that the unfortunate developers who joined your company to sprint and go as far as possible from company like yours.

Re: Expressive Writing Cools Brain on Stressful Tasks

#26

Post by mikegerwitz »

I enjoy literate programming in part for some of the benefits this article describes. Even if the documentation is separate from the program, sometimes escaping into writing for a while provides a sufficient amount of relief to just get back into hacking. Since the matter is related to the task at hand, it also helps me to organize my thoughts and be better prepared (and therefore less stressed) to re-introduce myself to the problem.

I also use hand-written notes. This allows me to escape a screen entirely, write candidly about whatever I please, and naturally reform the stress into something workable.

Re: Expressive Writing Cools Brain on Stressful Tasks

#27

Post by asciimo »

Chiba-City wrote: post #22

We used (enforced) a writing method for software developers of three categories: So Far, More To Go, Save It For Later. It was something like a personal Kanban board for project members sharing a real schedule in weekly compiled/tested feature deliveries. This was a visibility feature for schedule and release rationalization. There were no Hail Mary pass negotiations or requests permitted. The prose mattered and proj…

There's some dry satire.

Re: Expressive Writing Cools Brain on Stressful Tasks

#28

Post by asciimo »

DenisM wrote: post #4
copperx wrote: post #2

This study gives credence to the GTD's book claim that putting all of your tasks in an "inbox" reduces stress, which was the only worthwhile insight I got from it.

Speaking of GTD - if you found the book impossible to read, consider watching this video version: https://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Getting-Thin...

Great link! I found it very possible to read; I read it at least 2.5 times across multiple physical and digital copies of two editions. Turning the words into actions is the hard part for me. Surely this is the format that's going to work :)
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