I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing • Hacker News Board

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#21

Post by lambdaba » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:18 PM UTC

dgan wrote: post #5

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #4

Context shifts are actually great for changing your perspective and reinvigorating your ability to work around road blocks. Switching from screen to paper is one way of context shifting. You could also switch a whiteboard. You could switch to talking through the problem verbally with a colleague or, lacking that, a rubber duck. You could just get up and go for a walk to think about that problem. Context shifting from…

I think you are right to generalise it to "context switch". Countless times I deleted my yet-to-be-posted, detailed Stackoverflow question, when after typing (ha!) it, i would realize my mistake. I never tried duck - debugging, maybe should give it a go too

It's kind of surprising that the makers of Copilot or others haven't come up with something like an automated, "smart" rubber duck.

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#22

Post by selfhifive » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:29 PM UTC

spookybones wrote: post #7

selfhifive wrote: post #6

I can't keep the variables, constraints, and edge cases in my mind. I use diagrams and crude flowcharts so paper/S-pen on Note/Tab is a must for me. Staring at the screen or typing it out doesn't do much for me.

Do you use the s-pen for general note-taking or only when you need to draw something?

For every handwritten thing. Use the Note S-pen when on the go.

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#23

Post by twobitshifter » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:37 PM UTC

People have spoken to the problem with pc typing being the every present editor just a backspace away. In writing or on typewriters you must delay edits until the final step. This allows you to cohesively restructure your thoughts.

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#24

Post by dgan » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:39 PM UTC

300bps wrote: post #11

I am the exact opposite. I type 150+ WPM and can’t write to save my life. Writing things down with pen/paper does nothing for me.

What do you do when you re stuck?

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#25

Post by GuB-42 » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:47 PM UTC

For me, it is the opposite. I feel much more productive when writing code, to the point where my idea is "when I am not coding, I am not working". I don't even have a pen and paper at work. I have a phone with a stylus that I use as a substitute from time to time, and I sometimes take notes on text files, but 99% of my thinking is done while coding.

Code is what keeps me down to earth. It may seem like an unnecessary detail to think about how to pass a variable when you are barely familiar with the subject, but if you can't get something that simple right, chances are that your are going it the wrong direction and when time will come to do the implementation, you will be in a world of pain. Of course, a lot of that early code ends up being thrown away and reworked, but in the early phases, it is rarely a problem.

It probably has to do with a top-down vs bottom-up approach. I am much more comfortable working bottom-up, thinking first about the details and how they fit the big picture, rather than to top-down approach, where you think of the big picture and work up the details later. I think that both approach will eventually lead you to the same destination, so choose the one you are most confortable with.

Also, context matter. I do mostly low-ish level programming (mostly C++), I don't know about coq, but it seems to be more maths than technical engineering, so maybe a different mindset is required.

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#26

Post by xwdv » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:49 PM UTC

For me it depends on what I’m writing. I feel dumb writing a long article, but I feel much smarter writing short comments in response to articles.

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#27

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:57 PM UTC

dgan wrote: post #24

300bps wrote: post #11

I am the exact opposite. I type 150+ WPM and can’t write to save my life. Writing things down with pen/paper does nothing for me.

What do you do when you re stuck?

[deleted]

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#28

Post by dgan » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:57 PM UTC

brewmarche wrote: post #17

What I experience is that I can remember things I write a lot better. I’m not sure why. I can type a lot faster than I write. Also for problem solving I agree. I also don’t know why but I feel a lot “freer” when I have a sheet of paper in front of me.

Totally agree on last part

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#29

Post by bcrl » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:57 PM UTC

Personally, I find that I remember things much better after writing them down with pen and paper versus typing. It's a very different kind of flow relative to programming on a computer with a keyboard which feels much more ephemeral.

Re: I feel dumb(er) when typing, and smart(er) when writing

#30

Post by dgan » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 4:59 PM UTC

YetAnotherNick wrote: post #15

Without all the context, I think it is due to structure of the problem. Some problem can't be understood clearly with just text, but needs diagrams etc. Coq problem seems like one that could fall in this category. And if you are like me, rough diagramming in computer seems slower/harder than with pen and paper. For these kind of things, I found apple pencil+ipad to superior to both as you don't need to worry about sp…

Interesting, i never thought about e pen and a electronic pad. Will think about that