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

#1

Post by dgan » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 1:43 PM UTC

I have noticed many times, writing down a problem and work on it on a paper is much more productive than staring at my screen and/or jumping right to code.

Last time it happened, I spent a day on a Coq exercise, when I finally I decided to grab a paper and pen, and solved it in 5 minutes.

Is this something that anyone else is experiencing? Is it something that has been (dis)-proved?

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

#2

Post by max002 » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 2:00 PM UTC

No, actually it has been proven that writing by hand activates many other regions of brain so that might be the cause why youre feeling the difference.

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

#3

Post by drakonka » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 2:10 PM UTC

There's a little notebook by my computer at all times for this reason. It isn't even just writing that helps when I'm trying to figure out a problem or pick a good approach, but doodling. Doodling while thinking seems to help things click into place and generate new ideas sometimes.

In my first job in games, my lead at the time took issue with seeing me occasionally doodle in a notebook in front of my PC. It wasn't a case of sitting there doodling all day and getting no work done, or not focusing. I'd only do it for a few seconds or a couple of minutes at a time, when thinking through a task or problem. After that interaction, I stopped doodling at work for a long time, to my (and I believe my work's) detriment.

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

#4

Post by PragmaticPulp » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 2:25 PM UTC

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 indoors to outdoors can be a significant change.

It helps to learn how to recognize when you’re stuck, not making any progress, and have maybe a bit of “learned helplessness” slowing you down even further. Shaking up your context can help break out of it.

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

#5

Post by dgan » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 2:41 PM UTC

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

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

#6

Post by selfhifive » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 2:51 PM UTC

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.

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

#7

Post by spookybones » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 3:15 PM UTC

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?

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

#8

Post by civilized » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 3:18 PM UTC

Writing is good for your toughest problems. For easier work, like tracking and prioritizing tasks, a text editor is more efficient. In both cases you want to minimize distractions.

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

#9

Post by ndemir » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 3:19 PM UTC

I can't say I feel dumb(er) but I can certainly say that when I am stuck with a problem, I feel the urge to use pen & paper (s-pen & s-note) to work on the problem ;)

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

#10

Post by paulsutter » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 3:32 PM UTC

max002 wrote: post #2

No, actually it has been proven that writing by hand activates many other regions of brain so that might be the cause why youre feeling the difference.

I almost missed your comment because it starts with the word "No"

Looks like there is evidence for this:

- https://www.forbes.com/sites/nancyolson/2016/05/15/three-way...

- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4274624/

When I (tried to) learn Japanese, I was only able to read handwritten kanji after learning to handwrite kanji. The effect was striking, night and day