11–20 of 52 posts
I’ve found for me it’s most effective when I very specifically lay out the rules of the problem in text, go to sleep and re-read through the rules. Usually I’ll have some new idea and change the rules I made to fit this probably-better idea.
Sometimes it’s pretty interesting to see how the “specs” of the problem change before and after solution.
Don't use your phone, experiencing the walk is the point. Watch and walk and think.
The idle mind can be very fruitful, it's a shame that we've let attention machines steal this. Not that I'm any better.
Which in a way, the author is indirectly describing. Engaging in activities that are "automatic" (e.g. showering, long walks) also allows the conscious to drift and frees the subconscious to interrupt the conscious with some solutions. Hence the best ideas under the shower.
Taking a break from the problem can sometimes be the faster way to a solution, illogical for modern bosses who believe only working on the problem will solve it.
[0]=if you don't believe this then try to consciously pick up a cup of coffee and drink from it. The coordination of muscles, swallowing, and everything besides is the subconscious. The conscious, if at all, had the thought "I want to drink coffee" or it might just have been a feeling between messaging and eating a breakfast toast!
I never knew the term “incubation” existed for it. Good to know! I’ve found for me it’s most effective when I very specifically lay out the rules of the problem in text, go to sleep and re-read through the rules. Usually I’ll have some new idea and change the rules I made to fit this probably-better idea. Sometimes it’s pretty interesting to see how the “specs” of the problem change before and after solution.
Incubation: solve problems for money makers in your sleep.
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(On closer inspection, you're only "paying" by creating a "free" account with them -- but paywalls look like paywalls no matter what the price is...)
I get those programming dreams but have always really disliked them, and find I wake up feeling like I didn’t actually sleep, even if I was in fact asleep all night with code flying around in my brain like tetris blocks. I’m not sure I’ve ever woken up with a great idea after one of those nights. I do find, however, that solutions to sticky problems pop into my head in the shower, during a long steady run, or after a…
I don't feel tired when I wake up, but I don't feel like I 'reset' either. I've had a couple of times where I'll wake right up and bang something out like I was being dictated to. It's almost like all the pieces were already there in your mind and they fall together when you aren't trying to force them. Brains are weird.
It also works during a toilette sitting :D That’s why for me an ideal bathroom should be well lit, preferred with sun light, well aired with lush green plants, clean and with material for reading.
I remembered it happen in a very strange way when I studied calculus. I had a hard time to remember the integration rules and how to apply them. Spent a lot of time on it. But at one point I had a dream where integrals came "flying in" like in a computer game, and I solved them one after another, just like I can solve 1+1 without hesitation. Whether I really solved them or this was just imagined is of course the core…