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Tools for Better Thinking

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Re: Tools for Better Thinking

#111

Post by chadcmulligan »

inetsee wrote: post #17

There is a book titled "Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques". The last edition was published in 2006, so it's fairly dated by now. I found it very interesting back then, but it wouldn't have much about more recent tools or ideas. There is a summary of the book here https://www.ethos3.com/books/thinkertoys-a-handbook-of-creat...

This is a good one to - "The Thinker's Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving" by Morgan D. Jones, ( techniques as used by the CIA no less! :-) ).

https://www.amazon.com/Thinkers-Toolkit-Powerful-Techniques-...

Re: Tools for Better Thinking

#112

Post by blackrock »

I use markdown.

VSCode has a nice plugin for it. And so does a few other editors.

It’s simple, and easy to use. Pure text, and allows you to do some formatting. Especially, the code preview.

This allows me to brainstorm, and just type out random things at will. And I can reorganize it later.

And when I want to read it, then I switch on the viewer, and all my text is nicely presented.

Re: Tools for Better Thinking

#113

Post by mosselman »

blackrock wrote: post #112

I use markdown. VSCode has a nice plugin for it. And so does a few other editors. It’s simple, and easy to use. Pure text, and allows you to do some formatting. Especially, the code preview. This allows me to brainstorm, and just type out random things at will. And I can reorganize it later. And when I want to read it, then I switch on the viewer, and all my text is nicely presented.

Did you even look at the link?

Re: Tools for Better Thinking

#114

Post by SamuelAdams »

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #75
beefield wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly this. What is really weird, though, is that I have occasionally tried to promote this approach to people that ask my help, simply by asking them to write the request to me instead of calling. Also, getting the help request in written helps me to think the case and open issues in my own pace uninterrupted by discussion. The weird part? I have a strong feeling that more and more often (luckily not too often yet…

Yep. I’ve asked people to not give me dimensions for a work request over the phone because it leads to potential for transcription errors and mis-hearing... If you type it out and send it to me, or write it down and send a photo / scan, and it’s wrong... that’s your fault . And they seem genuinely put out by me not wanting to be responsible for a mistake.

One thing I've learned is that many coworkers really struggle with writing. They are amazing talkers - they work in sales most of the time. But they rarely write anything more than bullet points in a powerpoint deck.

It's a bit sad, but understand that people have different backgrounds and education. Perhaps their schooling, back in the 1960's / 70's, did not prioritize writing skills? It's just really odd to me because every single job I've ever applied for always said "must be able to excel in written communication", so why should the standard for my colleagues be different?

Re: Tools for Better Thinking

#115

Post by kiba »

typicalbender wrote: post #57
shahbaby wrote: post #53

I've found that the most underrated problem solving tool is simply typing out my thought process. I used to be the type who asked a lot of questions until I realized that formulating the question was often more important than getting the answer.

It's amazing how much a technique like rubber ducking[1] helps to work through issues. The number of times I've felt like I have no idea how to solve a problem until the moment after I ask someone else is incredible. I think the act of thinking how to explain the problem to someone else really helps trigger the problem solving side of the brain. That and the number of times taking a 10 minute walk has been more produ…

They call it the Einstellung effect[1]. It's a recommended strategy to take time away from the problem to let your brain subconsciously work on the problem.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstellung_effect

Re: Tools for Better Thinking

#116

Post by 2snakes »

M5x7wI3CmbEem10 wrote: post #21
gexla wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not Roam?

Roam is closed-beta and a proprietary format.

There is an export to markdown, and the developer has specifically said he is going to continue to allow that. There is a converter for tag/highlight/todo from Obsidian.md

Re: Tools for Better Thinking

#117

Post by sokoloff »

typicalbender wrote: post #57
shahbaby wrote: post #53

I've found that the most underrated problem solving tool is simply typing out my thought process. I used to be the type who asked a lot of questions until I realized that formulating the question was often more important than getting the answer.

It's amazing how much a technique like rubber ducking[1] helps to work through issues. The number of times I've felt like I have no idea how to solve a problem until the moment after I ask someone else is incredible. I think the act of thinking how to explain the problem to someone else really helps trigger the problem solving side of the brain. That and the number of times taking a 10 minute walk has been more produ…

The hours of debugging were still a critical part of the process. It “loosened the jar lid” so to speak. (It’s not like long-distance walkers are some of the best debuggers.)

But once you’ve put in some substantial effort, taking a break and a walk (or a sleep) is often the critical last step.

Re: Tools for Better Thinking

#119

Post by TheSpiceIsLife »

SamuelAdams wrote: post #114
TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. I’ve asked people to not give me dimensions for a work request over the phone because it leads to potential for transcription errors and mis-hearing... If you type it out and send it to me, or write it down and send a photo / scan, and it’s wrong... that’s your fault . And they seem genuinely put out by me not wanting to be responsible for a mistake.

One thing I've learned is that many coworkers really struggle with writing. They are amazing talkers - they work in sales most of the time. But they rarely write anything more than bullet points in a powerpoint deck. It's a bit sad, but understand that people have different backgrounds and education. Perhaps their schooling, back in the 1960's / 70's, did not prioritize writing skills? It's just really odd to me beca…

This raises an interesting point.

Maybe excels at written communication is how everyone else is doing it (bullet points, spelling and grammar mistakes) and we are the aberration.

Re: Tools for Better Thinking

#120

Post by petra »

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #119
SamuelAdams wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing I've learned is that many coworkers really struggle with writing. They are amazing talkers - they work in sales most of the time. But they rarely write anything more than bullet points in a powerpoint deck. It's a bit sad, but understand that people have different backgrounds and education. Perhaps their schooling, back in the 1960's / 70's, did not prioritize writing skills? It's just really odd to me beca…

This raises an interesting point. Maybe excels at written communication is how everyone else is doing it (bullet points, spelling and grammar mistakes) and we are the aberration .

I usually to write in short sentences instead of long paragraphs.

I find that it improves clarity. It also seems the readers respond well to that.

With that in mind, why are bullet points so bad ? they seem like a simple technique to simplify writing.

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