[ckaygusu]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Poincar%C3%A9

> He never spent a long time on a problem since he believed that the subconscious would continue working on the problem while he consciously worked on another problem.

This is definitely a thing. Intellectual labor just isn't physical labor.

[bandyaboot]

I can’t even count the number of times that I’ve had to give up on a problem after banging away at it for an afternoon only to solve it in 20 mins the next morning. Almost never fails.

[zachthewf]

Taking a break and going for a run sometimes does this for me as well.

[loup-vaillant]

However, banging away at a problem for an afternoon is often needed for the solution to magically pop into our head next morning. The break helps, but so does the work itself.

[jonwinstanley]

Yes. Often need to rule out a series of initial ideas first.

[cutemonster]

Yes, and that can really feel like getting nothing done :-)

Or just spending time reading about the topic

[oceanghost]

Most of the best ideas I've had in my career were in the shower before work.

The problem is making that a regular occurrence.

[gampleman]

I use to think that they should pay me 1/4 of my hourly rate at work because I could get quite distracted and work quite ineffectually, 3/4 for each hour slept as that is where most of the processing happened, and a 10x bonus for the morning shower where all the hard problems of work would be solved in instantaneous heureka moments.

[dunefox]

> The problem is making that a regular occurrence.

Ideally you shower every two days or so.

[arcastroe]

Reminds me of a phrase (joke?) I heard in Spanish.

> "I shower once a month, whether I even need it or not"

joke being that one clearly needs it after a month.

[fernandotakai]

i shower twice a day -- between gym, walking my dog, living (south america is HOT), it's either shower once a day, or you start feeling like shit.,

[oceanghost]

I suppose I walked into that one.

[fernandotakai]

ha! my wife once asked why i was speaking english while showering.

i told her that 1. i can only think in english when thinking about work and 2. saying stuff out loud helps me organize my thoughts and this is specially easy while showering because i don't really have to concentrate.

[meigwilym]

Interesting! What is your first language? Do you speak any others? Was learning English a natural part of growing up, or was it formally taught to you?

[viceroyalbean]

I do the exact same thing, though my internal monologue is like 95% English (not a native speaker). I talk to myself out loud when thinking, but my wife thinks it's weird so I only do it when alone.

[bncy]

Same here, I do that even when coding, helps me with processing stuff in real time.

[a9h74j]

The new WFS trend -- Work From Shower.

[konfusinomicon]

could make for some awkward zoom meetings

[vl]

There is even a story in one of the productivity books about how one of the most productive employees requested shower to be installed in his office since he was most productive in the shower.

[RonaldOlzheim]

But which book? Could confirm my method.

[dx034]

That's why I like going for a run or cycling at lunch time. It always helps me to process ideas. And doing it after work means I'll get that great idea in the evening when I don't want to work for the company anymore. I believe doing sports at lunch time helps the company at least as much as it helps me.

[hindsightbias]

Steve Jobs had a theory that hot water on the blood vessels in the back of the neck increased blood flow to the brain.

[dx034]

Not saying that this is wrong, but he also had some dangerous theories on how to treat cancer. Just because he was good at many things doesn't mean we should see him as an expert in medicine or biology.

[jraby3]

Walking also increases blood flow to the brain and is amazing for problem solving (in case you don’t have access to a shower while at work).

[Imagenuity]

Interesting. Tried to search for a source for that theory, but couldn't find anything.

[hindsightbias]

He personally related that to a group of us after a NextWorld keynote when someone asked him where he got a particular idea.

[sq_]

For me it's often in the shower after work. Which is a pain because then I've gotta remember them until I get out and then find a way to remember them until the next day.

[fshbbdssbbgdd]

I got a good tip for this once: throw the shampoo bottle out of the shower onto the floor. It’s ideal for remembering when you need to buy more shampoo, but if the shampoo isn’t empty, it will remind you that there’s something you need reminding of.

[xapata]

A speech to text device in the bathroom helps. Sometimes I worry I'll forget by the time I'm done showering.

[dorgo]

sometimes I wake up and know the solution.

[greenhatman]

But it only happens after spending a lot of time on a problem. You can also swap showering for walking.

[jonchurch_]

Interestingly, that point is listed in the wiki article under his "shortcomings". (According to Édouard Toulouse, his contemporary and a psychologist who wrote a book about Poincaré)