Hammock Driven Development - Rich Hickey

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of deep, uninterrupted thinking in problem-solving, particularly in software development. They advocate for allocating time to truly understand and analyze problems before seeking solutions, and stress the value of a methodical approach that includes writing down ideas, considering multiple solutions, and being open to change. The speaker also highlights the role of sleep and relaxation in fostering creativity and the ability to make strategic decisions, ultimately leading to better problem-solving outcomes.

Takeaways

• 🤔 The importance of dedicating time to deep, uninterrupted thinking on a problem is emphasized, as it can lead to valuable insights and solutions.
• 🛠️ Software development should focus on solving problems rather than just building features, as features are attributes and not the purpose.
• 🔍 Understanding the problem is crucial; it involves identifying the problem, assessing proposed solutions, and recognizing the difference between features and actual problem-solving.
• 📚 The speaker recommends George Polya's book 'How to Solve It' for learning problem-solving techniques, although it's math-focused, the principles are applicable to software development.
• 🔎 Researching existing solutions to similar problems can provide a solid foundation and accelerate the learning process in software development.
• ✍️ Writing down ideas, requirements, and potential solutions is important for clarity and to aid the problem-solving process.
• 🧠 The speaker discusses the dual nature of the mind, with the waking mind being analytical and the background mind being strategic and good at synthesizing information.
• 💤 Sleep plays a significant role in processing information and sorting out ideas, which is beneficial for problem-solving.
• 📈 The speaker suggests working on multiple projects to avoid getting stuck on one and to allow the brain to process different problems simultaneously.
• 🔄 Being open to changing your mind and adapting solutions when new facts or requirements arise is part of the iterative nature of problem-solving.
• 🚫 The speaker encourages not being afraid of being wrong, as it's a natural part of the learning and problem-solving process.

Q & A

What is the speaker emphasizing about the importance of thinking deeply about a problem?

The speaker emphasizes that deep, uninterrupted thinking about a problem is crucial for solving it effectively. They mention the value of dedicating time to contemplate a problem for an extended period without distractions, which can lead to better solutions and insights.

Why does the speaker consider the ability to think about something for an entire hour or a whole day valuable?

The speaker considers this ability valuable because it allows for focused, deep thinking, which is less common in today's fast-paced world. This kind of focused thinking can lead to breakthroughs and a better understanding of complex problems.

What is the speaker's perspective on the role of analysis and design in software development?

The speaker believes that analysis and design are essential steps in software development that are often overlooked. They argue that these steps help in identifying the problem and assessing the proposed solution, which is more important than just building features.

How does the speaker address the issue of misconceptions in software development?

The speaker points out that misconceptions often arise from not having a clear understanding of the problem before starting the development process. They suggest that problems of misconception are not typically addressed by testing or other defect-correction methods, and instead, require a better initial understanding of the problem.

What is the speaker's advice for gaining confidence in tackling something new?

The speaker advises that to gain confidence in doing something new, one should understand the problem, assess the proposed solution, and be willing to learn from others' experiences. They also emphasize the importance of practice and learning from mistakes.

What is the significance of the book 'How to Solve It' by Polya in the context of the speaker's talk?

The speaker mentions 'How to Solve It' as a valuable resource for learning and practicing problem-solving skills. They suggest that the techniques and insights from the book can be applied to software development, despite its mathematical focus.

Why does the speaker suggest taking a break from the computer to focus on a problem?

The speaker suggests that taking a break from the computer helps to avoid distractions and allows for a more focused, strategic thinking process. This break can be spent in a hammock or in a quiet place, which can lead to better problem-solving and decision-making.

What is the speaker's view on the role of sleep in problem-solving?

The speaker believes that sleep plays a crucial role in processing information and reinforcing memory. They suggest that the subconscious mind continues to work on problems during sleep, often leading to solutions or insights upon waking.

How does the speaker recommend dealing with the limitations of working memory?

The speaker recommends writing down all aspects of the problem, which allows one to 'juggle' different parts of the problem in their mind. This process helps in managing the limitations of working memory and enables a more comprehensive understanding of the problem.

What is the speaker's approach to handling multiple projects simultaneously?

The speaker suggests working on multiple projects at once, switching between them when stuck or when the 'loading time' for a problem is complete. This approach helps in keeping the mind stimulated and can lead to breakthroughs in different areas.

How does the speaker address the possibility of being wrong in the problem-solving process?

The speaker encourages embracing the possibility of being wrong as a natural part of the problem-solving process. They emphasize the importance of being open to new ideas, adapting to changing facts, and not being afraid to change one's mind when necessary.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Reflecting on Deep Thought and Confidence

The speaker discusses the importance of dedicating time to deep thought, recalling the last moment of uninterrupted reflection. They emphasize the value of spending an hour or a day contemplating an idea and the rarity of such opportunities. The speaker also explores the concept of confidence, particularly in the context of software development, and the challenges of tackling new problems. They highlight the significance of understanding and addressing misconceptions in software development and the importance of testing and quality assurance.

05:01

📚 The Role of Analysis and Design

The speaker critiques the traditional approach to analysis and design, which was often criticized for being too process-oriented and inflexible. They argue for the importance of spending time on understanding the problem and assessing the proposed solution. The speaker emphasizes that programming should focus on solving problems rather than merely building features. They also discuss the tendency to avoid problems and the need to practice problem-solving skills, referencing Polya's book 'How to Solve It' as a guide.

10:03

🔍 Understanding and Solving Problems

The speaker delves into the process of problem-solving, starting with clearly stating the problem. They stress the importance of understanding the problem's characteristics and constraints, as well as acknowledging what is unknown. The speaker suggests looking at other solutions to similar problems as a way to quickly gain insights. They also advocate for writing down the problem-solving process and being critical of one's own ideas, as well as considering trade-offs and questioning unknowns.

15:04

💭 The Power of the Background Mind

The speaker discusses the concept of the background mind and its role in problem-solving. They explain that while the waking mind is good at tactical decisions, the background mind is better at strategy and making connections. The speaker suggests using the waking mind to assign tasks to the background mind, such as thinking about a problem while sitting in a hammock. They also mention the importance of sleep in processing information and sorting out ideas.

20:06

🛠️ Practicing Problem-Solving

The speaker emphasizes the importance of practice in problem-solving. They suggest maintaining focus and using tools like a hammock to facilitate deep thought. The speaker also talks about the need to balance work and personal life, communicating the importance of focused work to those around you. They highlight the importance of engaging both the waking and background mind in the problem-solving process and the value of stepping away from the computer to think.

25:08

🔄 Juggling Complex Problems

The speaker addresses the challenge of working on complex problems with more components than can be held in working memory. They recommend writing down all aspects of the problem and using the background mind to process this information. The speaker suggests visualizing the problem and switching between different components, like juggling balls, to maintain focus. They also stress the importance of giving the brain time to process information, even if it means waiting overnight for solutions to emerge.

30:10

🌟 Capturing and Evaluating Ideas

The speaker talks about the process of capturing ideas that emerge from the background mind, especially upon waking. They emphasize the importance of not getting stuck on a single problem and switching between projects to stimulate the background mind. The speaker also discusses the need to evaluate ideas critically and be open to changing them in light of new information or requirements. They advocate for not being afraid of being wrong and for embracing the iterative nature of problem-solving.

Keywords

💡Problem Solving

The process of identifying, analyzing, and finding solutions to problems. In the video, problem-solving is emphasized as a core skill for software developers, where the speaker discusses the importance of understanding the problem before finding solutions and the value of practice in improving this skill.

💡Analysis and Design

The initial steps in software development that involve understanding the problem and assessing the proposed solution. The speaker argues that these steps are often overlooked but are crucial for quality and avoiding misconceptions about the problem at hand.

💡Misconception

A false or mistaken understanding of a concept or problem. In the context of the video, misconceptions are highlighted as a common issue in software development, where developers may not have a clear idea of what they are trying to achieve before they start coding.

💡Focus

The ability to concentrate on a particular task or problem without distraction. The speaker emphasizes the importance of maintaining focus, especially during the design phase of software development, to avoid being overwhelmed by the complexity of the problem.

💡Abstraction

A concept in which complex information is reduced to simpler, more manageable parts. In software development, abstractions help in creating a more strategic approach to problem-solving by focusing on the big picture rather than the details.

💡Background Mind

A term used to describe the subconscious or unconscious thought processes that occur outside of immediate awareness. The speaker suggests that the background mind is good at making connections and synthesizing information, which is crucial for solving complex problems.

💡Sleep

The natural state of rest for the body and mind, which is essential for cognitive functions like memory and problem-solving. The speaker highlights the role of sleep in reinforcing memory and sorting out information, which aids in finding hidden relations and solutions to problems.

💡Trade-offs

The act of balancing competing needs or desires, often resulting in giving up one thing to gain another. In software development, trade-offs are made when choosing between different solutions, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

💡Quality Assurance

The process of ensuring that a product or service meets certain standards of quality. In the context of software, this involves testing and verifying that the software performs as expected and is free from defects.

💡Practice

The act of repeatedly performing an activity to improve one's skill or proficiency. The speaker emphasizes that problem-solving, like any other skill, can be improved through practice, and recommends resources like Polya's book 'How to Solve It' for learning problem-solving techniques.

Highlights

The importance of dedicating time to deep thinking on a problem without distractions.

The value of spending an entire hour or day contemplating an idea without interruption.

The distinction between features and problems, emphasizing that software development should focus on solving problems, not just adding features.

The necessity of understanding the root of a problem before attempting to solve it, rather than just addressing symptoms.

The concept that most significant software problems stem from misconceptions about what the problem actually is.

The importance of analysis and design in the software development process, as they help identify and assess the problem and proposed solution.

The idea that problem-solving is a skill that can be practiced and improved over time.

The recommendation to write down and analyze the problem, including unknowns and potential trade-offs.

The suggestion to look at other solutions to similar problems to gain insights and avoid starting from scratch.

The importance of being critical and discerning when evaluating potential solutions and trade-offs.

The concept of using the 'background mind' for strategic thinking and making connections, as opposed to the 'waking mind' for tactical decisions.

The idea that sleep and downtime are crucial for processing information and solving problems subconsciously.

The strategy of juggling multiple projects to keep the mind stimulated and avoid getting stuck on a single problem for too long.

The importance of writing down ideas and challenges to solidify them and make them actionable.

The acceptance that being wrong is part of the problem-solving process and should not be feared.

The recommendation to switch between projects to allow the mind to process and find solutions over time.

The idea that testing and iterating on solutions is a crucial part of the problem-solving process.

Transcripts

as I said yesterday I swapped the stalks

around so this is the more philosophical

talk as well to the titles I couldn't

decide some of them were semi cranky in

those employments and then war can be a

great a great feat or line because so

this is about step one this is this is

just an experience report it's not

advocacy there's a little methodology

here or science or anything else so I'd

like you to try think about when was the

last time that you thought about

something for an entire hour like nobody

bothered you and you had an idea and you

sat for an hour thought about how about

for a whole day does everybody remember

less than a second thought about

something for a whole day

however over a course of a month we had

something you're working on and

obviously not spending all the time

every day when you start staying into a

month or a year these are tremendously

valuable moments if you get to have them

at all

I consider myself extremely lucky to

have had the ability to think about

probably three different things for a

year or more one of them is closure

and there's nothing I prize more than

that kind of time the other thing I'd

ask is what was less than that you felt

confident trying to do something you had

never done before

and what do you think it takes to become

confident in turn something you've never

done before right obviously a software

developers a lot of times we're doing

the umpteenth application that takes

something out of a database and puts it

on the web

but the lucky you are luckier you are

the more likely you are to encounter

problems you've never done before and

how do you end up you know how do you

start doing that and not feel incredibly

at risk so sorry about sit by talking

about some software development you know

things we all know to be true right we

hate bugs and our programs of trying to

write quality programs and we know if we

let the programs reach the field it's

incredibly expensive to you know fix

inadequacies and the artists in the

program

right so we say okay we'll have a big

testing process and quality assurance

and even that we know is not so great

because the sort of has this removal you

know this distance from the development

effort which is not good so now we know

we know what to do in this area right we

fix bugs while we're coding by testing

and development and this is the best way

to avoid bugs in our applications right

no answer kids did you notice that I

learned how to make each bullet this

menu item no definitely absolutely

positively not the least expensive place

to fix bugs is when you're designing

your software which everybody does yes

right I will contend of all the things

I'm saying here watch it which are very

very extremely fuzzy that without a

doubt most of the big problems we have

with software our problems of

misconception we don't have a good idea

of what we're doing before we do it and

then go go go go and we do everything

you know we have practices and all kinds

of stuff and we feel really good about

ourselves after that point but if you

mess it up you know as Mark said in step

one it is not going to turn out they're

not problems of implementation there are

problems of implementation obviously and

testing and other things help with those

but problems of misconception are not

generally addressed by testing or type

systems or the things we use to correct

defects and implementation right there

aren't really type systems I can tell us

if we've got a good idea

or what we're doing

addresses that idea so I'm going to talk

a little bit about analysis and design I

know that so nineties and ugly and was

rightfully you know criticized and

really dropped because you know people

considered it to be about process and

drawing pictures and you know knowing

everything about everything and making

comprehensive plans and the waterfall

model and there was amazing amounts of

stuff that was terrible about this but

that doesn't mean that the the step

before go do it is not an important step

and I think we don't spend enough time

and energy or or make enough time or get

allocated time you know it may not be a

matter of our choice if we say we'd like

to spend some time thinking about it but

we have to ship something next week but

we are definitely suffering in quality

because we we don't spend the time here

and so I'd like to do is sort of just

whatever you think analysis in the

design is like you just forget for the

moment let's try to make a really simple

definition analysis and design is about

two things identifying some problem that

we're trying to solve and assessing our

proposed solution in terms of whether or

not it solves that problem that's really

what it's about

about anything else right we should be

solving problems but we should not be

building features there's nothing about

the feature what is feature

features just an attribute of something

is the shiny you know chrome knob on

something it's not the purpose of the

car there's no guarantee you if you put

together a feature list even if it comes

from the customer that is going to solve

their own problem or that solves any

problem or that the features when you

put them together don't introduce a

whole ton of other problems right so

programming and writing software is not

about completing this features in

particular features provided by users in

spite of their best efforts to satisfy

themselves or often really not good

ideas and you've got to dig underneath

it and figure out what problem they have

and what's the best solution to it and

then reconcile it with whatever they

asked for we also have a tendency

because we're we're all smart and we

love being smart and sort of figuring

out how to make things go that you know

figuring out how to make something go is

good no matter what it took to do it

right so if we can find a way to get

around a problem we're like whoo that's

great and it's not great right or

voiding problems which we're all capable

of doing very capable of doing isn't the

same as solving them so we should really

try to support on solving problems and

the thing I'm going to talk about today

is really that there there's a bunch of

technique and

skill to solving problems and the first

one is just to make an effort to

understand the problem you're working on

to recognize identify it put it

somewhere and talk about it so problem

solving is definitely a skill I think

you know you shouldn't take away from

this talk that you know there's a

certain kind of person who's like good

at problem solving and they get to do

this part of the job and then we can

practice these other things you can

practice this part

Polya wrote this amazing book called how

to solve it in 1945 or something which

is about how to practice how to practice

and what are the techniques

sobbing math problems in this case and

it's a terrific book full of great

insight and if you've never read it go

on to Amazon right after my talk and

order yourself I'm happy

one of the things that's not so great

about the book is that it is in the math

space right and in that space this is

really nice thing that happens when

you're done and you think you have an

answer if you have all the techniques of

mathematical proof to determine if you

actually have where as a software

developers you don't have that right

there's no way to prove that you have

solution to somebody's ecommerce site

problem right there's no mathematical

techniques and there's not going to be

any anytime soon that will let us do

that but it is a skill and it is

something you can practice this

something you can learn about and and

it's worth doing right because as human

beings we get good at what we practice

it doesn't matter what it is it's

amazing examples of people practicing

things that they seem to have no

potential hope to become good at and

they get good at it because they

practiced it if you practice problem

solving really practice a problem

solving you will get good at it if you

practice methodology X you will get good

at that and I'd like you to ask yourself

where do you think there's more leverage

I don't care what X is pick any X you

want would you rather be good at it or

the general skill of solving problems

so what do we need to do if we're going

to work on solving problems what what is

what is the activity like the first

thing is to actually say I am solving

this problem this problem is this bla

bla bla bla bla and therefore a bla I

have seen so much software made where no

one ever said that no one ever wrote

that down and then we have the whole

system and no one said what problem is

supposed to solve if we're not solving

problems I have no idea why we're in

this room we absolutely should be

working on solving problems which means

we should be we should be enumerated our

and then from the mental standpoint

which I'll talk about a little bit later

it is actually important to say them out

loud right as the person who's trying to

solve a problem say say have a

conversation with somebody in your group

and say we need to solve this the

problem the problem is you know rants or

talk and you have a little conversation

or write it down but just like you use

the you know the practice of repeating

somebody's name or introducing them as a

mnemonic to help you remember their name

it's the same thing this is the seed of

solving the problem is stating it so the

next the next part which is definitely

trigger and Polly's book is great and

it's got a lot of practical things

many of these are overlap what he said

is to understand the problem right so so

we said we have this problem I think we

need a no single database right there's

something missing

we have this problem we need a no single

day to ransom we haven't actually said

you know why what are the

characteristics of this problem to lead

us to this solution space and and this

is where all the interesting work is I

think in software development right and

so the first step is what do you know

about what you're trying to do there's

definitely gonna be a bunch of facts

there will be customer requirements

there will be other things they'll be

contact steal the system has run on this

kind of box has to run for this long it

can consume more more than this many

watts or has to support than 10 million

users whatever it is there are those

kinds of things and constraints all this

stuff or facts you know about what

you're supposed to do right there will

be things that right away you know you

don't know right I wonder where we're

going to get you know the inference of

data as an input to this thing what

we're going to do when our main data

source word is isn't available do we

have a secondary thing there'll be

things like that of course there will be

things that you don't know or you don't

know well that's fair but if there's

things you don't know

you should think about them now the

other thing to do is to say everybody

says doing X I have this great idea for

X if you know that you're the only

person in the world ever had this

problem self that's very very unlikely

so go find some other solutions to

similar problems you know are there any

others that you know about and what can

you find out about them because looking

at other solutions the same problem is

the number one way to get up to speed

really quickly and start working ahead

of you know the best known solutions in

this space and then because what you'll

have to do that will just be an

incremental step above what the last guy

did but if you're ignoring what the last

guy did you're starting from scratch so

you definitely want to look around in

the space all right now I'm not

advocating a methodology or anything but

if you're going to bother to do all this

work you should write it down somehow

some way I don't care about the other

thing you have to do is you have to be

discerning yep that you have to be

critical and we're at sort of in this

world because this Willis community

stuff and it's like I just hear awesome

it's like awesome happy I just heard

like 50 times a day not everything is

awesome all right and so it's hard to

talk about other people's stuff not

being awesome so just I mean mainly

focus on your own stuff in particular as

you're finding solutions I should try to

you know enumerate a solution to a

problem look for defects in your own

solution and of course you have a whole

talk about this because there will be

there will be technical errors there

will be errors in logic they'll also be

errors of taste and judgment and

abstraction and all those kinds of

things it all feeds into this and

entire talk in this this area but

whatever issues you can find in your own

solutions try to solve those two right

away upfront if you've added so the

other thing you see is we're gonna do

this oh he's using Ossie Davis oh that's

great it has these Co 10 attributes is

awesome it's really easy to get excited

about the good parts of what you do but

you should be looking for trade-offs the

chances of there being no trade-offs in

any solution are slim the other thing is

just this again this what what don't you

know that if if there's stuff you know

you don't know there are questions you

should be asking in order to find out

what you don't know you don't know

everything so there should be question

marks on the whatever it is you want to

use that you're going to write all this

stuff down there should be question

marks on that page if there are no

question marks you're missing the step

the other thing is to think about none

of us are born knowing how to write

software none of us are born knowing

about sequel or the characteristics of

the web or the protocols or anything

else

and if you're trying to solve the

problem especially in a space where you

haven't done it before you're going to

have a very limited ability to come up a

solution if you don't have a lot of

input you're going to need to get a lot

of different inputs so that you can let

your brain go around between them and

say oh yeah this idea and that idea are

connected to each other and therefore I

can do this other thing

if you only take a really narrow slice

of I see exactly what I'm doing right

now right the second to deliver next

week you're not going to have enough

inputs to make decisions so you want to

read about the kind of space that you're

in widely all right very specifically

with us other people try to do exactly

the same thing and then broadly there's

other characteristic problems and maybe

even if you want go try to find research

papers that are kind of in the same

space it's amazing the cool things you

can find by searching something like ACM

4 papers about the kind of it's like

we can get a certain kind of hash code

that does whatever you go into google

type hash code that does whatever enter

and if there's some scholarly and ACM

references grab those papers even if you

only understand like a tiny fraction of

the paper it's likely to contribute to

your ability to think about your problem

the other thing is even if you're not

going to tell the other guy when you're

looking at other solutions be extremely

critical I can't tell you how often

you're going to find the next best idea

by completely crucifying the last guy's

idea at least in your own head all right

take it apart right because when you

take it apart you're going to find a

couple of things maybe they didn't write

down when they were doing it so

everybody says designs about trade offs

everybody knows this right

but usually want to talk about

trade-offs in their software let's talk

about the parts of their software that

suck I had to make these trade-offs that

is not what a trade-off it is right you

have to look at at least two solutions

to your problem at least two and you

have to figure out what's good and bad

about those things right before you can

say I made a trade-off so I really

recommend that you do that and when you

do it you might want to write that down

somewhere okay so let's talk a little

bit more about practice a big part of

trying to do this work is maintaining

your focus we had a really nice talk

yesterday about flow and that that is a

kind of a focus related concept and when

you're trying to do design work you also

need I think some of the most extreme

focus you're going to ever need and so

there's some cool aspects to the havoc

one of the cool aspects to a hammock

that you can go on a hammock and you can

close your eyes and no one knows that

you're not sleeping but they won't

bother you because they think you might

be sleeping so it's it's very cool

computers are bad bad sources of

distraction they're so bad especially

for people like us something else

besides what I'm trying to think about

you desperately need to get away from

the computer if you're trying to focus

this it's almost impossible to focus

sitting at a computer the other thing

about focus is that you are going to be

making trade-offs when you try to focus

really intensely your gun to drop balls

you're going to miss calling people back

and responding to emails and doing your

slides for conferences and

the airport all the way there things

like that that's just the game the one

thing though is that you should

communicate to people that you care

about about this process and the fact

that when you're doing it you're going

to seem pretty far away and that's not a

comment about the person that you're you

know your care about it's just the

nature of doing this kind of work so it

is important to sort of do it a lot of

people will not get time to do this all

day every day or over the course of an

entire week or if you're going to get

some focus time you define what that is

you know everybody knows about timeout

time for little kids and what program

isn't this focused I'm like look kids I

need to go sit on the hammock and have

nobody bother them

so for me personally I think that that

the process involves two parts of your

mind and this is stuff that you're

seeing those books written about this

and whatever I haven't read them but but

they seem to correspond to my personal

experience which is that you sort of

have this waking line and background

line and you're waking mind is really

good at that criticizing part it's

extremely analytical and it's very very

good at tactics right right now we need

to make a decision you know the lion is

chasing after us jump left we are really

good at that that's what our waking mind

is about keeping us alive and making

short-term decisions and looking at the

immediate leap present information and

doing something about it however if you

think you're going to sit down and look

at a problem for the first time and

stare at your computer and do whatever

and have a conversation for 10 minutes

and make a really great decision I don't

think so

I know I can't do that definitely not

the problem with this kind of thing is

it tends to push uphill who I see this

movie that always okay here I have a

choice left and right okay go right

that's more up left to right it's right

they left that's more up more up it's

this part of your thinking is really

good at finding the local maximum but

it's not very good and getting off the

track it's on and finding the fact that

there's another hill over there that

really takes you higher

but this is a very very printable

activity that you have to engage in I

think if you want to use your entire

brain and become very good at

problem-solving and that is to think

about using your waking time to assign

tasks to your background line to

actually think hard about something and

create work for your background line

that really is the point of the hammock

and all this listing and all this we're

going to talk about you're going to do

when you're awake is actually to to give

the other half of you stuff to do the

other good thing about your waking mind

is when you when you do think you have a

great idea that you come up with in your

background line your waking line is good

at picking the other part saying you

know you thought you woke up with this

brilliant idea but now I'm seeing this

this characteristic of it seems not so

bright

so let's talk about the background line

I'm not going to directly equate it with

the sleeping mind but the sleeping line

is the number one instance of a

background mind you can find access to

your wrapper online during the day while

you're awake but it's tricky it's good

at making connections right the kind of

thing like if I leave my if I make a Hut

out of mud and it rains hard it will

disintegrate is not necessarily the kind

of thing that you can tactically figure

out you or your background mind is going

to know sort of aspects of all those

different components that make the

connections and synthesize them even

when you think you're really hot at

making decisions on the fly you're

almost always just regurgitating

something your background might has

already figured out so the background

light is good at synthesizing things

it's about it's good about strategy

right and so when mark talks about new

abstractions and things like that

abstractions are our software strategy

right because the idea there is you're

making some super global decision that's

going to need to be correcting a whole

bunch of contexts in which you can't

make tactical decisions yet right what

does it mean to make an abstraction

you're going to drop drive libraries

from you know what does it mean to put

something in a programming language well

I had no idea what you guys are going to

do about you know with it right it's a

it's a more strategic kind of thing you

don't build a programming layers and say

how will this programming language deal

with HTTP requests what you want to do

is give mark something that he can use

and when he's got a tactical decision

make about HTTP requests and that's a

strategic kind of thinking and your

background line is good at strategic

thinking if you want to do abstraction

you have to find time to do this thing

because that's the part of your brain it

comes from right it does abstraction it

draws analogies right I think this is

where you solve most non-trivial

problems okay you can make good

decisions in the moment otherwise but if

you really try to solve something hard

you've got to engage the other half of

your of your head so I'm not just saying

the scientific America say that when

we're sleeping we process the

information during the day because

that's pretty obvious but that sleep

reinforces memory which is good I mean

it is important to remember what you're

working on but more importantly it is a

great sorter out of things so we had

this whole I say I just advocated taking

a lot of input my taking a lot of it but

doing all this analysis of the

requirements in the space right doing

you know all the reading looking at you

know competitive solutions and tearing

them apart that's this is ton of stuff

when you're going to decide what about

that is important what is it when you're

asleep and that's what happens

evolution has solved this problem for us

and that's the solution it came up with

we can't ignore it we have to use it but

the most critical thing is this one

finding hidden relations and solving

problems we were working on so imagine

somebody says I have this problem this

that and you look at it for ten minutes

and say okay I'm going to go after the

movies and do something else then you go

to sleep you're going to solve that

problem your sleep no or you're off and

you didn't think about it did you no you

didn't think about it you didn't think

about it hard enough

while you were awake for it to become

important to your mind when you were

asleep and this goes back to that

feeding your background mind thing you

really do have to work hard just think

not typing it in just thinking about a

problem during the day so that it

becomes an agenda item for your

background line that's how it works

right it's when people were out there

and they're like oh my god how am I

going to find food and this is happening

there but I know I saw help over there

they seem to be by the water sometimes

or whatever that's when you wake up as a

caveman and say let's go hunt for the

animals by the water it's not a logical

deduction it seems like that when your

foreground - or

lysing it but there's no logic for that

necessarily it's really a process of

this very parallel kind of thinking so

this is very important so we have a

problem in general because we right

we're just being cast right so for those

more and more complex as time goes by

and and we know there's a seven plus or

minus two sort of working memory limit I

and as smart as any of us are we all

suffer from the same limit but the

problems that we're you know called upon

to solve are much bigger than that

normal so what do we do if we can't fit

the whole thing in our head at the same

time how can we work on a problem with

more than nine components right what I'm

going to recommend is that you write all

the bits down especially now you've

written a lot about the problem right

you know what the problem is you know a

lot of facts about it you know

constraints about where it runs you know

you don't know you've asked yourself

those questions you wrote them down I

wish I do blog you looked at competitive

things and said that works great over

here but that part of that competitive

thing sucks

I hate that I wish that wasn't there you

gave this huge agenda to your background

line and when you're trying to load it

up you need to survey and that's the

point of writing it all down before if

you've written all the stuff down

including some sketch of how you want to

problem you can go and just sort of jump

around and look at that and sort of like

you know how many balls can you juggle

well you can only gentle something I can

juggle at all

but if we look at the seven plus or

minus two thing to say we can juggle

seven to nine balls but if you can

imagine having an assistant who every

now and then can take one of those out

and put a different color in then you

could juggle balls of twenty different

colors at the same time as long as there

were only nine in the air and any one

point in time and that's what you're

doing you're going to sort of look

around at all these pieces and shift

arbitrary shapes of seven into your head

at different points in time

maybe you'll draw pictures don't use

that you'll melt it's not a methodology

so go over and over but then you must

again step away from the computer

there's another really important

important part of doing this which is to

go and sit somewhere and have no input

and close your eyes and not go to sleep

close your eyes because we have this

other thing right everybody knows what

it is it's really hard to describe but

does everybody have a concept of their

own their minds I write what you see

when you close your eyes and you start

thinking about something it's this weird

I mean is that actually technically

visual though some people are really

vibrantly visual I know for me it's I

don't know I can't describe it but it's

not

realistic but you need to do that that

that part is important for your brain

because at that point you're switching

out of sort of an input reception motor

if you're just looking at your lists

you're sort of in the mode of I'm

getting input but when you're sitting

and contemplating something and hashing

it over in your head you don't have any

other input which means you're

exercising the recall I had looked at

those 20 points let's say it was just 20

I looked at those 20 points over and

over and over again and I jumped around

with it put between them now I close my

eyes and I'm trying to recall them and

think about them a little bit more in my

head and you're going to find if you've

done the last step going over and over

you will actually be able to sit on a

hammock and pull all the different parts

of a fairly large problem in an

aggregate admittedly maybe one at a time

and think of a thing about them that way

that exercise is really really important

I don't know why it just is because it

forces this recall thing that definitely

makes those things agenda items for your

background line so we'll call that

mind's eye time now you're done

cake is in the oven you just have to

wait it's so good

and and and one of the things I would

say is at least wait overnight no matter

how ill you you and your buddies talked

about it and you like you just feel like

such a hotshot today I have got this

thing you know sleep on it at least one

night at least if it's an important

decision now how many people woke up

this morning with the answer to a hard

problem

is a science science at work no it's

really kind of an unfortunate thing if

you're not thinking about this do you

think what happened I worked hard all

day right who I've done working time to

relax unfortunately if you if you

believe in what I'm saying today you're

actually doing something kind of

important when you're sleeping so

occasionally you really have to give

your brain a chance to do that other

part of the job

if you always deny it I don't think

you're going to have the best results

unfortunately sometimes overnight is not

not enough some big problems especially

finding really good abstractions or

finding answers to things that satisfy a

bunch of simultaneous constraints take a

long time it just does and I'm I know

everybody has to ship and everything

else in that case a lot of what I'm

saying doesn't apply and like I said

before I consider it a huge opportunity

when I get an extended amount of time to

think about a problem because I know it

I'll come up with a better answer but

one of the ways you can deal with this

and not get stymied by well let me just

think about that for three months

because most managers are not incredibly

receptive to that sentence is to just

work on more than one thing right not

inside one day okay try to work on one

thing each day but if over the course of

time you have like three projects right

it's quite possible to load one up and

work on it for three days and find

you're not finding answers to any of

your question mark items or able to

enumerate new possibilities so you kind

of stuck a little bit just switch to

another project and do that for a few

days you have to advertise the loading

up time it can take between an hour and

an entire day to load up something so

once you've done that you try to get at

least the rest of the day or three days

or more on it

but don't get don't get hung up about

the stuck thing just switch don't stay

stuck switch or get morning but talk

about it more

you keep stimulating the pathway don't

don't say stuck on but yeah then

eventually cake comes out of the other

you wake up and you have a great idea

you think you know the answer to your

problem or you have a good idea for a

solution unfortunately sometimes you

have an answer to that not the problem

you were working on you're working on

three projects and you're loaded up the

project C and you woke up with the

answer to project a that has to be okay

right you just just switch and take

advantage of it at least capture it

right if you wake up with an answer to

some other thing that you can't work on

that day capture the results of this

background process they're really useful

finally you do have to take your great

ideas and figure out if they're actually

great by either analyzing the more which

is certainly important but sometimes you

have to write them and type them into

your computer actually we all have to do

this so you do eventually have the code

it's fun Stu has this great sense he's

seen some of my design

sheets and document of despair or

something it's like it seemed to be all

like hey we can't do this this doesn't

work like that question marks blah blah

this other thing it was just like a

whole it's all negative but it's all

challenges to the problem-solving

process it's not like it's not

despairing it's positive it's saying I

know what my challenges are and

therefore I can work out but you spit

this thing out now you have something so

you tried it you try to try to avoid a

lot of typing I know I do because if I

think I've got an answer and the answer

is small that's one of the most telling

attributes that is probably good

and what I would hope from doing this

whole process is that you gain

confidence in it after you've seen it

work for you

so that you say you know what I have

never done this before but I really have

thought about it and and this solution I

came up with overnight feels awesome and

whoo

let's go it is important to look at what

you did and to run it and see and find

out new things about the solution and

say I you know I had the supposition

it's not correct I thought it would have

this characteristic it doesn't et cetera

et cetera I am not advocating a

waterfall model you're going to try

stuff and go back that's fine but don't

lean on this right test-driven dentistry

I don't think I could come up with a

better thing right we can't really do

that the last thing is you are going to

be wrong I'm frequently wrong that's

part of the game you're going to think

of better ideas I think that's one of

the most exciting things I think no

matter of what I've ever thought of the

fact that I know I'm going to think of

something better as much as it will suck

a little bit because I

sometimes the best means that I'm still

going it's still working so you will

think of better ideas also the facts

change you can change because of two

reasons right one you missed some of

them early on so they're due to you

because you skip them what else do we

have changing requirements right this

just you know we all know this the facts

will change when the facts change do not

dig in do it over again and see if your

answer is still valid in the context of

the new requirements and new facts and

if it isn't change your mind and don't

apologize sometimes you'll just make

mistakes errors in logic or you know

miss you know you just you just get it

wrong that's fine if I could advocate

anything

do not be afraid especially do not be

afraid of being wrong so in summary this

is a ramp

there's no sir

I have two minutes for questions yes