Just an anecdote...Last week I was on a run and not really thinking about a software problem at all. And then the solution just appeared in my head. Like it got beamed there. Got home and made up for two weeks of procrastination in a weekend.

A lot of times I’ve found the amount of time it takes me to solve a problem is about the same whether I’m actively working on it or not. Once a problem has been percolating in my head for a while things eventually “click” and it just becomes a matter of typing out the code. This looks like procrastination from the outside, but I’m still working even if it looks like I’m taking it easy. At least my brain is, somehow. I have come to trust this process after many years.

Alternatively if I start tackling the problem immediately and really put my nose to the grindstone there’s often a lot of moments where I realize I didn’t understand the problem fully, and waste a ton of time backtracking. So it ends up taking the exact same amount of time, only difference is how many times I banged my head against the wall in frustration.

I absolutely hate running. Hate it... but I do it because it helps me solve problems. I have to think about other things to forget about the running, so my brain wanders off and does the hard work that it (what I'll call) subconsciously didn't want to do. Unfortunately this led to a stress fracture during one troubling sprint.

Try biking instead. Similar to running, it’s an individual exertion you can do outdoors in the fresh air, but smoother and lower impact on the bones and joints. No shin splints or other impact injuries. You can often find a used but quality brand bike on Craigslist for ~$100, which is sufficient for just exercise.

I actually switched to a treadmill and took a course in running and minimalist shoes (which I thought were BS before) and changed my running form. Got rid of my shin splints and knee pain. No impact issues... was a weird transition, though. Learning to run like a boxer stands was more difficult than I thought it would be. I can run for about a mile, mile and a half on the concrete, outside before I realize I'm doing damage and have to stop... getting old sucks =) I do have a bike, but somehow it doesn't do the same disassociation for me. Not sure why. I think it has to be something I hate, personally, to get me over the hump and force me out of my own body.

Or kick bikes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickbike

absolutely, I second this. These days I'm stuck with endless meetings and not getting anything done. But I made a habit of jogging in the evenings and so much of productive hours in just 45mins or soo..

I was told by my philosophy professor that Kant was a big walker/hiker. I believe einstein said he got his eureka moments in dreams while napping/sleeping. It may be myth, but Martin Luther apparently got his revelations on the toilet. I don't remember if it was benjamin franklin who credit his contributions to bathing. And I'm sure there have been a few thinkers who praised alcohol. Whatever works I guess.

> I have always thought the "subconscious mind" was a bit of a myth.

If you really think about it, aren't all insights subconscious insights? Even if you're consciously stringing it all together, there's no thought process for adding two and two. You just look at '2+2' and out pops '4', ready for your conscious mind to use.

> I have always thought the "subconscious mind" was a bit of a myth

I had an insight recently about this, because I also have a tendency to trust my conscious more than my unconscious.

What is the conscious made of?

sorry if that gets too zen/koan-y.