Thursday, September 20, 2018

Troubleshooting - Start an Email or Forum Post

I find it helpful to resolve an issue by starting to write an email or forum post (or a blog post) to ask for help or complain about it. Trying to write an explanation for what is happening so someone else might be able to help me focuses my thoughts. Very often I find it isn't necessary to finish writing.

The answer presents itself during the writing.

Next time you're puzzling over something, consider writing down what you think is wrong and the solution may arrive as you type.

Worth mentioning that a short break can also help a lot. Grab a beverage, talk to someone else, or stretch your legs; or all the above. The change gives you chance to work on the problem in the background of your attention.

2 comments:

Matt Taylor said...

I saw a discussion on (I think it was) CodeProject the other day. A guy was known for starting to tell somebody a problem and solving it while speaking; abruptly stopping telling the story, and going to work on it.
Engaging a different part of the brain, I'm sure.
Personally, I do my best thinking away from my desk.

Steve said...

Away from my desk indeed, such as my morning routine seems to be far enough, like a shower or shaving sometimes.