> “Mike said, ‘Justin, you’re going to get me thinking about this problem again and I don’t want to do that,’” said Gilmer.
This is a very relatable feeling. I often find myself getting trapped into thinking about problems I am unlikely to solve.
This is a very relatable feeling. I often find myself getting trapped into thinking about problems I am unlikely to solve.
There's a portion of my brain that's immediately hijacked and starts thinking about the problem whether I'm actively working on it or not.
Happens to me for work problems outside of work, too. I'll just be chilling in the shower or something and suddenly I'm thinking about a work problem.
Maybe one day I'll retire from programming and do something less theoretical e.g. driving a semi.
I have this problem as well. The most disturbing thing is retracing old paths to dead ends without realizing it. Here I mean internal mental models, but also applies to previously known results I just wasn't familiar with, and don't turn up unless specific phrases are known.