

Ask HN: Is 'processing' a form of procrastination? - l33tbro

I&#x27;m struggilng with this on a project I&#x27;m working on.  I&#x27;ve got quite a lot of abstract concepts in which I need to find creative ways to glue together.  Sure, I could sit and stare it in the face until I find a solution.  But I often find I&#x27;m struck by flashes of (for want of a better term) &#x27;inspiration&#x27; when walking or doing something idle.  Things just click, then doing the man hours is a joy.  Total flow-state awesomeness.  But it&#x27;s not always efficient when there&#x27;s a deadline.<p>Anyway, I just wanted to find out others&#x27; epxeriences of with the &#x27;processing - v - procrastination&#x27; schism?  Do your  breakthroughs come from shear will and putting the hours in?  Or do you leave it to the side and chew it over, trusting that it will just come to you?<p>I tend to be the former, but I&#x27;m not sure if it&#x27;s a pithy escuse for me wanting to do the initial long hours to get to the breakthrough.  Also, as mentioned, it&#x27;s not great for when you&#x27;re working to a timeline.
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jtfairbank
I find there are two modes:

1\. Learning- This is where the processing comes in. Lots of thinking about
the big picture, figuring out some new tech or doing something new. It usually
takes a first implementation which sucks, then a refactoring or rewriting once
you learn from your mistakes.

Learning takes time, so def start early when there are deadlines.

2\. Doing- After I've learned how to do something, and actually done it a few
times, it becomes routine. It is less fun, but I can get into a longer flow.
This is great for deadlines, because I don't have to think too much at 4:00am
spazzing out on caffeine, since I've done it all before.

To be the most productive, I find I have to do both. I always try to learn
something new, but when I'm 'processing' it I go on to doing something I've
done 10 other times before.

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smt88
You define "processing" as _not_ thinking of your problem, but not actively
thinking of something else. A lot of modern people would also call that
boredom.

There's growing evidence that creativity is mostly a background process that
occurs while we're bored. Because creativity often presents itself to our
conscious mind as an epiphany, we think it's an instantaneous event, but it's
not.

[https://www.google.com/search?q=creativity+boredom](https://www.google.com/search?q=creativity+boredom)

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l33tbro
Thanks for this insight. I'd not heard of this linking.

