Distance Is Necessary

Stay too close to something and you start to not being able to see it as clearly after a while.

What sparked this thought?

Yesterday I was struggling with writing some code, trying to figure out why it wasn’t working. So I decided to take a break and go grab a beer with a few friends and watch the Lakers/OKC. I opened it up this morning and voila! I immediately saw the problem and fixed it in less than 10 seconds.

I was looking at the code the same way and overlooking the same mistake over and over. It was that separation from what I was working on that allowed me to see it clearly and stop missing the same mistake. I guess the larger theme I’m touching on is having balance in my life which I’ve written about before (Staying Grounded).

Even something as small as you find yourself not being productive or just banging your head against a wall, sometimes it’s good to fight through it. Also sometimes it might be better to take a break or move onto something else.

I often notice that my best thoughts and ideas come to me while I’m in the shower. I think that’s because I’m not actively thinking about what I’m working on and give my brain a chance to breathe so to speak. My brain kind of wanders and then all of sudden I get a sudden attack of inspiration.

So let your mind wander sometimes and don’t be afraid to take a break, it might be just what you need.