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Are there certain activities that provide inspiration at unexpected times?

One that I've noticed is when I'm mowing the lawn or shoveling snow - living in Minnesota it seems I'm always doing one or the other. The physical activity gives my brain a chance to wander and ponder either the most pressing problem on my mind or some random thought of the day.

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Yes, what you are describing is perfectly normal. It's because the logical part of the brain is getting so bored it goes to sleep and your creative part gets into full swing. There is a really cool book about this: pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/pragmatic-thinking-and-learning – Martin Wickman Nov 1 '10 at 13:50
For anyone interested, there is a discussion on the closing of this question happening on Meta: meta.programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/510/… – Peter Boughton Nov 6 '10 at 19:40
This question need to be edited by OP to be reopened. I have serious doubt if this question can be saved but it's possible. I will unlock if the OP wants make a better question. – bigown Nov 6 '10 at 23:17

closed as not constructive by Peter Boughton, bigown Nov 2 '10 at 22:37

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14 Answers

up vote 24 down vote

The best programming-related ideas that ever came to my mind where when I was trying to explain my idea to someone else.

Always when you try to tell the story behind your software/idea, you have to structure it in a way that could be told and understood by someone else and that helps a lot!

When I'm telling that story to someone I find myself beginning with what I already have in my mind, and ending with a completely new and awesome idea without letting my audience know that this idea just came to my mind.

To summarize that: find yourself someone who would like to listen to your draft ideas.

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I find this works really well for debugging, both for myself by telling and helping others by listening. – Mark Ransom Nov 1 '10 at 12:48
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I often realize the answer to my SO questions while typing them out, just the process of point-by-point explaining the problem often makes it clear what the hang-up was in the first place. – CodexArcanum Nov 1 '10 at 14:52
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This is sometimes referred to as rubber ducking: c2.com/cgi/wiki?RubberDucking – Josh Kelley Nov 1 '10 at 19:15
up vote 18 down vote

I've always said I do my best programming in the shower.

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Alas, the computer tends to short out. Electrocution is always a risk as well. – Robert Harvey Oct 31 '10 at 6:41
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I'm happy this is getting votes. The shower is the best place for any kind of thinking! – Bryan M. Oct 31 '10 at 21:44
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+1 Lately (lasy year) I have lots of good ideas in the shower, not sure why, used to be when driving or just about to get into bed. – G3D Nov 1 '10 at 9:32
+1, Though it's not so much about specifically thinking in the shower, it's about what you treat as the top idea in your mind. paulgraham.com/top.html – Inaimathi Nov 7 '10 at 1:35
up vote 9 down vote

When doing something requiring less attention of brain. Like walking in a known road, shower, sitting idle, even in the toilet.
In contrast, ideas do not come while in front of PC or television. While talking with someone, reading a book, driving etc. Because these activities requires attention.

But the attention requiring works help you to gather information. And this information helps a lot to make up an idea.

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Some have mentioned they got ideas while driving. While I said that driving requires attention and ideas will not come at that time. Now I guess, when you will be driving in the highways it will require less attention. But in busy roads(which is very common in our country), it REQUIRES attention. – Gulshan Oct 31 '10 at 9:59
+1 I put a similar answer, did not see yours. There is a concept called mindfullness that helps. – user2567 Oct 31 '10 at 10:34
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Google even started a blog called Testing On The Toilet :D – jcolebrand Nov 1 '10 at 21:36
up vote 5 down vote

Often in the morning, when waking up, my brain is full of ideas. Keeping a notebook on the bedside table is a must. Just scribble down the ideas quickly before they vanish.

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+1 This happens to me too. – Kaz Dragon Nov 1 '10 at 10:13
+1 same here... – Coder Hawk Nov 1 '10 at 10:57
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sometimes I can type them faster than I can jot them, so I email myself from within gmail. Same difference, different mechanism. Depends on if the window is open. If I'm driving I call myself and leave a voicemail. – jcolebrand Nov 1 '10 at 21:37
Happens to me too – Praveen S Jun 26 '11 at 18:56
up vote 3 down vote

Just after I finish implementing an idea. I've found that implementation of ideas leads to many more ideas.

When exactly? Usually when I am away from the computer, and doing something totally unrelated.

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up vote 3 down vote

Sometimes a few weeks after release: I look at my code and wonder "what was I thinking?"

And when I leave the keyboard: lunch, call of nature, coffee break etc

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+1 for ideas after the fact. So infuriating! – Alan Nov 1 '10 at 10:35
In an interview I was given a programming test, one part of which was to sort a singly linked list. I didn't take the job. About 4 years later I realized that the perfect algorithm for sorting a linked list is merge sort, which never occurred to me at the time. I'll never know why it took so long for me to figure it out. – Mark Ransom Nov 3 '10 at 3:40
up vote 3 down vote

Often when I can't sleep at night. Usually because I have a problem on my mind.

Some quite elegant and esoteric (and effective) solutions have occurred to me in the middle of the night.

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I too often come up with solutions when I'm about to go to sleep. Which is annoying in a way, 'cause then I have to battle over whether to get that much-needed sleep, or get up and write that code in case I forget it the next morning. – gablin Oct 31 '10 at 14:35
up vote 2 down vote

Driving, definitely the best ideas are coming while driving.

In theory running for me would be even better, but I don't have so much time to do it anymore.

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+1 all my best ideas come to me on my commute home. – Walter Oct 31 '10 at 12:36
up vote 2 down vote

Usually on my way home, about 5 minutes after leaving the office.

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up vote 2 down vote

I came up with the solution to a totally intractable database problem in a dream the other night.

I dream about programming pretty frequently. When I was intensively learning the iPhone SDK, I remember one dream featured a girl wearing a bathing suit made out of a UITableView. It was scrollable and everything.

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up vote 1 down vote

When I'm doing something that doesn't require me to think.

I got my best ideas when taking baths, on my riding mowner or driving my car.

Why? Maybe is as something to do with mindfullness, a state you can obtain by focusing yourself of the present.

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up vote 1 down vote

Either when I'm in the shower or when I'm staring at the night sky (yes I do most of my programming at night).

To me it's basically when you're doing any mundane and repetitive tasks that does not require much mental activity. That way your mind is free to wander to whatever it has been struggling on, which hopefully is your code. :) The key is that when you're showering (or doing other mundane tasks) you're not trying too hard and have no expectations, that's when the ideas start flowing in.

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up vote 0 down vote

I dream a few of my ideas, sad to dream about programming but yes I admit I have. Happens sometimes after spending a few hours solving a problem and I'm not happy with the result. I tend to wake the next day and remember dreaming about coding a better solution.

My Mrs says I have even woke her at night to tell her a solution and then gone back to sleep.

Maybe I am just nuts.

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You may want to watch the movie "Inception"... – user1249 Nov 5 '10 at 20:46
up vote 0 down vote

To take a note from a couple of old notables. Both Edison and Tessla used a nap to solve problems. I find that when I look at a problem in depth and then go on to another task, leaving that problem in the back of my mind, that the problem solves itself. For particularly thorny problems, I sleep on them.

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