• ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠@midwest.social
    0·
    7 months ago

    Got to feed it early, as it takes a long time to digest.

    For example, you have a problem set for your math course in college. Do as much as you can, right away. For the ones you can’t, give it ten minutes at least before you move on to the next one. Cone back to it at least once a day.

    Maybe you wake up the next morning and it makes sense. Maybe it comes to you while you’re practicing the tuba. Maybe it all snaps together when a classmate mentions something in the study group. But you’ll never get there if your subconscious doesn’t have time to chew on it.

  • SatanicNotMessianic@lemmy.ml
    0·
    7 months ago

    There’s two tricks I have that work pretty well for me.

    The first is like the advice from Hitchhiker’s Guide about the secret to flying is to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Think about the problem long enough to get an idea about where the trouble is coming from, then go do something else, like take a shower or work on something else. Don’t watch tv - that will fuck it up - but basically it’s distracting your conscious mind to give your subconscious time to work on it without being bothered. When it comes up with something, that’s when you’ll become aware of it. Going for a nature hike or bike ride is also a great approach.

    The second is to try to prove the opposite. Try reversing the argument and say “such-and-such is impossible” and try to build an argument around that point. When I do that, it makes the other part of my brain - the annoying and iconoclastic part - say “But what if…” and the answer might lie somewhere down that path.

  • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
    0·
    7 months ago

    What does this question mean? Are you asking how you can increase your chases of “ah ha!” moments when you solve a problem or come up with a new approach? If that’s you’re question then its much like you configure ChatGPT.

    1. Feed it LOTS of information on as many topics as you can learn, even if they seem disconnected from each other.
    2. Keep it healthy by removing cruft and bad data.
    3. Give it lots of time to work on the problem.
  • kava@lemmy.world
    0·
    7 months ago

    Your subconscious is hard at work 100% of the time. It’s constantly scanning for predators, trying to match patterns, and attempting to predict the near future.

    If you want your brain in general to function better… you need to take care of your body. It’s all one interconnected system. That means you need to

    • feed your body adequately and with a varied diet so you get random nutrients and vitamins your body needs
    • sleep at least 7~9 hours a day and ideally fall asleep and wake up at the same time each day
    • maintain some level of social relationships with people you care about (for some this only has to be 1, others can be 5+)
    • stimulate your intellect with problems to solve

    That’s all you really can do. You can set it up for success by making sure it has the fuel it needs. There’s nothing you can directly do about it.

    • cheese_greater@lemmy.worldOP
      0·
      7 months ago

      I mean like, make it more my secretary that can help triage and pre-solve various input issues.

      Appreciate your response, not sure what “aha” im looking for, i sorta do all that already :)

  • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
    0·
    7 months ago

    Your subconscious is a monkey. Or maybe a lizard.

    Feed, bathe, change the litter box, and take for walkies! Do not rely on the monkey/lizard to solve problems for you.

    • cheese_greater@lemmy.worldOP
      0·
      7 months ago

      Maybe I misspoke, perhaps rather delegate-in --part modularlly. Like this specific portion of an overall problem or situation

  • WillStealYourUsername@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    0·
    7 months ago

    Take breaks (ideally in the form of walks), explain the problems you’re trying to solve to people willing to listen or to inanimate objects (rubber ducking), and engage in as many different perspectives and ways to approach problems as manageable (as opposed to as many as possible).

    Your subconscious will sometimes work on issues in the background as you take walks/take a shower/etc, and knowing different ways to organize and approach things will give your mind more ways to consider when working.

    Working continuously on problems without taking breaks can trap your mind in little loops, where all you’re doing is trying to solve things in different variations of the same thing over and over, Escape the loop, and remember that you and your subconscious are parts of the same whole.

  • dan1101@lemm.ee
    0·
    7 months ago

    Think about the problem, define it and learn what you can about it. Do something quiet and mindless like walk outdoors, just let your mind be present as to what you’re seeing, don’t try to think about the problem. This often works for me although it might take a few walks or a few days.

  • milkytoast@kbin.social
    0·
    7 months ago

    idk I find that mine does that on its own.if I’ve got a problem I’m stuck on, Ill randomly have an answer in my head a few hours later

  • leaky_shower_thought@feddit.nl
    0·
    7 months ago

    I think a good step forward is to figure out first if you’re a visual, manual or aural learner.

    • think of how detectives do it with evidence boards.
    • set up your evidence board with what your intended goal is.
    • check/ refresh your board once in a while so it doesn’t get evicted out of your head.
    • guidance and enforcement is key

    a good way to test how good your setup is is to watch no-brainer shows like reality TV and then see if you can still get your evidence board up.