When hacking on a problem it’s easy to get carried away with the how. How are you going to divide up the implementation. How are you going to ensure it’s testable. Usually these hows are quite narrow.

I used to head to and from work on the bus, however i’ve recently switched to cycling in. It’s quite nice to be able to take a break from the how and do nothing. Taking some time out often means you return to the fray with new ideas.

Cycling is often a good way to wind down. At the end of a day’s development I often leave the office with my head full of what I’m working on. How i’m going to solve the next problem. Where I’m going to go next with the implementation. What I’m going to try next when debugging.

Then I start to cycle home. Now I’ve got other things to worry about: traffic lights, other road users, the route I’m taking. In some ways I’m not really achieving much. I’m doing nothing. However after these breaks is when I find I come up with some great ideas. When I’ve had the opportunity to let my mind wander a bit. Here’s to doing nothing.