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The Death of Daydreaming

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707 points isolli | 5 comments | 05 May 25 12:22 UTC | HN request time: 0.009s | source
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bhouston ◴[05 May 25 15:27 UTC] No.43896107[source]▶
I find that daydreaming is absolutely critical for coming up with good strategies. Otherwise I can default to just do the next obvious thing, which isn't always the most strategic if you can take in the full picture, or at least consider alternatives well.

The two ways I get to strategic reflection are really:

- Doing lego. I find thhat doing lego is actually really good at helping me consolidate thoughts and ideas. It takes up just enough mental energy to not get bored, but it lets me think about things with an unstressed mind.

- Walks. The other way to generate new perspectives is to take a walk at lunch though non-interesting territory. I really do not find walks in a busy downtown to be relaxing, too much activity intruding on me to actually be low stress, but if it is in a forest or even just a long parkway that works for me.

The absolute worst way to come up with new ideas is in front of my computer trying to work. Good for doing the next obvious thing, but really hard to think outside of the box.

You really do need a mix of the two, otherwise you are either doing the obvious or never actually doing anything.

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1. Cerpicio ◴[05 May 25 16:26 UTC] No.43896773[source]▶
Just curious, when you say you do LEGOs, you mean buy a set and follow the instructions (which is fine and what I assume people mean when they talk about LEGOs)? Or do you mean sit with a pile of LEGOs and come up with your own ships/cars/toys? When I was a kid (70's/80's) we would just get boxes of bricks and make our own things, but it seems like pre-built sets are the most popular thing now. And yes we have plenty of pre-build sets in our house, but I feel like kids are missing out on the free-style aspect.
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2. bhouston ◴[05 May 25 16:28 UTC] No.43896812[source]▶
If I want to daydream/meditate/relax I have to be following instructions. Building my own creations (e.g. last year I participated in a Lego robotics competition for adults) requires my whole brain unfortunately.

I do highly recommend getting the kids involved in the various Lego competitions, it forces problem solving and creativity.

3. scotty79 ◴[05 May 25 16:36 UTC] No.43896912[source]▶
I guess you need to follow the instructions. I do LEGO treating it like a 3d puzzle and not looking at instruction but only the photos on the box. And I don't get any daydreaming from that. I'm to immersed in the puzzle. Going by the instructions is kind of painfully boring though. But I guess that's what you need to make you start daydreaming.

I can second that long walks work great for daydreaming but they too feel painfully boring before the daydreaming kicks in.

4. chiefgeek ◴[05 May 25 17:07 UTC] No.43897196[source]▶
Totally agree! I started with the GIANT Legos in the mid 70's then we got the smaller ones. I used to spend hours with about eight different shapes trying to make something interesting. Sort of like the modern Froebel blocks.
5. mcphage ◴[05 May 25 17:32 UTC] No.43897416[source]▶
> but I feel like kids are missing out on the free-style aspect.

Lego still sells products which are just big boxes of parts, as well as things between (the 3-in-1 sets that have several different models). I’m not sure why kids are missing out on this—some kids do enjoy it, and some kids don’t. But Lego caters actively to both.