Sleep on it

A small break from risk aversion. I was talking to a friend today about problem solving. She asked me how I solved problems. I said I have a number of different approaches, it depends on the nature of the problem and started to rattle though a few methods. She stopped me and said no, I don’t mean like that. How do you solve the problems you don’t know how to solve?

Damn good question. I thought about it for a minute and then realised I sleep on it. I have a note book by the bed and before I go to bed I ask my mind to solve the problem I am working on. I then go to sleep. I usually awake with an answer. This also works for when I loose something. If I don’t have it by the next morning I usually have the answer in a couple of days.

I then came across this report later on about an inventor who dreamed a solution. Sleeping on it can be considered to be a viable and valid method of solving problems.

I just wonder if this is better for certain types of problem than others and if it works for everyone.