A former coworker of mine over 8 years ago put this image into my head that has never left. He was working as my manager at the time and he had an upcoming large, foundational shifting feature that he wanted to let me know was coming. He said “Don’t do anything right now, but just put this in your noodler and see what comes out.”
He went on to explain that a former boss of his introduced the idea of the noodler to him. Now, I’m not your boss (I can confidently say that because I’m no ones boss as of this writing ;) ), but I’d still like to share this image with you that’s helped me so much and I’ve never been able to shake.
If you haven’t guessed by now, the noodler is the back part of your brain. Back near the subconscious, it’s like a rock tumbler. It’s always spinning and tumbling ideas without conscious effort. You just throw raw stuff into it and in a few days or so, see what pops out. Sometimes it’s just a smoother rock and sometimes it’s a true gem.
I like this metaphor for a few reasons. First, it’s a pretty vivid, concrete concept. I always imagine that red, kid’s science kit version of a rock tumbler that I always wanted. Now I have one and it’s turning half-baked, super hazy concepts into novel, actionable ideas.
Second, it’s an escape hatch. Do this one easy thing, make progress, done for the day. Take something off your plate. You can rest easier knowing that something, somewhere is happening, but you don’t need to spend active energy on it, right now. Wash the dishes and think about the birds outside. Mow the lawn and listen to that podcast. It’s OK. Some other part of you has got this.
Lastly, it works. Not all the time. But more often than not, something comes to me and I can make a small step, or a bigger leap. And if it doesn’t, typically, I’m no worse off.
Happy noodling!!
– Chris
