How to Get Better at Decision Making and Problem Solving?
What's Hammock Driven Development, by Rich Hickey?
Many years ago, Rich Hickey (creator of the Clojure programming language) gave a talk that quietly changed how I approach problem-solving. It's called Hammock-Driven Development, and the core idea is simple:
Good ideas don’t always arrive when you’re sitting at your desk.
In fact, most of your deepest insights come when you step away. On a walk. In the shower. Staring at the ceiling. Or, as Hickey suggests, lying in a hammock.
Think. Sleep. Then Build.
We’re taught to optimize, plan, break big tasks into smaller ones, and grind our way to the finish line.
But Hickey flips that on its head.
He suggests a process that feels… slower. But smarter.
Soak your brain in the problem
Read everything. Think. Doodle. Build a mental model. Not to solve it yet—just to load it into your head.Let it rest
Stop thinking about it. Let your subconscious go to work. Sleep on it. Step away.Return with clarity
After a while, revisit the problem. Patterns appear. Dead ends vanish. The right ideas show up, fully formed.
This isn’t lazy. It’s how some of the best ideas get made.
Deep Thinking Takes Time
Best ideas rarely happen in a meeting. Or with Slack open. Or when your mind is juggling 19 tabs.
It happens in the hammock.
Apply It Anywhere
You don’t have to be a developer to try this. Hammock-Driven Development is really just another way of saying:
Don’t force insight. Make space for it.
The solution is probably already there.
It’s just waiting for you to stop trying so hard.
Sources:
Rich Hickey's talk: Hammock Driven Development
"How to Solve It" (1945), by George Pólya
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
"Deep Work" by Cal Newport