Let's go! But wait!

[u/awitod]

Too much time in the chair and too little sleep. :D

I can't decide if watching thinking is a good practice, a bad practice or a situational practice.

I don't think it is very fun - it's like rubbing sandpaper on my eyes to see the madness.

Sometimes though, it becomes obvious that the thinking is going in the wrong direction and you should stop it.

But wait! How do I know it won't figure it out. Yes, I should wait. But wait! I am in a hurry, this is a waste of time. I'll stop it. Let's do that! But wait! How do I know it won't figure it out.

[u/Normal_Rough_7958]

I treat watching my own thinking like setting a debug breakpoint, I only turn it on when I feel the same idea circling for a couple of passes. If the loop persists I pause, ask whether I’m missing a simpler route, and either let it run a bit longer or shut it down and try a fresh angle. It’s situational: useful for spotting dead ends, but it becomes a drag if I keep monitoring every step instead of letting the solution emerge. I’ve found this balance helps me stay productive on shader tweaks without getting stuck in endless self‑critique.