Rubber Ducking

Have you heard of the phrase rubber ducking?

Rubber ducking is a process that comes from software engineering, it’s a method of debugging code. It comes from the book The Pragmatic Programmer, a programmer would carry a rubber duck around and debug their code, by explaining it line by line to the duck. 

How is this relevant to you?

As the world has changed around us, many consciously minded humans (I assume you are one which is why you’re here) are facing problems that seem impossible to solve. Yet we absolutely can, and bit by bit I think we are. I’m surrounded by people who are making a difference in the world's social rights. 

So having different ways to problem solve is incredibly beneficial. Hence I want to share rubber ducking with you. 

It’s a method I have been utilising - without realising it - when I have some issues at work. When my partner comes home from work, we walk the dog together. It’s in these thirty minutes that I rubber duck my work issues. 

Having new ways to solve problems is so beneficial. Whether you use a person, a pet, or even a rubber duck, it can be so useful to unpick your thinking in a gentle and simple way. 

The element of having to explain something from scratch almost puts you in the position of a teacher, and sometimes the best way to learn is to teach. You smooth out your understanding, and maybe even gain new insights. 

So next time you’re up against a kink in the steel, try rubber ducking your way through it, it might just be the answer.