How to defeat the brute-force tasks?

Question

Programming

Hello.
The question, rather, is not about programming, but about general thinking.
I often encounter tasks when my head starts to swell from the "abundance" of possible outcomes.
And when discussing with colleagues, I often noticed the same sadness.
They still remember that we are considering the third case of the behavior of the program, but not anymore :(
Any ideas how to pump the brain so that it is not afraid of the abundance of options?
PS: I am aware of the existence of a piece of paper with a pen, but my colleagues are somehow without cost them.

Answer 1

They still remember that we are considering the third case

Keyword remember - it seems that you are worried about (allegedly you have) insufficient short-term memory.
In connection with memory, several points can be noted:
- The idea itself "something I'm not smart enough / something I have a bad memory" can be a kind of neurosis. He has certain psychological reasons, but how to “defeat” him is understandable - to relax and think detachedly about your life
- Memory is reliably associated with intelligence, but the fact that it is general memory that can be significantly increased by some training is now considered a controversial idea.
- However, I can share my own experience of "pumping" short-term memory - I tried what seemed reasonable to me: learn poetry, learn foreign languages, chess, solve mathematical problems "in the mind" + sports and good sleep. Subjective feeling of the result - I "got enough" in my mind the options, some kind of picture or a decision tree of a rather large volume. I can’t confidently say that I have become “smarter” or my memory has improved. However, now I am sure that a piece of paper and a pen are the best assistants in reasoning.