Two heads are better than one

This is an old idiom that likely everyone knows. What it doesn't explicitly state is why. It's not just that two people are thinking about how to solve a problem; they also communicate, exchange ideas, find flaws in each other's reasoning, and build upon each other's work.

This month, I've been working side-by-side with someone else. I wasn't just dividing the work to parallelize tasks, but we were actively working on the same problem simultaneously. This collaborative approach led to an immediate feedback loop of ideas. We were able to accomplish more in two weeks than we would have in a month.

It was also important to have time for ourselves. We worked on different schedules, which provided a much-needed break.

I believe this approach is superior to requesting help when we're stuck, although that still has its place. In this model, both people have the same information about the problem (there's no need to bring the other up to speed), and they have the same level of interest in solving it.

It might be daunting at first, especially for introverts. Maintaining good communication, active listening, and providing feedback can be challenging, so it's not something to do immediately.

I'll try to continue working this way from now on. It has made things more interesting.

By the way, in defense of remote work (or work from home), I think being in remote locations has made this easier. It's simpler to share screens than having someone else in your physical space trying to squint at your screen or having to tell them, "Go away, I need to stretch."