Intuition

Note to the reader: This is a repost from LinkedIn

As software engineers, we pride ourselves on being data-driven and making totally rational decisions. But there’s an underrated tool in our toolkit: intuition.

Apologies if I offend your sensibility here, but there is so much to us and the world, and there is a mysterious power to our subconscious mind. Our unconscious mind constantly processes information at a scale our conscious mind cannot match. It detects subtle patterns, synthesizes seemingly unrelated data points, and makes rapid assessments based on years of accumulated experience.

That’s why I’ve learned to trust my gut on softer decisions:

• When something feels “off” about a product direction
• When a teammate’s stated concerns doesn’t align with intuitive concerns
• When a team restructuring looks good on paper but doesn’t feel right

Our unconscious mind processes social cues, nonverbal signals, and complex patterns that analytics often miss. These “gut feelings” aren’t random - they’re our brain’s sophisticated pattern-recognition system at work.

However, intuition of course has its limits. I would be cautious when relying on it in an unfamiliar domain (your unconscious needs data to work with), strong emotions are clouding judgment (fear, excitement, attachment), or using it in situations which require precise quantitative analysis.

The best decisions often come from balancing analytical thinking with intuitive wisdom. My approach: listen to my gut, but verify with data when possible. Also work with teammates who aren’t afraid to tell you your decision is dumb. :-)