I believe that Richard Feynman can teach ServiceNow developers (and any software developers) a great deal - about physics, sure; but also about our own discipline.

[ ](https://handbook.snc.guru)

I'm something of a physics nut myself (insert Spider-Man meme here), which has led me to something of an obsession with Richard Feynman. His work, of course (I've even got a Feynman diagram tattooed on the back of my neck), but also his life and upbringing. I'm interested in how someone like Richard Feynman was raised, and what lessons can be taken about how to raise children to become people with his best qualities. Qualities like intellectual curiosity and earnest, unabashed, confident-yet-humble exploration.

I once talked about the importance of confident-yet-humble exploration of new topics on a podcast with [Robert Fedoruk](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rfedoruk/) and [Cory Wesley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjwesley/). You can jump straight to the relevant time-code in that episode if you're interested in hearing it, [here](https://perspectives.snc.guru/). ([https://perspectives.snc.guru](https://perspectives.snc.guru/)). This is a topic about which I am deeply passionate. I strongly believe that if we had more people with the sort of confident and humble intellectual curiosity of Richard Feynman, the world would be a much better and better-off place.

So, to that end, here are a couple of lessons I've taken about software development, from the late great physicist, Richard Feynman.

---

## 1\. Don't Worry so Much About the Names of Things

Richard Feynman's father, Melville Feynman, used to take him on nature walks. During [one such walk in the woods](https://youtu.be/F9ovAN-t4S0?t=107), a young Richard asked his father the name of a bird they saw. Melville responded not just with the bird's name in English but also in several other languages. However, he then pointed out that knowing the names of the bird in various different languages didn't actually teach Richard anything about the bird itself - the bird's habits, its role in the ecosystem, or its behaviors. Melville emphasized that the name is just a convention, a way for people to communicate about the bird, but it doesn't convey the essence or the true nature of the bird.

Relating this story to writing code - **I'm not talking about variable names here**; those can be really important for code clarity and communication, and are part of your overall “code documentation”. Instead, I'm talking about arcane terms like "_monad_", "_higher-order function_", "_contravariance_", and "_Idempotence_".
If you use these terms without explaining them when talking to someone who you aren't certain is on the same page as you, then you aren't helping. - You aren’t teaching. - You're _flexing_.

_Knowing the name of a thing_ is not the same as understanding it.
_Using_ _the name of a thing_ is not the same as explaining it.

Or, [as Feynman’s father put it](https://youtu.be/F9ovAN-t4S0?t=260):
"Knowing _the name of something_, is not the same as _knowing something_."

---

## 2\. Focus on Simplification Before Solution

Feynman was a master at simplifying complex concepts to their essence. I (vaguely, possibly apocryphally) recall hearing a story about Feynman working with another scientist on the same problem in an adjacent office. Feynman would sit in his office and play the bongos all day, apparently not working on the problem at all. The other scientist became very annoyed but was too polite to say anything.

After a good several days of the other scientist being deep in turgid thought, surrounded by pages of crumpled notes scattered around a nearby wastebin (at least, as I imagine it), and Feynman just fiddling on the bongos, Feynman announced that he had solved the problem!
The other scientist thought he must be out of his mind, but no - Feynman had spent almost that entire time not _trying to solve the problem_, but instead trying to _come up with a way to_ **_make the problem simpler_**.

Once the problem could finally be _simplified_, the solution was almost obvious!

In programming, the ability to distill a problem to its simplest form before attempting to solve it is invaluable. This must often happen even before metaphorical pen is ever put to metaphorical paper; including in the **requirements-gathering**, **design**, and **technical architecture** stages.

This doesn't just apply to writing code; it also means simplifying your understanding of the problem itself.
Often, by focusing on simplification, you may find more elegant and efficient solutions, or even discover that the problem you're trying to solve is not the real problem. Developers (and especially architects!) can learn from Richard Feynman, to spend time upfront, understanding and simplifying their challenges, leading to more effective, efficient, and cleaner solutions.

**Edit 6/6/25**: As [Rob “The Duke” Fedoruk](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rfedoruk/) said in a recent [episode](https://pca.st/0phc078e) of the [CJ and The Duke](https://www.cjandtheduke.com/) podcast: “**Only Simple Solutions Scale**”.

---

## 3\. Break Problems Down into Manageable Components

Feynman's problem-solving approach involved breaking down complex problems into smaller, manageable parts that could be more easily understood and solved. This technique is directly applicable to software development, where complex features or bugs can seem overwhelming at first glance.

By decomposing a problem into its fundamental components, developers can tackle each piece individually, making the overall problem more tractable. This method also aids in identifying reusable code components and simplifies debugging.

---

## 4\. Find Joy in the Process

Feynman's enthusiasm for physics was driven by a love for the process of discovery, not just the outcomes. Similarly, the best software developers often are those who find joy in the process of coding itself—the act of creating, solving problems, and continuous learning.

This mindset helps to maintain motivation and resilience in the face of challenging or mundane tasks and fosters a culture of innovation and curiosity.

---

## 5\. Teach to Learn

Feynman believed in the power of teaching as a tool for learning. He often said that explaining concepts to others in simple terms was the best way to solidify your own understanding. This principle can be applied to programming through giving talks at conferences, holding open office-hours calls, doing code reviews, pair programming, and writing documentation.

By teaching others about your code or explaining your approach to solving a problem, you not only help spread knowledge but also deepen your own understanding and uncover potential improvements or errors in your work.

---

## Conclusion

By incorporating these lessons from Richard Feynman into their practice, software developers (including ServiceNow developers) can enhance their problem-solving skills, improve their work's clarity and effectiveness, and foster a lifelong passion for learning and innovation in the field of software development.

---

## Subscribe

Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates.

First Name Last Name

Email Address Sign Up

We respect your privacy.

Thank you!

---

* [ 2026](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2026)
* Jan 8, 2026 [Flow Designer vs. Scripting - REST Message Performance](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jan 8, 2026
* [ 2025](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2025)
* Sep 29, 2025 [Find Filthy Inefficient Single-Record Queries FAST](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Sep 29, 2025
* Sep 14, 2025 [Communicating Changes to Your Users (& Setting Default User Preferences in ServiceNow)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Sep 14, 2025
* Mar 24, 2025 [Calculate Distance Between Two Locations in ServiceNow (without an API call!)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 24, 2025
* Mar 11, 2025 [5 Ways to Check your ServiceNow Instance for DANGEROUS CODE in Less Than 5 minutes](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 11, 2025
* [ 2024](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2024)
* Mar 28, 2024 [How to Identify Duplicate Records by Multiple Fields in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 28, 2024
* Mar 7, 2024 [How to Merge Personal & Company ServiceNow Accounts](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 7, 2024
* Feb 12, 2024 [5 Lessons About Programming From Richard Feynman](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Feb 12, 2024
* [ 2023](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2023)
* Jul 5, 2023 [Managing Instance-Specific System Properties for Dev/Test/Prod in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jul 5, 2023
* Apr 28, 2023 [Your ACLs and Business Rules are Broken (Here's How to Fix Them)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 28, 2023
* [ 2022](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2022)
* Dec 13, 2022 [ServiceNow Developers: BE THE GUIDE!](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Dec 13, 2022
* Oct 19, 2022 [A Faster, More Efficient Client-side GlideRecord (Free tool!)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Oct 19, 2022
* Oct 9, 2022 [Animated Loading Message & Collapsible Details on ServiceNow Form or Field (Client-side)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Oct 9, 2022
* Aug 23, 2022 [Using .addJoinQuery() & How to Query Records with Attachments in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Aug 23, 2022
* Aug 18, 2022 [Free, Simple URL Shortener for ServiceNow Nerds (snc.guru)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Aug 18, 2022
* Aug 16, 2022 [How to Get and Parse ServiceNow Journal Entries as Strings/HTML](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Aug 16, 2022
* Aug 14, 2022 [New tool: Get Latest Version of ServiceNow Docs Page](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Aug 14, 2022
* Mar 4, 2022 [How to Set or Change ServiceNow Application's Repository URL, Credentials, or SSH Key](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 4, 2022
* Feb 7, 2022 [How to return a CSV file from a Scripted REST API (SRAPI) in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Feb 7, 2022
* [ 2021](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2021)
* May 3, 2021 [Adding a Guided Setup to Your ServiceNow Application](https://snprotips.com/blog/) May 3, 2021
* Apr 27, 2021 [Use Automated Tests to Validate "Guided Setup" Completion & Functionality.](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 27, 2021
* Feb 11, 2021 ["Processors", SRAPIs, and How to Run a Script and Redirect a User From a URL in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Feb 11, 2021
* [ 2020](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2020)
* Nov 17, 2020 [SN Guys is now part of Jahnel Group!](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Nov 17, 2020
* Sep 14, 2020 [Better ServiceNow Notifications (& Another FREE Tool!)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Sep 14, 2020
* Jul 31, 2020 [Debugging Client & Catalog Client Scripts in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jul 31, 2020
* Jan 20, 2020 [Getting Help from the ServiceNow Community](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jan 20, 2020
* [ 2019](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2019)
* Dec 18, 2019 [Can ServiceNow Script Includes Use the "current" Variable?](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Dec 18, 2019
* Nov 18, 2019 [Handling 'text/plain' and Other Unsupported Content Types in ServiceNow Scripted REST APIs](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Nov 18, 2019
* Apr 21, 2019 [Understanding Attachments in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 21, 2019
* Apr 10, 2019 [Using Custom Search Engines in Chrome to Quickly Navigate ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 10, 2019
* Apr 4, 2019 [Set Catalog Variables from URL Params (Free tool)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 4, 2019
* Apr 1, 2019 [Outlook for Android Breaks Email Approvals (+Solution)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 1, 2019
* Mar 11, 2019 [GlideFilter is Broken - Free Tool: “BetterGlideFilter”](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 11, 2019
* Feb 27, 2019 [Making Update Sets Smarter - Free Tool](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Feb 27, 2019
* [ 2018](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2018)
* Nov 29, 2018 [How to Learn ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Nov 29, 2018
* Nov 6, 2018 [ServiceNow & ITSM as a Career?](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Nov 6, 2018
* Oct 19, 2018 [Asynchronous onSubmit Catalog/Client Scripts in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Oct 19, 2018
* Oct 11, 2018 [How to do Massive, Slow Database Operations Efficiently With Event-Driven Recursion](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Oct 11, 2018
* Sep 18, 2018 [Broken Queries & Query Business Rules in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Sep 18, 2018
* Sep 7, 2018 [JournalRedactor - Easily Redact or Delete Journal Entries in ServiceNow!](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Sep 7, 2018
* Jul 23, 2018 [Admin Duty Separation with a Single Account](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jul 23, 2018
* Jun 19, 2018 [Improving Performance on Older Instances with Table Rotation](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jun 19, 2018
* Jun 4, 2018 [New Free Tool: Login Link Generator](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jun 4, 2018
* May 29, 2018 [Learning ServiceNow: Second Edition!](https://snprotips.com/blog/) May 29, 2018
* Apr 17, 2018 [Upgrading From Express to Enterprise: What's Missing](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 17, 2018
* Apr 12, 2018 [If a Genie Gave Me Three Wishes, I'd Use Them All to "Fix" Scope](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 12, 2018
* Mar 19, 2018 [Service Catalog "Try in Portal" button](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 19, 2018
* Mar 15, 2018 [Video: Custom Output Transition Conditions From a Single Workflow (Script) Activity](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 15, 2018
* Feb 11, 2018 [We have a new book! ](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Feb 11, 2018
* [ 2017](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2017)
* Nov 6, 2017 [Requiring Attachments (& Other Miracles) in Service Portal](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Nov 6, 2017
* Sep 12, 2017 [Handling TimeZones in ServiceNow (TimeZoneUtil)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Sep 12, 2017
* Jul 27, 2017 [How to Enable DOM Manipulation in ServiceNow Service Portal Catalog Client Scripts](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jul 27, 2017
* Jun 25, 2017 [What's New in ServiceNow: Jakarta (Pt. 1)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jun 25, 2017
* Jun 4, 2017 [Powerful Scripted Text Search in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jun 4, 2017
* May 9, 2017 [Work at Lightspeed: ServiceNow's Plan for World Domination](https://snprotips.com/blog/) May 9, 2017
* Apr 9, 2017 [Avoiding Pass-By-Reference Using getValue() & setValue()](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 9, 2017
* Apr 4, 2017 ["Learning ServiceNow" is Now Available for Purchase!](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 4, 2017
* Mar 12, 2017 [reCAPTCHA in ServiceNow CMS/Service Portal](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 12, 2017
* [ 2016](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2016)
* Dec 20, 2016 [Pro Tip: Use updateMultiple() for Maximum Efficiency! ](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Dec 20, 2016
* Dec 2, 2016 [We're Writing a Book! ](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Dec 2, 2016
* Nov 10, 2016 [Chrome Extension: Load in ServiceNow Frame](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Nov 10, 2016
* Sep 7, 2016 [Force-Include Any Record Into an Update Set](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Sep 7, 2016
* Sep 1, 2016 [GlideRecord Pagination - Page through your GlideRecord query](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Sep 1, 2016
* Jul 17, 2016 [Granting Temporary Roles/Groups in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jul 17, 2016
* Jul 15, 2016 [Scripted REST APIs & Retrieving RITM Variables via SRAPI](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jul 15, 2016
* May 17, 2016 [What's New in Helsinki?](https://snprotips.com/blog/) May 17, 2016
* Apr 27, 2016 [Customizing UI16 Through CSS and System Properties](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 27, 2016
* Apr 5, 2016 [ServiceNow Versions: Express Vs. Enterprise](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Apr 5, 2016
* Mar 28, 2016 [Update Set Collision Avoidance Tool: V2](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 28, 2016
* Mar 18, 2016 [ServiceNow: What's New in Geneva & UI16 (Pt. 2)](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Mar 18, 2016
* Feb 22, 2016 [Reference Field Auto-Complete Attributes](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Feb 22, 2016
* Feb 6, 2016 [GlideRecord & GlideAjax: Client-Side Vs. Server-Side](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Feb 6, 2016
* Feb 1, 2016 [Make Your Log Entries Easier to Find](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Feb 1, 2016
* Jan 29, 2016 [A Better, One-Click Approval](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jan 29, 2016
* Jan 25, 2016 [Quickly Move Changes Between Update Sets](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jan 25, 2016
* Jan 20, 2016 [Customize the Reference Icon Pop-up](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jan 20, 2016
* Jan 7, 2016 [ServiceNow: Geneva & UI16 - What's new](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jan 7, 2016
* Jan 4, 2016 [Detect/Prevent Update Set Conflicts Before They Happen](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Jan 4, 2016
* [ 2015](https://snprotips.com/blog?year=2015)
* Dec 28, 2015 [SN101: Boolean logic and ServiceNow's Condition Builder](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Dec 28, 2015
* Dec 17, 2015 [Locate any record in any table, by sys\_id in ServiceNow](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Dec 17, 2015
* Dec 16, 2015 [Detecting Duplicate Records with GlideAggregate](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Dec 16, 2015
* Dec 11, 2015 [Array.indexOf() not working in ServiceNow - Solution! ](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Dec 11, 2015
* Dec 2, 2015 [Understanding Dynamic Filters & Checking a Record Against a Filter Using GlideFilter](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Dec 2, 2015
* Oct 20, 2015 [Bookmarklet: Load the current page in the ServiceNow frame](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Oct 20, 2015
* Aug 27, 2015 [Easily Clone One User's Access to Another User](https://snprotips.com/blog/) Aug 27, 2015