Børge wrote:
Is there a contradiction here?
Oh, all of my half-finished puzzles are very orderly!
Børge wrote:
If I start a Sudoku then I finish it before starting another one. Hardly ever an exception to this rule.
In general, I usually try to finish a puzzle before I start another, but there are often exceptions. I can usually finish a standard 9x9 in just a few minutes, but multi-grid puzzles usually take me much longer (I'm very methodical, writing down each step so that if I really mess things up, I can sometimes backtrack rather than starting over). If I'm out and about when I get stuck, that's usually when I start another puzzle. If it's so bad that I need to start over, I prefer to print a new copy rather than using up half an eraser, but sometimes it takes a while for that reprint to get to the top of my "to-do" list.
Børge wrote:
I only solve with pen and paper on the following occasions:
1) When traveling and I buy, get or find a paper or magazine with Sudokus. Then I pull out a pen.
2) When visiting my mother.
Sitting in front of a computer to work on puzzles is my idea of NO FUN. (Same goes for reading a book on the computer, for that matter.) If I really want to relax, I don't want to sit in front of a computer--I'd rather curl up on the couch or in bed. Another of my main puzzle-working times is when I'm out of the house waiting somewhere (such as during my son's choir practice) or on long car trips. I have a binder full of printed puzzles that I keep at home, so that I never run out. I usually carry with me a pocket folder with the puzzles I'm currently working on, as well as extras to give away to curious onlookers (I'm a sudoku "pusher", you see!).
Besides, using a solver program to work puzzles just defeats the purpose, in my mind. It seems to me that programs rely more on pattern recognition than they do on logic. I, on the other hand, want to practice my logic when I'm working puzzles. At most, I might peek at one block of a printed solution if I really get stuck.
Other than calculating pencil marks (which is sheer tedium to me) and difficulty scores, and printing puzzles, I really don't use the software. When I get to more advanced techniques, I might use a solver as a teaching tool, but that's about it.