If you're thinking slower than you want about work, then maybe it's because the work isn't worth thinking about. If you're forgetting things at work, then maybe it's because they weren't worth remembering. Absent a serious health condition, a mind won't just fade away when it knows it's needed and is serving an important purpose. Try introducing a little bit of disruption into your life to make things interesting again. The struggle is what keeps us going.
Ask HN: How to deal with memory/cognition slowing down as an engineering leader?
21–30 of 52 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to deal with memory/cognition slowing down as an engineering leader?
#22I find B group vitamins to be very helpful for cognition.
Re: Ask HN: How to deal with memory/cognition slowing down as an engineering leader?
#23Well, you need to get more sleep, then. You've answered your own question.
The good news is there is probably a lot of low hanging fruit that can help with this. Quit alcohol, for one. Quit caffeine, too, for at least a couple of weeks. Screen your window, and leave it at least a crack open, if you live in a place with clean enough air to allow that - if not, air purifier it up. Try to get used to sleep masks, they're phenomenal for blocking out light, and they're really not so bad if you take your time to test and get used to them.
Past that, physical exercise is also widely known to keep cognition healthy as one ages.
Re: Ask HN: How to deal with memory/cognition slowing down as an engineering leader?
#24Have you considered checking for sleep apnea or other sleep disorders/any other disorder?
It's advisable to consult with relevant doctors, get some tests done, and ensure you're not overlooking any underlying issues.
Relying on tips may not resolve the problem.
Re: Ask HN: How to deal with memory/cognition slowing down as an engineering leader?
#25Sleep is the key. Repeated lack of sleep has an extreme impact on cognition and memory retrieval. A few things that have helped me: #1 sleep in a completely dark room. A specialist MD shared this insight with me and it changed my life. I also use an eye mask and white noise machine. #2 use a call recording tool on your internal meetings that can summarize notes. Being able to go back “in time” to a call often has ena…
On the topic of white-noise machines:
There are headphones out there that are purpose-built to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
My favorites right now are SoundOFFs, which emit pink noise, no apps required.
I'm also going to experiment with the Ozlu Sleepbuds, which many are calling the unofficial Bose Sleepbuds III since Bose discontinued the second iteration of these buds and sold off much of the IP to this team.
Re: Ask HN: How to deal with memory/cognition slowing down as an engineering leader?
#26Have you tried using Anki or another SRS program? In my experience, it will solve whatever memory issues you have – as long as you keep up with your cards.
Re: Ask HN: How to deal with memory/cognition slowing down as an engineering leader?
#27Have you tried using Anki or another SRS program? In my experience, it will solve whatever memory issues you have – as long as you keep up with your cards.
What’s that?
Re: Ask HN: How to deal with memory/cognition slowing down as an engineering leader?
#28You may be overthinking / part imagining it: self-calibration is hard. And in any case experience is as useful as raw ability in getting things done. I'm now ancient (late 50s) and recently had to step away from my start-up as CTO since we sold the IPR, but instead I am doing a part-time PhD (just had my first paper published) and may become a fractional CTO for a friend's business. For the last I won't be racing the…
There’s nothing wrong with “i’ll get back to you”, provided you do quickly and comprehensively.
Re: Ask HN: How to deal with memory/cognition slowing down as an engineering leader?
#29Have you tried using Anki or another SRS program? In my experience, it will solve whatever memory issues you have – as long as you keep up with your cards.
What’s that?