What? Next months I will be 41. I just got into this industry less than 3 years.
I am afraid I will be like you.
Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
401–410 of 534 posts
Re: Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
#402If anything I'm a much better programmer in my 40s than when I was younger. My cognitive capacity (being able juggle more balls at the same time) is about the same, probably a bit better now. My lateral thinking has definitely improved. And then of course I'm wiser because I have more experience and my instincts are just better.
What surprises me is I learn much faster now than I used to. But I guess it makes sense. I never stopped learning new things (coding or otherwise) so I've learned to learn. I also have more data points to compare new stuff to.
Re: Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
#403Earlier quoted context omitted.
Recent studies suggest that counter to popular belief our metabolism doesn't change from age 20 to age 60. There are individual factors that can certainly account for your change of energy and I would certainly look for culprits. I recently did a big change in myself - adjusted sleep, took specific supplements which I was suspect was deficient in and have found my energy to be much fuller. Do not ignore what your bod…
My ex worked on a study that involved testing people's short-term memory. She mentioned a clear and abrupt change around the age of 45, though that wasn't what they studied and of course was not included in the study results. This issue is highly politically charged.
That's right when your eyes change, too. It's so predictable, optometrists can tell you what age you are.
Re: Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
#404Earlier quoted context omitted.
It just feels like you gradually "give up" a life that was once yours (less responsibilities) and are "slowly forced" into a life that isn't as much yours (get married, buy a house, have children).
Doesn't "slowly forced" imply lack of agency?
> sense of agency refers to the feeling of control over actions and their consequences.
You're damned if you do (give up control) damned if you don't (walk through life unmarried with no kids in an apartment wondering what could've been)
Re: Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
#405Earlier quoted context omitted.
Recent studies suggest that counter to popular belief our metabolism doesn't change from age 20 to age 60. There are individual factors that can certainly account for your change of energy and I would certainly look for culprits. I recently did a big change in myself - adjusted sleep, took specific supplements which I was suspect was deficient in and have found my energy to be much fuller. Do not ignore what your bod…
Our metabolism doesn't change in the technical sense, but in the popular sense of the word "metabolism" people absolutely slow down. At 20, missing a night's sleep wasn't even that big a deal. At 50 it is essentially impossible. I don't know what the underlying mechanisms are, but that's what people mean when they (incorrectly, it seems) say "metabolism".
Sleep quality pretty steadily declines with age - your 8 hours of sleep simply count for less than it used to, and you're actually consistently operating on decreased sleep
Re: Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
#406Earlier quoted context omitted.
Exercise is a source of enjoyment, why would you want to replace that?
I exercise on a strict schedule, both weight lifting and cardio. It is never enjoyable for me. I don’t get runners high, or pleasure from the exertion. I just make myself tired, sweaty, and add on temporary pain to my muscles. It’s worth it for the global effect on my energy levels and health. But it remains true that for some of us, exercise is never a source of enjoyment, and I understand why many people can’t get…
> I don’t get runners high, or pleasure from the exertion. I just make myself tired, sweaty, and add on temporary pain to my muscles
I feel the same way with exercise. People tell me that you feel good after and I never do. People tell me that you feel a "good" soreness in your body and I never do. I just feel sore.
I wonder what's different about people like you and me where we don't enjoy this process the way some other people do? Do you think it's been studied?
Re: Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
#407I don't know you personally but I doubt cognitive decline has anything to do with this. As we age, we usually end up with more and more life responsibilities, beyond just the work we are doing. All of that is input to the brain and requires energy in response. The brain is not infinite. I often feel as you do, but then I have periods where I am as light and agile in my productivity as 20 years ago, maybe even more so…
I'll second this. Based on my own experience (I'm 50) it's all about energy levels. When my energy is high, I can code like I did two decades ago. Probably better. I guess the difference is that in your twenties, energy is almost for free. As you get older, you've got to be smarter about it - all the usual things - diet, exercise, avoiding stress... Not that I'm good about those things - I do OK but not great. Someti…
Diet and physical activity play a huge role in mental clarity and energy level. The diet part of that we're only beginning to really understand in the last 10-15 years after some research breakthroughs in looking at our gut.
Western diets (e.g. the standard american diet... what we actually eat) is fairly bad for our health which impacts our abilities.
I would recommend folks look into the Blue Zones. Where people live the longest and thrive for the longest. Look at their eating and lifestyles. One of those zones is in the US where people have work/life balances similar to folks here.
In my case, changing my diet and activity level caused my energy to go up and mental clarity to improve.
Re: Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
#408I don't know you personally but I doubt cognitive decline has anything to do with this. As we age, we usually end up with more and more life responsibilities, beyond just the work we are doing. All of that is input to the brain and requires energy in response. The brain is not infinite. I often feel as you do, but then I have periods where I am as light and agile in my productivity as 20 years ago, maybe even more so…
Personal anecdote: I'm around the same age as OP and until recently also felt like my thinking was slowing down over the years. I went for many years without an exercise habit. About 5 months ago I started lifting weights. The transformation has defied all my expectations and the biggest unexpected benefit is that my mind has become sharper, faster and more focused. I essentially feel like I've reversed a decade's wo…
This. My thinking was getting so bad that I went to a neurologist. At the same time I started walking daily. A month or two later and I feel like a totally different person. Mental clarity has sharply increased. Haven’t even fixed my sleep yet either. Can’t wait to see how much more improvement I can get.
Re: Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
#409A technique I found useful as a relatively younger person (early 20s) is to keep a text doc to enumerate work priorities, to record progress, and to record where I left off. I found the last point most salient: whenever I faced an interruption (a colleague question, meeting, etc.), I got in the habit of quickly writing where I left off; that is, lowering the friction in task-switching.
Here's a verbatim example from my notes that I think is similar to your use-case:
```
* Clones `std::vector modules_` member variable, defined in `./torch/csrc/api/include/torch/nn/modules/container/any.h`. Its `clone()` method calls the `clone_module()` function of its member variable `std::unique_ptr content_`. `AnyModulePlaceholder` is defined in `any_module_holder.h`. Its `clone_module()` method calls `clone()` on its `std::shared_ptr module` member variable. `ModuleType` is some module that has a `forward()` method, i.e. an object of type `Module`. __But,__ it should probably also have `Cloneable`.
```
Re: Ask HN: I'm 40 and feel my mental ability declining. Programming seems harder.
#410What helped me a lot was to regulate my caffeine intake. I consumed way to much, that it wasn’t helping me with my energy levels. Caffeine also takes about 8h until its gone from the body. So it effects your sleep quality as well. Now I usually drink one decaf coffee in the morning (decaf has only about 20% caffeine from normal coffee). When I need to focus on important tasks (like no meeting days or private projects) I drink a coffee and it helps me a lot.