After working for many years in a “fast pace environment” I can’t help but notice that I have increasing difficulties to do simple tasks.
In office, I always start multiple tasks at the same time. I noticed I often start but barely finish.
At home, it gets even worse. “Let’s make tea” takes several back and forth to the kitchen, wondering what I am doing there. Then forgetting I boiled water.
I’ve tried to trick myself by ordering tasks, but ultimately I end up asking myself what was I doing until now.
I don’t take medicines of any kind. “1st world problem” is granted, accepted, validated.
I’m sure I’m not the only one. Have you found a recipe that works for you ?
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Its stress. You need a break, even if you can’t tell you need one. I know, because I’m in the exact same boat, and I need a break too. You and I need physical rest, time to dissociate mentally with existing responsibilities, and spiritually (emotionally) reconnect with our motivations for living.
I think its reasonable to assume these symptoms are compounded by environmental factors (like having had covid, stress, getting older, etc), but ultimately, its our own behavior to be put at blame. That doesn’t preclude the need for potentially deep recovery. For example, I was extremely burnt out 6 years ago. I made a huge number of life changes, where I knew I would be overextending myself even further, with the goal of being able to real it back in at the end to a much more simple calmer life. And it would have worked if not for the complete and total collapse of American democracy.
Mate, I have that and the thing that I have the most is time and I have this, for me it’s mostly because I focus a lot in some things in my head and don’t think what I’m doing
You’re stressed and showing signs of a coming burnout man
Thanks, appreciate the insights
I implore you to act to destress. Burnout takes years to recover from.
In similar vein to what others have posted:
I think you’re describing a combination of stress and preoccupation. I suggest looking into mindfulness as a way to start helping with both.
If it’s more than that and you have healthcare, both a Dr visit and psychiatry visit to discuss with a professional could be helpful.
Thanks for the tips, this post helps me realise the issue at hand.
It used to really fog my brain in my 20s, but in my 30s I’m okay with multi-tasking.
I think I just got used to the idea of documenting my progress, and doing work in increments so that I can switch between projects with not too much inertia.
In my 20s I kept everything in my head, or barely wrote anything down and the head inertia was real.
I also now know from experience where certain rabbitholes go. Ive pursued every fruitless tangent task to fruition already in my 20s, that it no longer spurs my curiosity in my 30s.
TLDR; it gets better with time.
Thanks, seems you’re not the only one writing down things…
Maybe I should try that as others suggested too. It’s something I was so happy to get rid of when I finished studying… Oh well
Hah yeah. The notes dont have to be detailed or coherent mind you, just rough sentences on what you did and what you’ll pick up next time. Good luck!
Sounds like you made changes to get better. The TDLR glosses over all that work and makes it seem like you are saying for OP to just sit and wait for it to resolve on its own.
Well, a little bit of both. It looks like OP is already putting in the time by diving down fruitless tangents, and will ultimately learn this lesson one way or another. I do believe it’s inevitable from OP’s described patterns, and that they ultimately shouldn’t worry too much about it.
I used to be in your position, I started focusing on my health and fixed all my problems, now I’m wondering why I didn’t do this sooner…actually I know why, its because I was slowly killing myself and degrading my brain and body. This guy is on thin ice at the moment so I can’t recommend much from him besides taking a look at his protocol page and changing up some of your habits, supplements wise though i can reccomend a equal competitor that has been around longer called novos. It really has been a day and night change since I started a health stack like this and realized I’m a totally worse functioning person without prioritizing my health.
https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.com/pages/blueprint-protocol#my-daily-routine
Thanks for your help.
Indeed, it seems I need to focus a bit more on my health, appreciate that.
I think I’ll pass on the potions, it’s just never been my jam, but I keep your suggestion of Novo’s in mind in case I ever change my mind in this journey.
Thanks for at least listening, what I learned from this is that even without going into a big switch like that it seems like everyone would benefit from getting a general blood panel test done so they can see if there is something specifically unexpectedly off that may be contributing, some peoples tests ive seen seem to be in a very wide range of a target so much so that its not useful to go by that and others I’ve seen seem to have a very narrow range of what the target is so if you ever did get one I’d go do some research of your own just to make sure the numbers look fine.
From what I have learned everyone lacks something or has too much of something without a intentional effort to fix it which may or may not contribute negatively or positively moment to moment but it won’t be good long term so I definitely recommend a general blood panel at the least just to have one for curiosity from an earlier date to look back to in the future.
Man… I think I saw this (music?) video where that picture is from like over 20 years ago when me and my dad went to buy something from a stranger and his daughter was watching the TV and showed her dad this scene. I don’t know why, but that moment stuck with me for some reason and now here it is again decades later. Where is this from?
Its from the oav “Ghost in the shell”, from the 90s. Thanks for your interest
For the chills, this 20 mins opera like:
I’m working on writing down lists on paper by hand, not typing into a device. I can copy over to a device, but the writing by hand is helpful.
And sometimes I’ll write down tasks that I did finish already. For me, seeing the number of completed tasks doesn’t matter much, but just the break to reflect on what has been done is grounding.
Sometimes even break the list into multiple lists, such as one where you move all the yard tasks to, and kitchen tasks, and cleaning tasks…, if the main list gets too long.
There is actually some neuroscience behind this one. The act of hand writing activate more areas of the brain than typing the same info.
This is a popular press article covering some of these studies.
After working for many years in a “fast pace environment” I can’t help but notice that I have increasing difficulties to do simple tasks.
How many years are we talking?
A lot of what you describe sounds like you’re starting to have “senior moments”. If you’re past 50, that’s pretty normal. Which is not to say it’s good. “Normal” does not mean good. It just means common. I don’t think you should look for anything exotic if the mundane explanation fits your observations.
Low-tech suggestion: Keep a notepad in your pocket. Make to-do lists. Cross items off it when you’re done. Maybe put the time in when you cross it off.
Put water on stoveTurn off stoveMake tea- Drink tea
That would be 15+ years
Thanks for the tip on the notepad, seems others are suggesting similar approach, I’ll try and see how it helps
Must be the reason why I’m king of my castle
Must be the reason why I’m freeing my trapped soul
Must be a reason why I’m making examples of you
Wandu project ! Shower time
