Hey all,
I wasn't quite sure what to title this, so I gave up and just asked the question. I'll be a bit vague, as the point is not the specific bit of code I'm stuck on, but moreso the general issue of an uncooperative brain.
How do you make any real progress learning if you deal with frequent brain fog and have terrible short term and long term memory?
For example, I finally learned how something works after months of trying to wrap my head around it. Didn't end up using it for a few months more, and now I forgot it again. I'm back to square one, trying to relearn things I already learned. And that's assuming I wake up and can actually focus on anything. Some days, brain fog rolls into the harbor and I just stare dumbly at the screen, barely able to concentrate on the task, much less think about the code or complexities. It's impossible to make progress on days where I forget what I was doing before I even start.
Other days, my brain seems to be running on all cylinders, and I can storm through my work almost effortlessly, learning as I go and making more progress in a day than I did the week or two prior.
It seems like the only things I truly retain are mechanical. The basic nuts and bolts, the simple concepts like how variables work. It took me longer than I'd like to admit understanding calling and writing functions. Things that are more abstract or high level are easily forgotten. It's a nightmare.
So, what do I do? How an I work around this problem-child brain of mine and actually LEARN?
I'd be interested to hear from anyone who dealt with something similar. I'm also eager to hear from any fellow neurodivergent folk, who might have a similar problem wrangling their grey and white matter into shape.
UPDATE: Thanks for the ideas and encouragement, everyone. I'm a bit busy, but I'll get around to some individual replies soon. As a general note, seeing a doctor would be a good idea, but without insurance and a well paying job, I couldn't afford to see any kind of specialist, or even make frequent appointments with a GP. I appreciate the well wishes though.
I've struggled with something similar in the past and there could be a lot of reasons for it. I'd say overall though don't beat yourself up, we all tend to learn in different ways and struggled with different concepts and aspects in our lives.
I'd start with your health and making sure you brain has enough nutrients, are plenty hydrated, have lots of sleep, and you have some sort of exercise you enjoy. keeping your body in shape tends to cut down the amount of energy you need to keep it running so it in turn frees up resources for the brain.
next, I'd try to come up with a strategy for how your brain tends to work, especially when at low capacity. develop strategies to help re-engage your brain at those moments. for some pacing or just going for a walk helps. others, having something to fidget with. for me, I tend to fidget with something or doing something mindless while thinking about the problem I have at hand. you'd be surprised at how much that can kickstart your brain back into gear.
next, try lowering your overall mental capacity. cutting down on decision fatigue can help a lot. some examples could be automating aspects of your day to day life, cutting down on certain stimulus, or just making decisions in advanced so you don't have to think too hard about it. this can help clear your mind and help you keep focus for longer periods of time.
next , explore some stimulants. do be careful though and make sure it doesn't conflict with your overall health. for some a cup of coffee is all they need. I tend to reach for 1 cup in the morning to increase my focus and throughout the day I drink Teas with lions Maine and reshi. the tea can help open neural pathways and caffeine tends to keep your brain alerted and focused.
lastly, you can look towards pharmaceuticals or drugs. personally I feel this is the last place to look and again shouldn't interfere with your overall health. these can be dangerous but if used properly and in moderation can boost mental performance. I've used ADHD meds in the past and they can help a ton if that's what you need. talk with your doctor to see if it's something right for you. on the other side, psychedelics, more specifically psilocybin can help create new neural pathways rapidly. I'd say use it as a last resort and you've done extensive research on it and know the risks to your health and the legality of it in your area.
I hope this helps. programming is hard! it takes the best of us to really understand it all. whenever I struggle to learn a new concept that I think should just be easy, I always look back at how far I've come and just be proud of it no matter how small. best of luck!
You seems to have a severe issue so I'm not sure what I'm going to say may help.
Learning something and then forgeting it is absolutely normal. Repetition over and exponentially long time and sleep in between helps a lot. Some people use flashcards to helps with memorisation. The idea is simple, when you learn something you write question + answers on a piece on paper (usually bristol for easy manipulation) and put it in a box. This box has multiple compartment: every day, every second day, once a week, once every second week, once every second month for example. When you add a card you add it to the “every day” compartment. Then each day you open all the compartment of the current day and ask yourself all the questions. If you correctly remember the answer you put it in the next compartment, and if you don't you put it back to the “every day” one.
Another way to helps you understand and rembembering things is to explain them to others. If you don't have someone to explain what you just learn you can create youtube video (even if noone will watch them but you do as if you had an audience). As bonus you now have a video that explains using your language something you just learn if you ever forget it!
I'm in a similar situation to OP, and this sounds like it should help. Thank you :)
In addition to seek medical opinion, it will not hurt you to learn about the learning.
Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects
How good are your sleeps? Are you drinking enough water?
I know that I get brain fog if I sleep poorly or forget to drink enough water.
For coding, I try to explain to myself exactly what I am trying to solve using the most simple explanation possible.
Usually, the program will perform a series of steps. I work on each step, in code, until I solve that step. Then I move on to the next step. Divide and conquer.
Like the other person asked, have you sought out professional help for any possible medical issues? If you have ADHD then a professional can give reliable guidance on how to compensate for the main ADHD symptoms.
Good luck! You CAN do it!!!
What about some simple katas? I've been learning a few new languages and don't want to forget the syntax / common methods, so I pick an easy kata and solve it in each. I find that this is usually enough to prevent me from forgetting everything
Caffeine and diligent notetaking. I'm hoping to also find a solution soon
Have you seen a medical professional about your memory and cognitive functioning? Random people on they internet aren't likely to know about overcoming severe limitations you seem to be describing. Although you're describing everything in very general terms so maybe some detailed, specific, concrete examples would reveal something that can be addressed.
