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.
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 am I trying to solve?" Is the most important thing I say to myself during work.
It scales.
When I start a project/ticket I am asking at a high level.
When I'm in a function or debugging a trace I am lower level, but it always helps to go "3rd person" and ask "what am I trying to do?".
9/10 times I'm augering into an overly complex or weak solution and pulling back reroutes and simplifies the task