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I've been coming to terms with the reality of this recently. I had a concussion and post-concussion syndrome last year which meant my brain got tired extremely

by kgodey 4y ago

I've been coming to terms with the reality of this recently. I had a concussion and post-concussion syndrome last year which meant my brain got tired extremely quickly for a few months. In order to get work done, I had to pay close attention to what kinds of cognitive tasks would end up being debilitating and make sure to take lots of breaks. I'm mostly recovered now, but I'm more self aware about cognitive fatigue and how to structure my workdays to avoid it. It's decreased my general level of stress measurably.

nashashmi 4y ago
What cognitive functions lead to brain fatigue for you?
- kgodey 4y ago
  Answered here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35426378 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35426378
aendruk 4y ago
Same story here. Post-concussion syndrome gave me an exquisite awareness of how different kinds of tasks tax the brain.
- beefield 4y ago
  I'd be curious to hear examples, especially if there are some tasks that are surpricing to either direction?
  - quackdrake 4y ago
    I also suffered from PCS and I found that tasks where I had to produce language were the most tiring. In order it would be - French lessons - Talking to someone about something techincal - Talking to somebody that I didn't know very well - Talking to a loved one - Reading
  - kgodey 4y ago
    Answered here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35426378 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35426378
BossingAround 4y ago
Could you elaborate a little bit on what tasks bring cognitive fatigue, and possibly why? Just wondering for structuring my own work day.
- neogodless 4y ago
  For me, it's disambiguation. Of course, in many jobs, drilling down to the real ask, the requirements, is a big part of the work that needs done. If I'm given a clear "this is how you'll know you're done", I can often figure out how to get there and fly through my work. But give me "we think we might want to do this, get started" and I'm exhausted before I even start.
- kgodey 4y ago
  It's a function of how much stimulus a task involves, how much disambiguation you have to do during the task, and how much context you need to load to perform the task (and how different it is from previous tasks). e.g. video meetings are more stimulating than audio meetings because you have more sources of input, and you have to stay alert in real-time. A single email is less stimulating because you can process those in your own time and space out if needed. But a morning full of answering emails is worse than a single video meeting because each email involves loading new context into your brain. A sibling comment addressed disambiguation already. It's just a lot of work to take input, process it, be aware of context and goals, and get to sensible output. These days, I tend to allocate time just for planning. Executing plans is easy and I can do that when I'm tired, but planning takes a lot out of me. I'm sure the cognitive impact of exact tasks is different for everyone depending on what your brain is used to. e.g. I'm very introverted; maybe meetings are less work for others.

by kgodey 4y ago

nashashmi 4y ago

What cognitive functions lead to brain fatigue for you?

kgodey 4y ago
Answered here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35426378 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35426378

aendruk 4y ago

Same story here. Post-concussion syndrome gave me an exquisite awareness of how different kinds of tasks tax the brain.

beefield 4y ago
I'd be curious to hear examples, especially if there are some tasks that are surpricing to either direction?
- quackdrake 4y ago
  I also suffered from PCS and I found that tasks where I had to produce language were the most tiring. In order it would be - French lessons - Talking to someone about something techincal - Talking to somebody that I didn't know very well - Talking to a loved one - Reading
- kgodey 4y ago
  Answered here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35426378 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35426378

BossingAround 4y ago

Could you elaborate a little bit on what tasks bring cognitive fatigue, and possibly why? Just wondering for structuring my own work day.

neogodless 4y ago
For me, it's disambiguation. Of course, in many jobs, drilling down to the real ask, the requirements, is a big part of the work that needs done. If I'm given a clear "this is how you'll know you're done", I can often figure out how to get there and fly through my work. But give me "we think we might want to do this, get started" and I'm exhausted before I even start.
kgodey 4y ago
It's a function of how much stimulus a task involves, how much disambiguation you have to do during the task, and how much context you need to load to perform the task (and how different it is from previous tasks). e.g. video meetings are more stimulating than audio meetings because you have more sources of input, and you have to stay alert in real-time. A single email is less stimulating because you can process those in your own time and space out if needed. But a morning full of answering emails is worse than a single video meeting because each email involves loading new context into your brain. A sibling comment addressed disambiguation already. It's just a lot of work to take input, process it, be aware of context and goals, and get to sensible output. These days, I tend to allocate time just for planning. Executing plans is easy and I can do that when I'm tired, but planning takes a lot out of me. I'm sure the cognitive impact of exact tasks is different for everyone depending on what your brain is used to. e.g. I'm very introverted; maybe meetings are less work for others.