I feel like a pinch hitter: I can do a couple innings at a high level of performance, but I can't keep that level up as long as I used to.
OTOH I think I have better judgement when it comes to deep, complex questions of long-term architecture choices. My "meta-programming" skills are sharper than ever.
This scares me. I'm younger and thus, I feel like social media and short form content has had so much impact on my ability to focus that it already feels bad where it is right now. Never thought this might be the peak of my concentration power though.
It's a forum... And a bloody good one.
It's precisely those differences that matter: the highly polished, short form content designed to give a dopamine hit. The highly polarized topics, the hot takes, ML echo chambers, dark patterns, all of it.
HN isn't without its issues, and much of those other platforms' issues bleed over, but we're talking apples and aircraft carriers here, and I reject the idea that this is "pretty much the same thing".
Rather: we of a certain age grew up in a world before the optimized dopamine reward cycle of social media, and when the news / politics / outrage loops were far less potent. We could focus more because... well... we weren't being distracted to death.
Maintaining deep focus in the face of this onslaught is a skill I feel like people of all ages need to curate.
I don't know about my concentration. I've got more non-negotiable responsibilities now, so I have less time to work on things, but I work on them harder, and I take advantage of the off time to let solutions bubble up.
Companies that don’t get it confuse furious activity for fixing more and more effective ways
Natural focus can change to learning new things.
Focusing on learning and implementing brain health above all is the key I’ve found.
Starting to introduce individual magnesium threonate and zinc made a surprising difference.
Normal things like understanding how sleep, hydration, exercise, diet. The science around gut health has also been interesting for its contribution to focus and energy.
Be happy to learn from you on anything you find works.
Since the difference between clever code and broken code is often obfuscated and ephemeral, it's difficult to argue with the assertion.
I've so rarely seen clever architecture that I find it difficult to agree with it, though.
I amused myself for a few minutes reflecting on your choice of the verb "beats". Quite clever, to introduce such rich ambiguity!
You can fix this by paying attention to it. When your mind starts wondering acknowledge this, take 5 min 'break' lazily thinking about the task. Then get back to the task. This is sort of mind hack.
Another way to control your thoughts is through meditation. A lot can be done this way. To summarize it: you can consciously control what you are thinking about. It's non physically hard.
my problem is the opposite, sometimes i'm too focused and forget about the other thing to do. this lunatic state can last for days.