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I'm very good at solving puzzles of many sorts. I am particularly pleased with myself over my ability to solve puzzles that require juggling complex sets of data. I seem to have an "intuitive" feel for such things. It is a matter of how my brain developed, I think.
The first puzzle type I've given up on are the logic puzzles in word puzzle books. When I was in my teens and 20s I could solve those reliably and quickly. Now I get completely lost and often leap to wrong conclusions. I've taken up Sudoku (on my iPhone). I got good enough that I could always solve the extreme puzzles even if it took half an hour or more. I averaged 20ish minutes. Not so good now. I got completely lost and often leap to the wrong conclusion.
I'm think about this today because I just solved too unrelated and difficult problems at work. One troubleshooting issue in which I felt like my old self. Laser perfect troubleshooting. I still don't know what caused the issue, but I solved it quickly and efficiently. The other was a programming issue I've worked on for 2.5 days. This morning, print out on my desk, I walked through he code and immediately saw where I was chasing my own tail.
I have some days that are really, really good and some that I make me think I should have stayed in bed.
What's different on those days? I can think of two things immediately. When I have any noticeable allergy symptoms, I have insufficient concentration to work through a simple problem. I can write code, I just can't design any. It doesn't always hold true, though. This morning I'm on pills and still suffering.
The other seems way more consistent. If I sleep well, I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed. If I sleep poorly or for too short a period, my cognitive ability drops like a rock. I think I'm noticing this more because I am not sleeping soundly.
I wake up every single morning in full cognitive mode. Working on problems and seeing solutions almost immediately. Many days, though, by the time I get to work, fatigue is setting in and I'm easily distracted.
I'm walking on the treadmill every (nearly) morning. I'm hoping that this increased (from nearly zero) activity will promote cognitive health and keep me sharp all day. I like being sharp. :)
The first puzzle type I've given up on are the logic puzzles in word puzzle books. When I was in my teens and 20s I could solve those reliably and quickly. Now I get completely lost and often leap to wrong conclusions. I've taken up Sudoku (on my iPhone). I got good enough that I could always solve the extreme puzzles even if it took half an hour or more. I averaged 20ish minutes. Not so good now. I got completely lost and often leap to the wrong conclusion.
I'm think about this today because I just solved too unrelated and difficult problems at work. One troubleshooting issue in which I felt like my old self. Laser perfect troubleshooting. I still don't know what caused the issue, but I solved it quickly and efficiently. The other was a programming issue I've worked on for 2.5 days. This morning, print out on my desk, I walked through he code and immediately saw where I was chasing my own tail.
I have some days that are really, really good and some that I make me think I should have stayed in bed.
What's different on those days? I can think of two things immediately. When I have any noticeable allergy symptoms, I have insufficient concentration to work through a simple problem. I can write code, I just can't design any. It doesn't always hold true, though. This morning I'm on pills and still suffering.
The other seems way more consistent. If I sleep well, I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed. If I sleep poorly or for too short a period, my cognitive ability drops like a rock. I think I'm noticing this more because I am not sleeping soundly.
I wake up every single morning in full cognitive mode. Working on problems and seeing solutions almost immediately. Many days, though, by the time I get to work, fatigue is setting in and I'm easily distracted.
I'm walking on the treadmill every (nearly) morning. I'm hoping that this increased (from nearly zero) activity will promote cognitive health and keep me sharp all day. I like being sharp. :)
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