HACKER Q&A
📣 mrtksn

Do you need to load/unload short term memory when switching tasks?


Hi HN, Do feel like you have to load/unload short term memory when switching mental tasks?

What I mean is that when I work on something for a few days(back end code for example) and switch back to something else I have been working(UI design for example) I feel completely foreign to the task that I switch back to.

Not just the feeling, I cannot remember anything about and I need maybe a day for the mental model to come back to me. It's almost like loading an app from hard drive back into the RAM.

Does it happen to you too? If so, how do you overcome it? Any tips on "multitasking"?

  👤 Overtonwindow Accepted Answer ✓
The older I get the more I need to get up and walk around the office between major tasks groupings. It helps me focus and leave the “residual worry” about that last task behind.