Is anyone else really forgetful? Or do I have terrible memory
I'm a 3rd year IBD Analyst and IBD has made me realise how forgetful I am and I'm unsure if I just have terrible memory or if this is normal. Provided some examples below.
- 1) tasks: If someone gives me a task to do and if I don't immediately write down the steps then I will forget by the time I walk over to my desk e.g. this is a very basic example but just for a reference, if my VP says "go on bloomberg, search up the price performances for YTD and last 12 months for FTSE, FTSE 250, NASDAQ, NYSE".. if I don't immediately write this down I would forget this by the time I walk to the bloomberg terminal and be like "fu** what ones did he want?"
- 2) note taking: minute taking in meetings, I'm a terrible note taker, unless I record the meeting and write the notes up at a slow pace, I can't take notes because by the time I write something down I've forgotten what they said and then they're now talking about a new topic and so I'm then behind on that and it creates a never ending loop of falling behind
- 3) accounting: I spend hours regularly reading up on accounting and financial analysis because I forget everything a few days after learning it then the next time I do it I need to refresh myself. As a basic example to put it into perspective when building a three statement if I'm doing the change in accounts receivable, I'll have to refresh myself a) what accounts receivable is and b) whether or not you minus the current year from the previous year or the other way round to calculate the change.. I basically have to do refresher on almost all balance sheet items
- 4) modelling: constantly have to look at old models for the steps and formulas otherwise I forget it all and get stuck
- 5) Timetables: I always need to have a precedent up on the screen otherwise I won't be able to build a timetables
- 6) Past experiences: if someone asks me a question about a past deal I did e.g. if they ask what the premium, pricing, discount rate, who the peer comps are etc. I would forget and not know the answers off the top of my head which makes me look like I wasn't involved in the transaction, when in fact I was involved and probably did everything just I immediately forget a week after the transaction completes
Overall I've always felt as a kid I needed to study longer than the average person in school and also when revising for an exam by the next day I would forget almost everything I learned.
I look at my colleagues in IBD and feel no one else experiences this and worry I'm showing early signs of dementia or something given how bad my memory is.
Starting to worry if I should see a doctor or if this is totally normal and I'm just being paranoid, does anyone feel the same or do they genuinely find remember the above all fine?
This is so infuriating to read. The past two years of how banking has transformed is impacting people in an unparalleled way. I got dumber. Not alone.
Oh my God, you see it too?!?!
ADHD, SDAM, Aphantasia go on reddit and start searching. For real though you sound like me, you're probably fine, just a little quirky. I bet you see the world a bit differently too.
Listed in that order makes it sound as if what you are describing is episodic. Overstimulation layered in with multiple types of deprivation will cause all of the above.
Abusing caffeine made me dumber and more anxious when I got into IB. Had to do a caffeine cleanse one week when dealflow calmed to regain my memory
Are you in good shape, do you exercise every day, eat healthy foods, take appropriate vitamins and minerals, get enough sun, limit social media, get enough sleep, etc…? If you answer no to these try changing them, getting your body healthy is key to improving cognitive function.
There's no sun in London!!!!!
Sounds like Covid brain fog
This.
I'm experiencing the exact same thing even though I have not been in IB for as long as you have. This is highly frustrating and energy consuming. I think you should just let go - IB makes lots of people dumber and there's not much you can do about it but to accept it hahaha :)
Cheers !
All there is in life is absurdity and spite, and the sooner we accept it the happier we'll be. Just don't forget to spite yourself the hardest, for some reason we feel the best when we're doing shit we don't want to do. Or maybe the break from hedonism just feels good...
I'm experiencing everything you just mentioned as well and have wondered the same. PM me if you ever want to chat.
Continually experience the same - you're not alone. Couple things to note:
1. Confidence: you're less likely to remember things when you feel less confident. Having Associates and VP's question you and make you feel inferior certainly contributes to a lack of work-related confidence. Your confidence will rise as you become more familiar with the needed outputs
2. ADHD / ADD: Most males show signs of this, but some are worse than others. I have ADD and it certainly contributes to my lack of knowledge regurgitation on certain things as I continually lose focus.
3. Brain Fog: People with ADHD / ADD are more likely to experience brain fog. It's very possible to just have brain fog if you feel this issue has only started recently. Maybe try to understand the reasons behind this if you think that is the case.
4. High IQ: I have friends with amazing memories and high IQ's, unfortunately I don't operate that way. It's possible to succeed in this industry without being the smartest - just keep grinding and find ways that work for you to combat these problems. Everybody has their own way of handling these things - find what works best for you.
Honestly, I have a (Mensa-tested) very high IQ and I can definitely relate to *some* of what OP is saying. Especially 1, 2, and 6. Also names. I will forget a name literally as soon as I am told it and have trouble putting names to faces in my head.
I've been meaning to get tested for ADD though, this isn't really a new thing.
You're fucked. Get a brain transplant.
I'm pretty much like you. Helps me to really understand how things work, because I never remember the formula by heart. (eg: for accounts payable is it a source or use of cash when the delta is positive)
Always feels weird to note every single step of what I'm asked to do, but if I don't I'll 100% forget something.
Hey dude,
it’s not weird. Try to understand and not memorize. Also if you are naturally interested, it easier to retain. My guess is you are worried and stressed I.e “did I catch everything he is saying / what if I mess up” - this stress is actually making you nervous and you are seeing this job as a threat rather than something you are innately interested. Take a step back. You got the offer which means you are capable , smart, and people can rely on you. Now with this confidence, relax and feel free to jot down notes and kinda think big picture and try to understand vs. memorize. You should be fine and also get sleep / hydrate / take b12 and multi vitamins, etc.
I've gotten pretty retarded over my four years in finance, and it hasn't really negatively affected my career / ratings, etc.
Things will always slip through the cracks, especially ad hoc off-the-cuff things that people will randomly ask for. Sometimes I'll wake up one day and be like "oh shit I forgot about this thing, it's been days / weeks," etc. Some of that is selective listening, especially when I make the determination that whoever is asking me will also forget about it (and thus I don't even "remember"), some of it is just a function of a lot of things happening at once. It used to really stress me out but honestly I don't really care anymore, 80/20 rule, etc etc.
I don't see a problem with the whole reference / refresher thing either, and it usually makes you better at your job because you're more efficient. I'm always using reference slides/models because you tend to lose all sense of creativity and ultimately need to crank out your shit. As you get more experienced there's just more and more things that you need to know, and so the detailed nitty gritty concepts get lost, in favor of more bigger picture things.
Someone mentioned it above. It is brain fog. I'm not in IB, but did the WSO Elite Modeling Package twice. For some reason, even after self-practice over and over of the financials used in the course, a week later I had already forgotten. It doesn't happen to me with other things. Perhaps I don't fully understand the models and find that everyone has their own way of doing them. Maybe it's just me.
Been this way all my life and have since reduced my carb intake which helps a lot. I also take supplements to help with adrenals, cortisol & stress levels.
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