[tylerneylon]

I'm in my 40s and feel sharp, with some evidence to back that up (such as career success and learning new things well). I believe these things help me stay sharp: I prioritize sleep. I try to get exercise (most often running) every day. I try to write every day; I write about ideas (typically new ideas in math or philosophy). I often read something I'm learning, such as a math book, something for work, or learning a new language. I meet weekly (online) with someone who's teaching me a new language - in this case French, but I think what's important is to keep learning. My work presents new technical challenges regularly, and I made a life decision to change my work whenever I feel burnout approaching.

To address other comments: I have two young kids, and I've been a single dad since my youngest was 3. Some commenters speak as if having kids kills your work or thinking life. This is partially true for the first year because of sleep depravation. And it's a new level of difficulty in terms of organizational demand on your life. It's harder. But it doesn't kill your mental abilities, and in fact I'm a happier person with my kids around, which gives me more motivation and life satisfaction. I've been able to solo run a successful bootstrapped startup while being a single dad. It's difficult and requires focus and deliberate life organization, but it's possible, and in fact quite rewarding and nice.

(Also, maybe the above makes it sound like I've had zero problems, but that's not true. It's been a long journey to figure out my priorities, with many mistakes and setbacks to being where I want to be. I have had times when I felt mentally less sharp, and worked to recover from those.)

[alibova]

Wow how do you have time for sleep, exercise, bootstrap start up, learn another language, etc. as a single dad? Any suggestions on life organization? Do you have a team of nannies/house help?

[tylerneylon]

I have lots of help. I write during work hours (so kids are at school). At work I delegate as much as possible to a team of great people; hiring a good team has been critical. I sometimes hire a sitter to support some exercise time, and other times I bring my kids with me to a running track. I hire housecleaners to clean regularly to help me keep my home nice and organized. I don't currently have a personal assistant, but in the past I did and that was helpful for getting "life things" done. My kids and I have gotten used to a culture where we alternate between independent time (so I can, say, read a textbook for an hour while they play) and together time. I've found that my kids enjoy independent time when they know they will regularly have focused attention from me, so I try to give them that (reliable focused attention, ideally 1:1). I do have less time to work than I did before kids, so I spend a portion of my energy planning ahead or delegating.

[throwaway2037]

Reading your comments, I think you have super human level of energy. Not to take anything away from your experience, but that isn't much help to the OP who is likely much lower energy. I observe the same in myself. Each year that I age up, the gap in energy between myself and peers grows larger. They keep getting fatter, slower, lazier, less innovative/intelligent. Me: Yes, a bit, but far slower than others around me. The last five years has been striking -- the distance. More and more people ask me: "How do you do it?" Or "When will you slow down?". For years, I thought something was wrong with me and my brain. Now, I understand the gap better. To be clear: This does not mean that I am _absolutely_ smarter than my peers (or a better worker!) -- I am only talking about "energy levels". Ask yourself: How does Elon Musk work 80/90/100 hours per week in his early 50s? Probably a lot cocaine and caffeine. Plus, he has super human level of energy. When I listen to Cal Newport's style of working, I think: "Oh, hey, that's me!" Of course, I'm not a university professor and successful author of many best sellers. But the energy level is similar.

[triceratops]

To be fair at his level of wealth, there's very little, other than bodily functions and basic hygiene, that he needs to do for himself. You can get a lot more work done when you don't have to worry about cooking, laundry, cleaning, driving anywhere, childcare, random paperwork and administrivia, home maintenance...

[throwaway2037]

Yes, his mental load must be so much lower than someone who needs to juggle all of those tasks. Hat tip for the term "administrivia" -- I never saw it before!

[iamcurious]

>Ask yourself: How does Elon Musk work 80/90/100 hours per week in his early 50s

My guess is that he is exaggerating, he has a track record of doing that. Or that what he means by "work" is actually way more layback than what a cashier at costso means by "work".

[mtelgon]

what is your take on caffeine consumption?