Multi-tasking and processing speed

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Big problems in this area.
Have just started new job, and unfortunately my trainer is ex-infantry with eidetic memory. Needless to say, he is very quick on the uptake and functions at a very high speed. He is able to retain large amounts of information and recall that information quickly. Typically, he would be seen as very intelligent (though I always argue that any test of intelligence is variable).
I feel ridiculously stupid. I'm having a lot of trouble juggling lots of things at once, I forget things easily as the information is driven out of my head by something else, I do things slowly and absorb new skills or information slowly. This frustrates my trainer and has basically led him to the conclusion that I'm an idiot. It also puzzles me as I thought aspie people were generally quite intelligent folk. Maybe it's related to the common problem of aspie people to cope with everyday life? I don't know. How do others improve this inability to multi-task or function at high speeds? How do you adapt and get around it?

I'm terrible at multitasking. I'm glad that I don't have a job where I have to do that.

the OP is not the only person to have felt like a 8086 in a room full of multicore pentiums, being surrounded by cold, arrogantly dismissive cognitive alphas. the way i see it, the brainy and the gifted in general, have been given these gifts as a test from god, to see if they manage to keep some humility or if they become full of themselves and start riding roughshod over other people they consider to be their inferiors. from what i have seen, most of 'em are failing this key golden rule test. the OP would do well to remember this each time his supervisor misbehaves.
aside from this, this week's issue of newsweek devoted space to the science behind cognitive enhancement, IOW improving multithreading/multitasking, working memory speed and capacity, recall of memories/knowledge, flexibility, and ability to deal with fuzzy logic or ambiguity. the upshot of the articles was that there were 3 proven methods of cognitive enhancement- the first and simplest is vigorous physical exercise at least 3 days per week, 45 minutes each time. this improved episodic memory and executive control functions by roughly 20%. exercise stimulates the formation of neurons in the region of the hippocampus that files away experiences and new knowledge. it also stimulates the production of neural fertilizers such as BDNF [brain-derived neurotrophic factor], as well as of the neurotransmitters that carry brain signals, and of gray matter in the prefrontal cortex. exercise stimulates the production of new synapses, the connections that constitute functional circuits and whose capacity and efficiency underlie superior intelligence.
the 2nd form is meditation, which can increase the thickness of regions that control attention and process information from the outside world. meditation has shown success in enhancing mental agility and attentionl by changing brain structure so that brain processes are more efficient, the quality associated with higher intelligence.
finally, some videogames might improve general mental agility. the complex computer games Space Fortress and Rise of Nations have been proven to improve memory, motor speed, visual/spatial skills and cognitive flexibility, aka multiple task switching or "thinking on one's feet."

What field are you in?

A true Eidetic is very rare. Why would such a brilliant person be ex-infantry and not an ex officer? I'm betting his aggressive displays of his intelligence is overcompensation for less than stellar success in other areas.

Depending on what it is either I have to do it slowly one at a time or I can do it on autopilot without sweating it and doing many other things.

My understanding is that excellent long term memory and the ability to laser focus are the strong mental abilities that some autistic people have. Short term working memory is an issue for some. The brain can only effectively focus on one thing at a time. If a person has difficulties with short term working memory they may find it more stressfull to switch between two or more tasks than it is for people that have efficient short term working memory, like your trainer.

The only way I made it through work and school was to take notes to keep myself focused and and not worry that I would forget something important. In effect, it was an aid for focus, memory and a coping mechanism to reduce stress Stress hormones can impair memory, so what ever device you can use to reduce stress will help.

In general humans don't efficiently switch back and forth between complicated tasks, but it is a requirement in many jobs. I suggest you limit the amount of multi-tasking that you have control over. If it constantly stresses you and you are not able to adapt after a reasonable amount of time, I suggest you find a job, if possible, that does not require as much multi-tasking.

just-lou,

Wavefreak is right. Eidetics are rare! Many scientists even doubt they exist. Try seeing if he knows spanish, french, and german. As for the military, a high rank is as much a test of social skills as anything else.

Frankly, MOST have a poorer memory than they let on. I found that every fault I had in that area is documented as NORMAL! As for multitasking, I do ok. One area that I obviously CAN'T is memorizing. OH, I can memorize different languages, for example, and keep them straight, but the full rate of memorization will be the same. So each language would suffer accordingly.

BTW memory does NOT equate to intelligence. Heck, computers have LOTS of memory, but no intelligence. To have intelligence, you have to be able to USE the information. Memory is like the words of a language. It would be like I said the word sounded like "gato". Do you know if that means cat, cake, or something else? Knowing that word, could you speak in the language?

As for my memory, I know SO many movies that it is SICK. I would almost like to forget every one if I could use the memory for something else.

Steve

auntblabby, thank you so much for summarising the Newsweek article here, I really appreciate that.