The human brain is very lazy. Yes, he has been little studied, he has a lot of untapped abilities, but he is lazy. Therefore, it will not be possible to get it to work at full capacity for eight hours in a row.
During an intense thought process, the brain uses 25% of the energy consumed by the entire body, that is, a lot.
Therefore, the self-defense mechanism is triggered - rest and do not overexert yourself. You need to learn how to properly distribute the load, alternate between activity and rest, interesting and boring.
So how can you make your brain work?
Five Second Rule
A simple rule on how to teach your brain to work was invented by American CNN commentator, TV presenter and motivational speaker Mel Robbins. Her book, The Five Second Rule, describes in detail many life situations in which this rule has helped people.
Its effectiveness has been appreciated by business people, including Better Humans author Dave Wentworth.
Once you decide to do something, you have exactly five seconds to start doing it. Then the brain will find some small things that need to be done right now. Wipe the keyboard, water the flowers or wash the dishes, but don’t work.
Tell your brain you'll get to work when you count "5, 4, 3, 2, 1"! This works for two reasons:
1. The final point, count 1, calls for action. I just want to say “Start”!
2. It’s unpleasant to make promises to yourself and not keep them, so you have to do it.
This scheme is applicable in many life situations. Count from five to one in a stressful situation - and you no longer want to yell at a naughty child.
If you need to do an unpleasant thing, start acting in five seconds. It's time to get rid of the accumulated “tails”.
Rule of 25 minutes work and 5 minutes rest
To activate the brain, Italian student Francesco Cirillo proposed the Pomodoro method back in the 1980s. The method is named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used.
Persuade your brain to work for just 25 minutes. It’s not even half an hour, but just a few minutes! “Okay,” the brain thinks, and turns on. And then either you do at least part of the useful, but possibly complex work in 25 minutes, or you immerse yourself in the process so that a couple of hours will pass unnoticed.
This approach will help improve performance.
After every 25-minute pomodoro, take a five-minute break and begin a new amount of work. After every fourth pomodoro, take a long break of 15-30 minutes. Taking breaks will make your brain more productive.
Work and don't get distracted. And if a thought about some other matter appears in your head, then just write it down and continue working.
The method quickly became popular due to its low technology: just a timer and a piece of paper with a pencil. The ticking of the timer reminds you that work is in full swing, and the bell notifies you of a break (hello to school years).
Make quality breaks
How to improve brain function with breaks? Agree with the main body about what kind of rest you will get after fruitful work.
“If you don't see the benefits of taking breaks, you might not be good at taking them,” says Carson Tate, author of Keep It Simple: Harnessing the Power of Your Own Productivity Style.
Break 5-15 minutes. Tate believes that the best activity for a short break is physical activity. You can even just walk up the stairs. Maura Thomas, author of Work Without Walls, says that sometimes the best thing to do is do nothing.
Taking a five-minute break to get distracted and daydream is the perfect way to relax.
When doing so, it can be helpful to look at something green—according to Harvard Business Review research, “green microbreaks” increase productivity and concentration.
Half an hour break. Maura Thomas and Laura Stack (author of The Exhaustion Cure) recommend spending 30 minutes on active movements. The best option is brisk walking. Carson Tate also notes the benefits of talking with other people, but not about work.
60 minutes of rest, according to Tate, should be used to change the environment and leave the workplace.
Coach Deb Lee also recommends decluttering your mind by writing out your thoughts - this will help you completely step back from work during your break and plan what you'll do next when you get back to work.
High-quality ones will help you be more productive and improve brain function.
Myth: Drinking coffee daily is good for your memory.
Caffeine does boost brain function and may delay age-related memory loss, but you shouldn't drink it regularly. You can improve your memory and enrich your knowledge with the help of books.
Read at least 1-2 books of different genres per week. Re-read old ones to “refresh the data.” If you don't use information for a long time, your brain can erase it from your memory.
Release dopamine during routine work
The first delight and interest in the new job wears off and a period of stagnation sets in. For different people this period varies, be it six months or five years, but such a period will come. Why does this happen and how to increase brain productivity?
This is inherent in nature in a part of the brain called the “striatum.” The pleasure of exploring something new leads to the release of dopamine.
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This system of brain functioning is observed even in children at an early age: a new toy captivates the child, and the child does not let it out of his hands for a day, a week. But then he finds a new toy. And not at all because this toy is better.
The thing is that it's new.
University of North Carolina professor Daniel Cable also experienced dissatisfaction with his job, although he understood the importance of teaching students. A diagnosis of cancer prompted Cable to rethink his work and life. He realized that thousands of people are grateful to him, and this is something to be proud of.
When it seems to the brain that there has been no change or something new for too long, it says: “You’re better than this, this kind of work is not for you.”
Professor Daniel Cable, in a column for Fast Company, talks about three things that will make the brain produce dopamine even during boring work.
1. Play to your strengths. Think about what is unique about you and how it could benefit you. When the professor began to use his strength - humor - he began to enjoy his work again.
2. Experiment. Stepping out of your comfort zone is important. Learn and do something new, even within the same position, take on diverse projects whenever possible.
For example, Daniel Cable began creating new curriculums instead of teaching the same course after course.
3. Use purpose. Finally, identify the impact you're making, Cable says. Correctly defined goals will help you not to lose interest.
Understanding the meaning of your work will add motivation. Not “why do I do this at all,” but “why am I doing this?”
Hacks for the brain. Scientists have published a review of methods for improving mental abilities
In an increasingly complex information society, the demands on cognitive functioning are steadily increasing. In recent years, numerous strategies have been proposed to improve brain function. Evidence of their effectiveness (or lack thereof) and side effects has sparked debate about the ethical, social and medical implications. Much like the hacker culture in computer software and hardware, more and more people are experimenting with strategies to creatively overcome the natural limitations of human cognitive abilities—in other words, “hack” the functions of their brains.
In public debate, cognitive enhancement is often viewed as a monolithic phenomenon. But in fact, this is a multi-faceted concept: there is not one “cognitive enhancer” that increases brain function per se, but a wide variety of strategies that can be divided into groups:
- biochemical;
- physical;
- behavioral.
These cognitive enhancers vary in how they are used, the cognitive domain they target, duration of action, availability and side effects, and how they work in different people. Experts from the Donder Brain Institute (Netherlands), the University of Oxford, the University of Hamburg, the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (Germany) and several other educational institutions have compiled an extensive study of different cognitive improvement strategies. The scientific article was published in the journal ACS Chem Neuroscience
(doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00571).
Scientists note that the human brain, from an evolutionary point of view, is adapted to solve completely different problems. Living comfortably in the information society and post-industrial economy requires special cognitive skills that are acquired through slow, labor-intensive and expensive processes of education and training.
Additionally, these skills may become obsolete as the world rapidly changes or be lost during the aging process. People also vary in their mental abilities, allowing them to acquire certain skills faster or slower, which can have a significant impact on success in life. Thus, strategies to improve the acquisition and maintenance of cognitive skills are increasingly important at both the individual and societal levels.
In other words, cognitive enhancement is an important task both for individuals to remain competitive in the modern world and for human civilization as a whole.
People have been striving to improve their brain function since time immemorial, but the current era is unique. The volume of intellectual problems has grown sharply, but the first real technologies have appeared that promise to solve cognitive problems.
This development has caused not only enthusiasm among biohackers, but also some fear in society. Experts have vastly different intuitions about the feasibility, usefulness, risks, and potential impact of such technologies on the world.
One of the reasons for the controversy is the lack of hard evidence. Without empirical conclusions, it is easy to defend any position, as well as criticize opponents. Another significant source of disagreement and theoretical confusion is the tendency to view cognitive enhancement as a monolithic phenomenon to be assessed as a whole, rather than as a broad set of methods with important differences and divergent implications, the authors of the study write.
Only on the basis of a clear picture of how a strategy might affect specific cognitive processes, along with expected side effects, can informed theoretical discussion develop and promising empirical research designs to test that strategy be proposed. In their work, scientists discuss seven main aspects of cognitive improvement, namely:
- mode of action;
- the cognitive domain it targets;
- personal factors;
- time of action;
- side effects;
- availability;
- social acceptance.
All these aspects are depicted in the diagram:
Seven Interdependent Aspects of Cognitive Improvement
The aim of the paper is to outline a general framework that will facilitate both theoretical discussions and empirical research.
A commonly accepted definition characterizes cognitive enhancement as an intervention aimed at improving mental functioning beyond what is necessary to maintain or restore good health. While the current bioethical debate on cognitive enhancement is heavily focused on pharmacological enhancement, enhancing cognitive performance through non-pharmacological means also fits this definition.
To systematize the wide variety of different approaches to cognitive enhancement, the authors suggest grouping enhancement strategies into three main areas according to their primary mode of action: biochemical, physical, or behavioral.
Strategies for cognitive improvement differ in the method of influence: these are physical, biochemical and behavioral methods
Scholars offer an overview of the different strategies within these clusters.
Biochemical agents are often discussed in public debate. However, biochemical interventions are not limited to pharmaceutical “smart drugs.” The use of common substances such as oxygen, for example, has also been shown to improve memory processes and neural activity in areas of the brain associated with memory.
Since ancient times, humanity has used certain nutritional components as biochemical enhancers of cognitive function. The most widely used are glucose and caffeine. Both of these substances have demonstrated positive cognitive effects in numerous studies. Besides coffee, other drinks made from caffeinated plants, such as guarana, also improve mental performance, while non-caffeine components in caffeinated plants may have independent effects on cognitive performance. Other nutritional components with some evidence of cognitive enhancing effects include flavonoids (such as in cocoa), curry (most likely due to the curcumin it contains), folic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids. Beyond specific nutritional supplements, simply not eating may improve cognitive performance: Some evidence suggests that fasting and general calorie restriction may improve memory in older adults (, ).
Some traditional herbs, such as sage, are also considered cognitive enhancers. Cognitive effects have been attributed to certain herbs from traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, such as Bacopa Monnieri. However, the most prominent examples of such traditional Asian herbal medicines have so far failed to consistently demonstrate positive effects on cognitive function in healthy individuals.
Other options for traditional biochemical intervention include drugs that are used recreationally and have demonstrated potential for enhancing certain cognitive functions. For example, nicotine improves attention and memory, and even alcohol, despite the deterioration of many cognitive functions, can enhance others, such as creativity, or memory (retroactively).
The public often views various pharmaceutical drugs as cognitive enhancers: synthetic stimulants and anti-dementia drugs. They have traditionally been at the center of public debate on cognitive enhancement. However, the evidence for their effectiveness in enhancing brain function and cognitive performance in healthy people is often much lower than suggested in theoretical discussions. It is important to note that the lack of an objective effect on cognition may be accompanied by a significant placebo effect: for example, patients who thought they were receiving mixed amphetamine salts reported a subjective improvement in cognitive performance and even showed a small objective increase in cognitive performance, regardless of the actual drug.
Pharmacological agents are usually designed to influence or mimic certain neurotransmitters, and substances that affect the transmission of nerve impulses, such as epinephrine, GABA, glucocorticoids, ovarian hormones and various neuropeptides, are also considered effective agents.
A further biochemical strategy for improving cognitive function is to study genetic modifications that have been shown to enhance certain learning and memory processes in animals.
At the same time, progress has been made in elucidating the genetic basis of cognitive traits in humans, so that in the future this may be used to develop real “intelligence enhancement” technologies.
Physical strategies to improve cognitive performance are now widely discussed, including a number of brain stimulation technologies.
While the cognitive effects of invasive techniques such as deep brain stimulation are limited to subjects with pathological conditions, several forms of supposedly noninvasive stimulation strategies are increasingly being used in healthy subjects. Among them are electrical stimulation methods:
- transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS);
- transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS);
- transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS);
- transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS);
- transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS);
- median nerve stimulation (MNS).
The details of the stimulation procedures appear to be critical: commercial homemade electrical brain stimulators may impair, rather than improve, cognitive performance.
Recent research has even questioned whether some of the most commonly used electrical brain stimulation devices have neurophysiologically significant effects at all. Against this background, the development of non-invasive deep brain stimulation via temporal interference of electric fields may provide a more systematic and targeted mechanism compared to currently used approaches. In addition to electrical stimulation methods, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), optical stimulation with lasers, and several forms of acoustic stimulation, such as transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation, binaural beats, acoustic stimulation of theta-rhythm EEG or slow oscillation sleep EEG, are also used. Potential for improving cognitive performance has been reported for all of these methods.
There are physical methods of influence that have a more indirect effect on cognitive abilities. These include whole-body vibrations and several forms of neurofeedback, such as EEG neurofeedback in the upper alpha range, which improves memory, working memory and visuospatial skills. In addition to classical neurofeedback training, which involves active effort by the subject, neurofeedback interventions have also been developed that automatically respond to low-energy currents in response to EEG activity, thereby allowing the subject to perform the procedure passively.
Recently, the use of fMRI neurofeedback using multivariate pattern analysis has shown potential for improving sustained attention and visuospatial memory.
Finally, people have always used various physical tools to improve cognitive abilities. Modern designs integrate these tools more closely with the human body.
Crowdfunding and biohacking communities have developed numerous new technical devices to temporarily enhance cognitive function through, for example, wearables, augmented reality gadgets, neural implants, or prosthetics. Under controlled laboratory conditions, such implants can improve human memory. In addition, brain-computer interfaces connect the central nervous system to computers through wearable or implanted electrodes. They open up a number of possibilities for improving cognitive functions or the collaboration between the human brain and the computer.
Although they are not generally recognized as such by the public, they are the cognitive enhancers with the most widespread use and longest history. There is rapidly growing evidence that daily activities, such as sleep or exercise, seriously improve brain function.
In addition, well-established cultural activities such as music lessons, dance, or second language learning have shown significant improvements in cognitive abilities beyond the skills taught.
In addition to these natural and cultural standard actions, several behavioral strategies have been developed to intentionally enhance certain brain functions. Two strategies that date back to ancient times are mnemonic techniques to improve learning and memory, and meditation to improve attention. Relatively recent developments with similar impact are commercial video games and computer-based personalized learning programs. However, after several years of enthusiasm and widespread commercial use, more recent controlled studies and meta-analyses have questioned the effectiveness of computer-based brain training programs, particularly criticizing claims of transfer of learning outcomes to cognitive domains that differ significantly from specifically trained skills (, ).
The human mind is not a uniform entity, but is composed of a wide range of cognitive functions. Not surprisingly, no single cognitive enhancer improves all cognitive functions. Each has a specific performance profile for different cognitive domains. For example, memory is greatly enhanced by mnemonic strategies, but not by meditation; attention, in turn, is greatly enhanced by meditation training, but not by training in mnemonic strategies. Sleep, on the other hand, enhances both cognitive abilities. Some computer training improves memory, processing speed, and visuospatial skills, but not executive function or attention. The extent to which specific training strategies influence the transfer of knowledge to untrained cognitive domains is currently under active debate.
The authors believe that both theoretical debate and empirical research would greatly benefit from a more differentiated approach to improving cognitive abilities. Specific questions may focus on certain aspects of cognitive improvement over others, and for some studies certain metrics may be completely inappropriate.
We need to understand that improving brain function is not a monolithic phenomenon. This will help avoid the confusion and disagreement that still exists in the public debate on cognitive stimulation.
Warren Buffett's 5/25 Rule
Warren Buffett is an American entrepreneur and investor with a net worth of $84.9 billion. He knows exactly how to achieve what he wants. Buffett advises writing down 25 of your goals and highlighting five of them.
And go straight to these top 5, without being distracted by other things, hobbies, opportunities. The rule is applicable in work planning, career building, family, creativity, in all areas.
Give your brain the mindset that until the five main goals/tasks/to-dos are completed, the others simply do not exist. This will help you not miss opportunities, not waste time, and activate your brain in pursuit of achievements.
Unachieved goals create stress and guilt; they depress you and prevent you from moving on.
Drugs that affect brain function (nootropics)
Nootropics have a positive effect on diseases of the central nervous system, in which insufficient amounts of oxygen and glucose come to the fore. These drugs normalize the functions of nerve cells by improving nutrition and supplying them with oxygen. In addition, drugs in this group rid cells of free radicals and improve blood count. Nootropics are used for disorders manifested by impaired attention and memory.
Piracetam and Pyritinol are available as over-the-counter nootropics. A well-known folk remedy, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, also has mild nootropic effects.
A similar group is cognitive drugs, the action of which is aimed at improving cognitive abilities, memory, and learning. The main use of the funds is the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Among over-the-counter medications, it is mainly the aforementioned ginkgo biloba extract that has a cognitive effect. But nootropic and cognitive effects are expressed to one degree or another in all drugs belonging to these groups.
The effectiveness (of both nootropics and cognitive drugs) greatly depends on the dose of the drug. Relatively high doses are usually effective: 300-600 mg of Pyritinol, 2.4 g of Piracetam.
Cases in which you should consult a doctor:
- regular use of drugs does not eliminate problems within 3 months;
- epilepsy and other serious diseases of the central nervous system;
- Possibility of use by a child;
- use during pregnancy, breastfeeding.
