This is a work in progress!!
I’m typing this from memory. I still have to organise the points under logical headings. I’ve left lots of points out- -and I still have lots more topics to cover.
Here is a simple idea: if I memorise what I want to do, I’m more likely to do it.
If I can’t remember something, I definitely can’t do it.
Writing everything down as checklists and checking those checklists every now and then helps, but it’s heaps better if I just know “deeply” all the things I want to do.
It’s hard memorising long lists. Of course, there’s a whole body of research behind how to memorising lots of information. I should look that information up and memorise the key steps!!!
One possible spin-off of all this list -remembering I do is my working memory may be growing! It sure does feel like something is growing inside my brain because trying to remember all this stuff hurts so much!
Foods to eat often ( from Steve Pratt’s SuperFoods book)
Protein
- wild salmon (and other fish)
- turkey breast (and chicken breast)
- walnuts (and all nuts and seeds)
- soy
- beans ( and all legumes)
- yogurt
Fruit
- blueberries ( and all berries)
- oranges ( and other citrus)
- apples
- kiwi fruit
- pomegranate
- dried fruit from list above (plus other dried fruit)
Vegetables
- pumpkin (and sweet potato and carrot)
- spinach ( and other green leaves)
- tomatoes
- broccoli ( and cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts)
- onions
- garlic
- avocado
Other foods
- green tea ( and black tea)
- honey
- olive oil
- 70% dark chocolate
- oats ( and other whole grain cereals)
- cinnamon ( and other spices and herbs)
Supplements
- fish oil
- psyllium
- sunlight
- turmeric + black pepper
- caffeine
- other foods with special qualities
- grapefruit
- celery, rosemary, capsicum ( and other lutetium?-rich foods)
- apple cider vinegar
Important numbers to remember
- waist circumference < 80 cm for women; < 95 cm for non-Asian men
- < x bpm resting heart rate for women; < x bpm for men
- walk 10000 steps a day
- increase heart rate up by % during interval training
- walk up three flights of steps comfortably
Types of exercise
- weight-bearing
- cardio — regular and interval
- stretching
Concentration routine
- Take caffeine.
- Visualise yourself doing all these right things while working.
- Tell yourself the task is important and meaningful.
- Tell yourself you can concentrate well for along time.
- Put yourself in a sober, serious and calm mood
- Set a challenging but achievable task goal – either a time or output goal or both
- Get yourself comfortable todo the task.
- Control interruptions.
- Pull your mind back to the task when it wanders.
- Go back to the task if you catch yourself doing something else.
- Make yourself to do it 5 more when you want to quit prematurely.
- Push yourself to do 10 more minutes once you’ve achieved your target time.
Things to improve cognitive function long term
- meditation
- play n-back game
- fixing the engative emotions of depression, anxiety, tension and anger
- taking fish oil
- eating turmeric and other anti-inflammatories
- eating anti-oxidants
- exercise
- doing fast walking
- dancing
- socializing
- building up concentration muscle by making self practise concentrating for longer
Enhancing short-term cognitive performance
- getting enough sleep
- taking power naps
- taking caffeine
- fast walking
- exercise
- applying concentrate routine
- tipping self out of negative emotions
- doing stuff you enjoy and has meaning for you
- controlling interruptions
Faulty thinking traps to be on guard against
- recency effect
- primacy effect
- beautiful is good effect
- sunk costs effect
- wisdom of hindsight effect
- exaggerating personal control effect
- exaggerating personal ability effect
- selective bias effect
- people agree with me bias
- other people behave badly becasue they’re character -flawed; I behave badly because of extenuating circumstances
- the victim deserved it
- the good old days were better than today
- over-generalisation bias – because I failed this time I will always fail
- magnification of bad things and minimization of good things
- neagtive bias filter -focusing only on bad and not seeing teh good
- stereotyping – over-inclusion
- slippery slope – foreseeing catastrophe leading from one bad thing
- wishful thinking
- head in sand avoidance tactic
Problem-solving strategies
- Spot underlying problem inside presenting problem
- Satisficing rather than maximizing situation
- Ready-fire-aim
- Hedge bets
- Try before buying
- Nibble your way in
- Go with “sure-thing” solution and then build on it
- Sleep on it before deciding
- Ddecide by a deadline
- Have a Plan B ready to go if solution fails
- Undo the decision and try another
- Do anything rather than nothing at all
- Ask an expert
- Involve stakeholders in selecting the solution
- Give solution a fair trial
- Go for biggest bang for buck solution
- Go for solution that best feels like “you”
- Separate facts from assumptions from wishful thinking
- Dig deep –push for more solutions
- Do consequences: consider the worse-case scenario of the solution failing
- Don’t let irrational fears stop you from selecting the best solution
- Gather more information to get fully informed
- Practise prudence: think before jumping in
- Quit when the solution is clearly not working
- Quit when the solution stops working
- Find out solutions have worked for others
- Think aobut which solutions have worked for you in the past
- Assess your ability to handle the failure or nasty fallout of the solution if it turns bad
- Phone a friend–seek others opinions (not necessarily experts)
- Go with the “campaign” solution i.e. try the multi-pronged solution
- Practise continuous improvement: review solution outcome and keep improving it
- Practise eqanimity rather than trying to solve something you can’t fix (focus your energy only on things you have control over)
- Be patient waiting for the best solution and waiting for results to come from that solution
- Monitor solution effectiveness
- Back evidence-based solutions: look for proof that the solution will probably work
- Watch out for faulty thinking biases corrupting your decision-making process
Speak Your Mind