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

1. wild salmon (and other fish)
2. turkey breast (and chicken breast)
3. walnuts  (and all nuts and seeds)
4. soy
5. beans ( and all legumes)
6. yogurt

Fruit

1. blueberries ( and all berries)
2. oranges ( and other citrus)
3. apples
4. kiwi fruit
5. pomegranate
6. dried fruit from list above (plus other dried fruit)

Vegetables

1. pumpkin  (and sweet potato and carrot)
2. spinach ( and other green leaves)
3. tomatoes
4. broccoli ( and cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts)
5. onions
6. garlic
7.  avocado

Other foods

1. green tea ( and black tea)
2. honey
3. olive oil
4. 70% dark chocolate
5. oats ( and other whole grain cereals)
6. cinnamon ( and other spices and herbs)

Supplements

1. fish oil
2. psyllium
3. sunlight
4. turmeric + black pepper
5. caffeine
6. other foods with special qualities
7. grapefruit
8. celery, rosemary, capsicum ( and other lutetium?-rich foods)
9. apple cider vinegar

Important numbers to remember

1. waist circumference < 80 cm for women; < 95 cm for non-Asian men
2. < x bpm resting heart rate for women; < x bpm for men
3. walk 10000 steps a day
4. increase heart rate  up by %  during interval training
5. walk up three flights of steps comfortably

Types of exercise

1. weight-bearing
2.  cardio — regular and interval
3. stretching

Concentration routine

1. Take caffeine.
2. Visualise yourself doing all these  right things while working.
3. Tell yourself the task is important and meaningful.
4. Tell yourself you  can concentrate well for along time.
5. Put yourself in a sober, serious and calm mood
6. Set a challenging but achievable  task goal – either a time or output goal or both
7. Get yourself comfortable todo the task.
8. Control interruptions.
9. Pull your mind back to the task when it wanders.
10. Go back to the task  if you catch yourself  doing something else.
11. Make yourself to do it 5 more when you want to quit prematurely.
12. Push yourself to do 10 more minutes once you’ve achieved your target time.

Things to improve cognitive function long term

1. meditation
2. play n-back game
3. fixing the engative emotions of depression, anxiety, tension and anger
4. taking fish oil
5. eating turmeric and other anti-inflammatories
6. eating anti-oxidants
7. exercise
8. doing  fast walking
9. dancing
10. socializing
11. building up concentration muscle by making self practise concentrating for longer

Enhancing short-term cognitive performance

1. getting enough sleep
2. taking power naps
3. taking caffeine
4. fast walking
5. exercise
6. applying concentrate routine
7. tipping self out of negative emotions
8. doing stuff you enjoy and has meaning for you
9. controlling interruptions

Faulty thinking traps to be on guard against

1. recency effect
2. primacy effect
3.  beautiful is good effect
4. sunk costs effect
5. wisdom of hindsight effect
6. exaggerating personal control effect
7. exaggerating personal ability effect
8.  selective bias effect
9. people agree with me bias
10. other people behave badly  becasue they’re character -flawed; I behave badly because of extenuating circumstances
11. the victim deserved it
12. the good old days were better than today
13. over-generalisation bias – because I failed this time I will always fail
14. magnification of bad  things and minimization of good things
15. neagtive bias filter -focusing only on bad and not seeing teh good
16. stereotyping – over-inclusion
17. slippery slope – foreseeing  catastrophe leading from one bad thing
18. wishful thinking
19. head in sand avoidance tactic

Problem-solving strategies

1. Spot underlying problem inside presenting problem
2. Satisficing rather than maximizing situation
3. Ready-fire-aim
4. Hedge bets
5. Try before buying
6. Nibble your way in
7. Go with  “sure-thing” solution and then build on it
8. Sleep on it before deciding
9. Ddecide by a deadline
10. Have a Plan B ready to go if solution fails
11. Undo the decision and try another
12. Do anything rather than nothing at all
13. Ask an expert
14. Involve stakeholders in selecting the solution
15. Give solution a fair trial
16. Go for biggest bang for buck solution
17. Go for solution that best feels like “you”
18. Separate facts from assumptions from wishful thinking
19. Dig deep –push for more solutions
20. Do consequences: consider the worse-case scenario of  the solution failing
21. Don’t let irrational fears stop you from selecting the best solution
22. Gather more information to get fully informed
23. Practise prudence: think before jumping in
24. Quit when the solution is clearly not working
25. Quit when the solution stops  working
26. Find out solutions have worked for others
27. Think aobut which solutions have worked for you in the past
28. Assess your ability to handle the failure or nasty fallout of  the solution if it turns bad
29. Phone a friend–seek others opinions (not necessarily experts)
30. Go with the  “campaign” solution i.e.  try the multi-pronged solution
31. Practise continuous improvement: review solution outcome and keep improving it
32. Practise eqanimity rather than trying to solve something you can’t fix (focus your energy only on things you have control over)
33. Be patient waiting for the best solution and waiting for results to come from that solution
34. Monitor solution effectiveness
35. Back evidence-based solutions: look for proof that the solution will probably work
36. Watch out for faulty thinking biases corrupting your decision-making process