Four Tools That Will Get Your Brain Firing

Four Tools For Increasing Cognitive Output

The tools I'm using to do better work.

As much as I don't believe ticking off to-do lists are the best way to work. I'm not immune to the dopamine rush from getting stuff done.

Which is why I'm constantly testing new ways to help me do more deep work. The more sustained periods of deep work I do, the more fulfilling (dopamine prompting) work I complete and the more I want to do.

These 4 tools have helped me the most so far.

​The Waking Up App​

I've used this guided meditation tool for 10 minutes every morning for over 1000 days. Many studies, like this one from Harvard, suggest mediation increases dopamine release.

Caffeine

Caffeine causes increased dopamine release and increases your dopamine receptors' availability, so you are more sensitive to circulating dopamine. I take caffeine 90 minutes after waking and avoid it past midday to not disrupt my sleep.

Intermittent Reward Timing

I randomly celebrate long bouts of work by getting something nice to eat or taking a 10-minute break to watch Netflix.

I also selectively choose not to celebrate wins (results); why?

Celebrating your working process makes work more rewarding and exciting than any individual win. I.e. celebrate the process, not the outcome.

Supplements

I take 500 mg of L-Tyrosine before hard cognitive work (Like writing an annual plan or other high-concentration work). This can be paired with 300 mg of Alpha-GPC. I only do this for prolonged working bouts of 90 - 180 minutes.

Notes: To do your best work, give your mind and body the tools it needs to thrive.

The Richard Feynman Problem Solving Technique

How I solve challenging problems

At least once a month, I face a problem that I can't just sit down and nut out with a few minutes of deep thought.

I've found these 'tougher' problems - take many at-bats before a decent solution reveals itself.

Like deciding whether to extend my lease or find a new premise. Or a new way to promote a product.

For these challenges, I like to use Richard Feynman's technique.

Richard is a world-renowned theoretical and quantum physicist, so you can imagine the type of stuff he is trying to figure out.

"You have to keep a dozen of your favourite problems constantly present in your mind, although by and large they will lay in a dormant state. Every time you hear a new trick or a new result, test it against each of your twelve problems to see whether it helps. Every once in a while, there will be a hit, and people will say, 'How did he do it? He must be a genius!"

Not that mine are remotely comparable, but the technique seems to work.

Sometimes in just a few days, other times, it's weeks or months, but eventually, somehow, a solution appears.

It just takes time.

Notes: Tough problems may take many revolutions to solve - keep your mind working on them by keeping them top of mind.

What Are You Optimising For This Year

My current favourite question.

A question I've been pondering over the holiday period is, 'what am I optimising for?'

This is part of my annual review and helps me figure out what I want to achieve during the year, my goals, and so on. It's my counter to the default societal goal of 'make more money'.

Which I think is entirely useless.

For example, I have a family friend who runs a services business and is always talking about making more money or complaining about not having enough of it.

For three years now, as much as they've tried to make more, their situation has worsened, not better'ed.

They'd be better off optimising for financial planning. They are good at sales, so generating money isn't the issue; it's managing their money, i.e. making decent financial decisions.

Last year I optimised for well-being and spent a ton of time figuring out what I enjoy, what makes me fulfilled, what makes me feel good and so on. Then built a bunch of habits into my life that helped me improve that.

Because I focused on that - I made substantial progress there, and the benefits spilled over to other aspects of my life too.

For some of you, the answer might be 'spending more time with family' or 'enjoying more experiences'. Almost anything will be better and more fulfilling long-term than 'make more money'.

Mine is getting better at communicating/conversing with people.

Now that I know that, I can start structuring my life to help me achieve it. And my first step is joining toast-masters.

Notes: You can sleep-walk through life, or start optimising for what you actually want.