Improving the Mind

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Namie

Namie

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Alright, so basically I was studying ways to improve the mind, and I wanted to know does anyone has tips/tricks/ways of life that makes you ACE all the classes, get 4.0's, improve the memory, retain the information better, feel better or whatever. What books do you recommend for general mental improvement. I was like reading my text for the past hour and I'm like, "omg... I am not retaining this information good enough".

Right now I am a believer in Omega 3 fatty-acids, not sure if it has improve my memory, but the world believes it does.

Anyways, I have math class, and the next chapter (after looking over it) will be the toughest experience of my college career thus far.
 
Namie said:
Alright, so basically I was studying ways to improve the mind, and I wanted to know does anyone has tips/tricks/ways of life that makes you ACE all the classes, get 4.0's, improve the memory, retain the information better, feel better or whatever. What books do you recommend for general mental improvement. I was like reading my text for the past hour and I'm like, "omg... I am not retaining this information good enough".

Right now I am a believer in Omega 3 fatty-acids, not sure if it has improve my memory, but the world believes it does.

Anyways, I have math class, and the next chapter (after looking over it) will be the toughest experience of my college career thus far.
Click to expand...

There's no magic; pick up the book and read it, write notes, do whatever you have to in order to fully understand the material.
 
What is it with people on this forum and supplements? No supplement is going to get you an A in your math class.

Here's what I did for every one of the 12 math classes I took:

1. Read the chapter before lecture and take notes on the important points.
2. Go to lecture and take notes.
3. Review the chapter after lecture and do the problems assigned (mandatory or not).

Make sure you actually understand what you're reading, and you aren't just skimming through it while thinking about the weekend. In other words, if you aren't able to explain the chapter you just read to someone else - as in tutor them - you don't understand it well enough for the test.
 
A nice diet and regular exercise helps me focus more. That and dedication; if you want those results badly enough then you can do it.
 
CodeBlu said:
Go to the gym, pump some iron, do light cardio for 20-30 minutes.

You'll be amazed at how much more you can remember.
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I second the daily exercise, but absolutely nothing excessive. If you overextend yourself you'll just tire yourself out, waste a lot of time, and generally kill your productivity. Also this works best with workouts that engage you the entire time and that can take your mind off things. It's not helpful to do half-hearted workouts during which you just brood.
 
Etorphine said:
there actually is magic. If you have a pubmed subscription, run a search for "BDNF aerobic exercise hippocampus".
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I doubt the OP can exercise for long enough to increase BDNF mRNA levels to the point where he'll "do better" in math. Why not just use the time to study?
 
Well I do realize "hard work" is the main key to learning the material, but we all have IQ's, and I just want to improve my IQ or brain power so I will learn it faster/more efficiently/less mistakes.
 
Namie said:
Well I do realize "hard work" is the main key to learning the material, but we all have IQ's, and I just want to improve my IQ or brain power so I will learn it faster/more efficiently/less mistakes.
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...and hard work is the best way to do that, not take supplements that "the whole world believes in."
 
Namie said:
Well I do realize "hard work" is the main key to learning the material, but we all have IQ's, and I just want to improve my IQ or brain power so I will learn it faster/more efficiently/less mistakes.
Click to expand...
Wait, you don't already take IQ pills? You're even farther behind than I thought.
 
Get a nootropic drug like the one in "Limitless."
(If it was real I would take it the day when I take my MCAT)
 
That's why I take it once. For the MCAT. Or maybe for every other big exam I take in the following years.
I mean, as the movie shows, even if you come across the tiniest detail that can be incorporated into something, you can remember it and piece it together to get an answer.
So technically, I will still have to do some studying anyways.
It's more like a super-memory inducing drug.
You can remember things a lot quicker and more efficiently.
 
JohnnyRomanes said:
That's why I take it once. For the MCAT. Or maybe for every other big exam I take in the following years.
I mean, as the movie shows, even if you come across the tiniest detail that can be incorporated into something, you can remember it and piece it together to get an answer.
So technically, I will still have to do some studying anyways.
It's more like a super-memory inducing drug.
You can remember things a lot quicker and more efficiently.
Click to expand...

Same thing was running through my mind when I saw the movie. Damn, I wish I had some of those pills for my MCAT. 🙁
 
To the OP, I had the same problem you were having a few years ago.
I came to the realization that I'm just not very good at retaining information on sight. So I came up with a personal system of study that helps.

1.) read the chapters and take VERY detailed notes (maybe 7 pages of notes for a 20 page chapter)... to the point where the book is no longer necessary. I found that when I read something I wrote by hand, I remember the information much much more efficiently.

2.) study those notes, and take notes on your notes. This becomes your study template that excludes all of the book's wording and language into pure information.

3.) then study those notes and then take another level of notes.. much more condensed (basically key words, concepts, and facts you keep forgetting). This should allow you to condense an entire chapter into one or two pages of notes.


4.) Study and memorize everythinggggggggggggggggg

5.) allow yourself at least 6 hours before an exam to rest



It takes forever, but you wanted a miracle and this is the cure.
 
CodeBlu said:
Go to the gym, pump some iron, do light cardio for 20-30 minutes.

You'll be amazed at how much more you can remember.
Click to expand...
IDK about that. I lift heavy three days a week and only feel extremely tired and want to sleep. I think its because Im skinny.🙁
 
I use a multiple-pass method to reinforce concepts.

First pass: Lecture.
Second pass: Re-annotation and/or review groups.
Third pass: Practice problems, weekend cramming.

As for my mind, I memorized all Magic cards up until Odyssey (then quit) and raid and PvP with five classes in World of Warcraft, so I'm pretty used to multitasking and correlating different ideas organized in different domains. I listen to a variety of music ranging from classical to industrial to new age to black metal to mariachi. Music can open the mind.

You can also do the same thing by reading long and complicated epics like Lord of the Rings, or Dune, or perhaps even those Dostoyevsky novels. You could learn to count cards as you play Blackjack, etc.

At the end of the day, I'm convinced that the average person is very teachable. However, the amount of effort required and the amount of "passes" required over a material in order for a person to master it, varies. Some can "get it" just by staring at the professor 3 hours a week and get an A: That was me in my freshman/sophomore years. Some can't and must study. And, even the really smart / quick / photographic memoried people will have to make several passes over the really tough materials, such as those in med school (due to sheer volume if nothing else.)
 
Congenital skinnyness is not something to be sad about 😛
 
Doctor246853 said:
HA! I eat and lift more than alot of guys...but to no avail.🙁
Click to expand...

I had the same problem. What was weird is that I was only around 9% body fat, so it was just that I was having trouble gaining fat weight. Anyway, it turned out I had hyperthyroidism. Might want to get yourself checked out 😛
 
sleeping 8 hours a day is probably the best "steroid" you could give your brain
 
CodeBlu said:
Go to the gym, pump some iron, do light cardio for 20-30 minutes.

You'll be amazed at how much more you can remember.
Click to expand...

Exclude weight training and do cardio, that helps. It just makes me feel more energized and want to actually work my mind and complete stuff I don't want to do.
*Disclaimer* This only works in the mornings. If you do it at night you will probably fall asleep driving home.
 
LuciusVorenus said:
I had the same problem. What was weird is that I was only around 9% body fat, so it was just that I was having trouble gaining fat weight. Anyway, it turned out I had hyperthyroidism. Might want to get yourself checked out 😛
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Scary. Im not boney. Just built like a slim swimmer. I hope its not a medical condition.😕 *Leave it to sdn to log in to post a comment and leave diagnosed with stage 3 leukemia*
 
Doctor246853 said:
Scary. Im not boney. Just built like a slim swimmer. I hope its not a medical condition.😕 *Leave it to sdn to log in to post a comment and leave diagnosed with stage 3 leukemia*
Click to expand...

Haha! Hyperthyroidism is awesome in a way. In gives you heart rate problems/sweating problems, but it also makes you really hyper. You're almost always awake enough to study and work out, and if you do gain weight it'll be mostly muscle 😀

Also, you can eat all you want whenever you want.
 
LuciusVorenus said:
Haha! Hyperthyroidism is awesome in a way. In gives you heart rate problems/sweating problems, but it also makes you really hyper. You're almost always awake enough to study and work out, and if you do gain weight it'll be mostly muscle 😀

Also, you can eat all you want whenever you want.
Click to expand...
Well I dont sweat or have heart problems so I guess I can cross that off the list.Whew.. Yeah I gain muscle and strenght but cant get any body fat. It's not cool dude not cool.
 
Doctor246853 said:
Well I dont sweat or have heart problems so I guess I can cross that off the list.Whew.. Yeah I gain muscle and strenght but cant get any body fat. It's not cool dude not cool.
Click to expand...

That's awesome haha. Why would you want to gain fat? If you fill out with muscle you'll have the perfect build.

But agree, trying to get anything done after doing legs for me is pointless. I come home, eat and fall asleep.

To OP; exercise regularly, eat healthier and pay attention. I don't really know what else to say. Make sure you get your vitamins and workout (physically and mentally). There is no secret supplement out there.
 
You need to mega-dose omega-3s everyday for brain health and memory retention, I'd say like 10 g's a day; and if people comment on a fishy odor in the air you know you're supplementing enough. Also, beta-alinine supplementation is highly recommended for lactic acid buffering for a large increase of endurance in your hand when writing for entensive periods of time.

Also recycling any vitamins and other essentials excreted in your urine is a good thing to add to your regimen (I learned this one from the following boxer whom I trained with in high-altitude in the mountains of Mexico)

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqxHfaIA8IU[/YOUTUBE]
 
10047123.jpg
 
Doctor246853 said:
Well I dont sweat or have heart problems so I guess I can cross that off the list.Whew.. Yeah I gain muscle and strenght but cant get any body fat. It's not cool dude not cool.
Click to expand...

Same. I eat like a disgusting pig all day but I look like I a very skinny guy.
 
I've heard a lot of good things about piracetam, however it is purely anecdotal, so take from that what you will. I believe one of the main suppliers stopped producing within the last year, so you may have a difficult time finding a steady/affordable source of decent quality. Nootropics would probably be the best bet for what you are describing, but they tend to ride on the fine line between supplement pseudo-science and barely more effective than placebo.

I'm a big fan of caffeine if I just need to feel awake or do something physically intense. Nicotine is by far the better cognitive stimulant in my experience, 2mg (sublingual or trans-dermal, not smoked) provides 1-2 hours of the greatest mental clarity I have experienced from a stimulant. . Unfortunately you may build a tolerance quickly and it is supposedly the hardest addiction to break.
 
A nice diet and regular exercise helps me focus more.
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