I’ve just finished reading Limitless by Jim Kwok. It’s a great great and I highly recommend it.
If you would prefer to listen to this article, you can listen on YouTube or through the player below.
To be limitless is to unlock the full potential of our brains so we can learn better and achieve more. Unlocking your brain is more than just about unlocking your brain. To do that, we need to strengthen other areas of our body and lives.
There is a lot to unpack and reflect on. For now, here’s a few takeaways on how to prepare to unlock our potential.
Food, exercise, sleep, posture
You gut is your second brain. That doesn’t mean that it will make our weekend plans for us though. The ENS, or Enteric Nervous System is a complex network of neutrons and cells found within our gut. It plays a big part in how our brain function as it is connected to our Central Nervous System. The ENS can influence brain behaviour. Studies have found that changes in the gut microbiome can affect the ENS and alter brain function, leading to changes in mood, behaviour, and cognition. Whilst many more studies are needed to fully understand the effects, what we can draw from this is how important it is that we eat the right foods. We want a healthy microbiome for brain health.
Good food and regular exercise increases focus and memory retention. It helps to increase the size of our hippocampus. Better focus is achieved through better quality sleep.
Having the right posture and deep breathes, being in an energised state, these are further keys to unlocking that door. As a bonus tip, consider putting nasal strips on your nose at night to really unlock your breathing and help with a better nights rest.
It’s not just about focusing on reviewing your notes or reading more to unlock brain health. Staying healthy greatly influences our brain and in helping us to unlock our capacity.
Act on information
To get the most of out of learning, we actually need to act on the information that we have taken in. We need to create to learn. This could be teaching others, writing a summary, giving a presentation, making a video, coming up with an acronym, and so forth. Knowledge only becomes powerful when we use it.
By thinking about how we can act on information, we also prime ourselves to take in this information and be better positioned to retain the information, and to be focused as we are answering ‘why’ we need to know. We should ask the right questions:
- How can I use this?
- Why must I use this?
- When will I use this?
We can then build out our toolkit so when we are in new situations we have extra knowledge that we can act on.
Know your purpose
Take time to think about your values. What is it that you want it life. To consider where we are aiming and if we are heading in the right direction. We don’t need to know the exact coordinates. Starting off, knowing we need to head East is enough. Over time, with more experience, leaning and clarity we will be able to make finer adjustments to your journey so we zoom in on the destination we are heading towards.
The better we know our values and where we are going, the easier decisions will become. It’s easier to say ‘no’ when something clearly does not align with us. It’s easier to simplify what we take on and where we focus our time when we know exactly what it is that we want.
Which brings me to my next point.
Set boundaries
We need to establish and maintain boundaries around our time, energy, and mental health.
If we don’t, our time will often become used for us, and we’ll go from thing to thing with no real thought around its usefulness. If we understand what our values are and where we want to aim, we can be very selective with how we use our time. Importantly, we can begin to take steps that our time is focused on moving us towards our aim and in having the character that we want. If you want to be healthy, then we need more boundaries around time to go on walks, get to the gym, go climbing. That might mean less pub catchups. It might mean less TV time and more catchups with friends. More time spent pursuing hobbies and activities that matter to us.
We also need boundaries around our energy, having breaks scheduled so we can recharge. Protecting our mental health is important too.
Seek out small steps to build small wins
Look for the small steps you can take each day that build to small wins. It might be putting your shoes and gym bag by the door so it’s easier to get ready in the morning when you are tired. This is the small step to get you into the car. Then it’s easier to drive to the gym and do your workout.
Morning routines can help to set systems and structure around your day. Have a cold shower to start the day with some discomfort. Brush your teeth with your non dominant hand and whilst balancing on one leg.
Send that one email that’s been on your mind and is a brief reply. Until it’s send it remains on our mind as an open loop. Let’s just get it done.