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Most people:
1. drink coffee every day
2. never drink coffee
3. coffee only when sleepy/bored
Galaxy brain:
4. Use caffeine on days you would already be very focused & engaged, to reach new levels of creativity & focus! Increase frequency of breakthroughs
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Threadhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧵" title="Thread" aria-label="Emoji: Thread">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">
1. drink coffee every day
2. never drink coffee
3. coffee only when sleepy/bored
Galaxy brain:
4. Use caffeine on days you would already be very focused & engaged, to reach new levels of creativity & focus! Increase frequency of breakthroughs
Thread
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The basic gist is that the way caffeine tolerance works means that after 2-3 weeks of drinking coffee daily, your body upregulates adenosine production and now you need coffee to even feel awake & alert in the first place!
So this suggests strategy #1(daily) doesn& #39;t help much...
So this suggests strategy #1(daily) doesn& #39;t help much...
What about strategy #2? (no caffeine)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤷♀️" title="Woman shrugging" aria-label="Emoji: Woman shrugging"> Totally acceptable to avoid a particular drug, especially if you don& #39;t know of a sustainably workable way to consume it. https://twitter.com/m_ashcroft/status/1246527844282499072">https://twitter.com/m_ashcrof...
Then strategy #3? (caffeine only when sleepy)
If this is super rare (a 4am airport drive; morning after kid was up sick; etc) then it& #39;s like #2 but with a secret power up your sleeve—useful!
But if it becomes a regular thing...
If this is super rare (a 4am airport drive; morning after kid was up sick; etc) then it& #39;s like #2 but with a secret power up your sleeve—useful!
But if it becomes a regular thing...
...well, if you drink coffee every time you& #39;re sleepy, and you stay up too late 3-4 times per week, then you& #39;re going to end up drinking enough coffee that you get tolerance, which will then put a cap on your max alertness! (plus maybe get dependence)
Blue line, below
Blue line, below
@random_walker, who invented this model, notes that lower max alertness for higher minimum alertness is a good trade for:
- boring, repetitive work, where max output is limited by external constraints (eg data entry)
- work where very-low attention is disastrous (eg truck driver)
- boring, repetitive work, where max output is limited by external constraints (eg data entry)
- work where very-low attention is disastrous (eg truck driver)
So caffeine can& #39;t help your average alertness, but can allow you to change the variance. What about that higher-variance red line?
The red peaks are perfect for non-repetitive work:
- challenging technical problems
- insight-generation
- synthesizing nuanced perspectives!
The red peaks are perfect for non-repetitive work:
- challenging technical problems
- insight-generation
- synthesizing nuanced perspectives!
Use caffeine where it& #39;ll make the most difference.
In the 2 charts below, say caffeine moves your attn the same amount to the right. Nonlinear returns!
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔵" title="Blue circle" aria-label="Emoji: Blue circle"> antagonistic: get out of the pit (function at all while tired)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔴" title="Red circle" aria-label="Emoji: Red circle"> synergistic: reach the peak (deep flow at 120% capacity)
In the 2 charts below, say caffeine moves your attn the same amount to the right. Nonlinear returns!
antagonistic: get out of the pit (function at all while tired)https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔴" title="Red circle" aria-label="Emoji: Red circle"> synergistic: reach the peak (deep flow at 120% capacity)" title="Use caffeine where it& #39;ll make the most difference.In the 2 charts below, say caffeine moves your attn the same amount to the right. Nonlinear returns!https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔵" title="Blue circle" aria-label="Emoji: Blue circle"> antagonistic: get out of the pit (function at all while tired)https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔴" title="Red circle" aria-label="Emoji: Red circle"> synergistic: reach the peak (deep flow at 120% capacity)" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
Tips for synergistic caffeine usage:
- get good sleep
- avoid tolerance: do it once/week (maybe 2-3× during an atypical 1week sprint, then a week off)
- take L-theanine to reduce jitters
- maybe 1 dose first thing, then when that wanes, take a nap + more caffeine
- get good sleep
- avoid tolerance: do it once/week (maybe 2-3× during an atypical 1week sprint, then a week off)
- take L-theanine to reduce jitters
- maybe 1 dose first thing, then when that wanes, take a nap + more caffeine
Oh! Also, some find that taking caffeine while rested when they have no tolerance causes anxiety rather than excitement.
If so, I suggest starting low & combining it the first time with some movement (running, dancing) or meditation, to unlearn "fast heartrate = anxiety"
If so, I suggest starting low & combining it the first time with some movement (running, dancing) or meditation, to unlearn "fast heartrate = anxiety"
Why isn& #39;t this more common?
Probably most people who get into coffee originally do it as a daily habit, & it& #39;s hard enough to quit, let alone do something more strategic.
Also, a lot of people are tired & find their work boring, so caffeine just helps them get through each day.
Probably most people who get into coffee originally do it as a daily habit, & it& #39;s hard enough to quit, let alone do something more strategic.
Also, a lot of people are tired & find their work boring, so caffeine just helps them get through each day.
However! Why hack yourself into a shape that doesn& #39;t mind doing boring work?
I was inspired to make this thread today because @reasonisfun & @m_ashcroft were tweeting about how coffee is a tool that The System uses for mass control of the populacehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😜" title="Winking face with tongue" aria-label="Emoji: Winking face with tongue"> https://twitter.com/m_ashcroft/status/1246530669280464899">https://twitter.com/m_ashcrof...
I was inspired to make this thread today because @reasonisfun & @m_ashcroft were tweeting about how coffee is a tool that The System uses for mass control of the populace
And as Lulie points out here, the actual issue isn& #39;t the coffee but being surrendered to perpetually doing boring things!
I& #39;m a huge fan of rearranging your life to avoid doing things you find boring, tedious, etc. https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/status/1246578030790815744">https://twitter.com/reasonisf...
I& #39;m a huge fan of rearranging your life to avoid doing things you find boring, tedious, etc. https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/status/1246578030790815744">https://twitter.com/reasonisf...
There& #39;s actually 2 separate things here, though they kind of naturally go together:
- whether to use caffeine while sleepy vs rested
- whether to use caffeine to numb out & tolerate boring work, or to enhance your flow on challenging & meaningful work
- whether to use caffeine while sleepy vs rested
- whether to use caffeine to numb out & tolerate boring work, or to enhance your flow on challenging & meaningful work
I want to comment on that, given that boredom isn& #39;t 100% evitable.
1: if I start well-rested, then caffeine can sometimes make an otherwise boring task *fun*. eg I did my taxes one year with 300mg of caffeine and I was dashing around organizing biz receipts!
1: if I start well-rested, then caffeine can sometimes make an otherwise boring task *fun*. eg I did my taxes one year with 300mg of caffeine and I was dashing around organizing biz receipts!
2: Often meaningful projects have random boring bits in them (even if they only take 1min) or bits that seem boring until you start them (then they& #39;re fun)
Here caffeine (or any focus tool) can prevent fleeing challenge into distraction. Flow+work is more enjoyable than YouTube!
Here caffeine (or any focus tool) can prevent fleeing challenge into distraction. Flow+work is more enjoyable than YouTube!
3: something something dzogchen something something emptiness
there& #39;s a way to do unpleasant or boring things without suffering or self-coercing
it& #39;s very hard to articulate what this ishttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙃" title="Upside-down face" aria-label="Emoji: Upside-down face"> https://twitter.com/Malcolm_Ocean/status/1171096282582196224">https://twitter.com/Malcolm_O...
there& #39;s a way to do unpleasant or boring things without suffering or self-coercing
it& #39;s very hard to articulate what this is
I& #39;ll close with: caffeine is an amazingly safe drug to experiment with.
A 10× dose isn& #39;t 10× energy but actually just weirdhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😒" title="Unamused face" aria-label="Emoji: Unamused face">
(and will mess up your sleep)
There& #39;s physical dependence (headache when you quit) but its tolerance profile caps out rather than escalating.
A 10× dose isn& #39;t 10× energy but actually just weird
(and will mess up your sleep)
There& #39;s physical dependence (headache when you quit) but its tolerance profile caps out rather than escalating.
Contrast w other stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines, etc) which act on the dopamine system & are thus more seriously psychologically addicting.
There tolerance means "take more for roughly same effects" til "more" is too much & then you die.
Oh also they& #39;re illegal & expensive.
There tolerance means "take more for roughly same effects" til "more" is too much & then you die.
Oh also they& #39;re illegal & expensive.
Huge shout-out to @random_walker for:
- having this idea at all
- writing about it here: https://arvindn.livejournal.com/57651.html
-">https://arvindn.livejournal.com/57651.htm... licensing it CC-BY-SA, so I could happily remix it, liberally quoting the original text & using his graphics, while also upgrading them
I& #39;ll buy you ahttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="☕️" title="Hot beverage" aria-label="Emoji: Hot beverage">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙏" title="Folded hands" aria-label="Emoji: Folded hands">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😝" title="Squinting face with tongue" aria-label="Emoji: Squinting face with tongue">
- having this idea at all
- writing about it here: https://arvindn.livejournal.com/57651.html
-">https://arvindn.livejournal.com/57651.htm... licensing it CC-BY-SA, so I could happily remix it, liberally quoting the original text & using his graphics, while also upgrading them
I& #39;ll buy you a
