How to Succeed in Your Studies — Part 5
The Right Regime for Brain
High-quality performance needs adequate care. When I want to learn extensive study, I have to take care of myself properly. The following regime is about my principles, and just like in the first article of this series, each of us may like a slightly different lifestyle.
Regime
Some successful people like Steve Jobs perform in the same clothes. In this case, it is a black turtleneck and blue jeans. The reason isn’t just marketing support and brand building. It is also part of a regular regime that aims to save mental energy. (Isaacson, 2011)
In general, if I want to have strong control over my actions and emotions during studies, I need to be well self-disciplined. Whenever I’m trying to minimize processes, which aren’t so crucial for me on a given day, I automatically tend to be better focused on current priorities like studies. Unproductive activities can be reduced by principle 80/20. This rule suggests that 20% percent of my activities will account for 80% percent of my results. For this purpose, I have a morning and night routine. (Manson, 1999)
Morning Routine (7–9 AM)
- Taking a superfood supplement (spirulina, green barley, chlorella, matcha or kelp)
- 30–60 minutes of working out
- Cold shower (Hof, 2017)
- Family breakfast
- Planning the day
Let’s save some libraries!
Night Routine (7–9 PM)
- Preparation for the next day (including noticed three upcoming priorities)
- Exemption from all technology (phones, tablet, computer, television)
- Reduction of light intensity
- Conversations with loved ones
- Release stretching
- Warm relaxing bath
- Reading a simple book (Walker, 2017)
Sleep Support System
For better sleep, I tried a few applications. Now, I use the Sleep cycle application, which measures the quality of sleep and generates recommendations based on that. It’s well known that people need to sleep 7–8 hours per night. But if I would go to bed at midnight and got up at 8 AM, then it doesn’t mean that I slept well nor 8 hours.
Nutrition
I like Chinese medicine, which recommends eating hot meals to warm the body in winter and cold salads to cool down in summer. I love to organize a balanced calorie diet rich in protein and healthy fats. There is a sufficient amount of information available on the Internet and in books for daily nutrition.
In the morning, I enjoy eating eggs, oatmeal with blueberries, raspberries or bananas, and drinking strong ginger or green tea with lemon. My diet often includes avocados, legumes, fish, broccoli, beets, nuts, seeds, lycopene, spinach, and garlic. Long story short, I need to get an adequate amount of saturated fatty acids, minerals, fiber, and vitamins. As a dietary supplement in my studies, I consume bacopa monnieri, hericium erinaceus, ginkgo biloba, and centella asiatica, for example, in the form of tea. I like to eat less and more often, otherwise I tend to overeat, and then I don’t want to study.
Clean Water
I usually drink 3l of water per day. I was happily drinking tap water in the Czech Republic all my life. After half a year in Norway, I returned to the Czech Republic and was amazed by tasting this chlorine and chemistry water again. Fortunately, there are many filtration systems from cheap to expensive ones that can be installed on water pipes or taps. During winter, I also drink hot fluids that pass through the digestive tract faster.
Conclusion
I don’t want to fall into a stereotype, so I make small changes in my daily routines. If you stay mentally strong, it will become your natural lifestyle. If you want to change your habits and improve your skills, it is not enough to know, but you need to apply everything in practice.
TL;DR
- My regime and routines.
- Healthy lifestyle habits.
- Tips for better sleep, nutrition and cleaner water.
If you enjoyed this article, then you may want to read other parts of the series How to Succeed in Your Studies.
I wish you success in your studies!
Resources
Isaacson, W. Steve Jobs. 1st Edition edition. Simon & Schuster, 2011. ISBN 978–1451648539.
Thanks to Dan Vybiral, Dominik Tilp, Filip Ustohal, Nicole Gruberova, Martin Zaklasnik, Tomas Janik, Tomas Kohoutek, my family and all others who participated in this series of articles.
