I've just watched for the fourth time this movie: Limitless, and I'm impressed... The guy just takes in some medication (NZT) and it gives him access to all of his brain's capabilities This has started me thinking: is there a drug out there, or combination of drugs, or nourishment, food, liquids, whatever, which would mimic the effects (even on a much smaller scale - obviously) of the NZT - the drug in the movie? I really need to boost myself up somehow, because I'm getting nowhere - literally, I'm too slow. I've been examining and trying new studying methods, like mind mapping, and other books from Tony Buzan, speed reading, photo reading but still no usable results. Also, I've already tried stuff, like the Ginko herbs, and Omega 3 fat, and such... but in the end the learning curve for me stays the same, no matter what method I apply, or just what I do. If anything the curve flattens out, little by little, meaning that the process of learning new things will be or is already getting slower- because of the aging of the human body
I just feel lost, and getting depressed by it big time....I want to know so much more, but at this speed, I will never get anything out of it..
Thoughts?

you need Interest=> motivation=>what you need

I 've eaten Omega 3 for several months now, didn't notice anything.

Well, analysing how you learn could be a start.
You know learning happens in stages: input, representing, comitting to memory, comitting to long term memory... so what stage seem to be the problem? (divide and conquer).

Second you have to accept what you are. If you feel you are being too slow, then don't try to accelarate things but try to make more time. Quit the full-time job for a part-time job (if you can), dismiss what you feel is time wasting... (reorganize and focus). I'm pretty frustrated because I've calculated that I can't read all the books I want in my lifetime, but once you accept that, you become sharper in your choices. Sartre himself said he was a slow kind of guy, but that didn't prevent him from writing some cool stuff once in a while.

Finally there are chemicals, which I wouldn't recommend, because they tend to create collateral problems. There are a lot of natural legal stimulants. Tea and coffee, cola, acerola... Ginseng and guarana are my favorites so far (if you can find guarana seeds in your country, they're awesome).
Then there's all the illegal stuff, but you don't want that, because they install depressive states when they wear off, they're expensive, they're a pain to score, and you can always be cheated on the product, or busted, plus there's all the health issues. So too many drawbacks.

Although narcoleptics can have prescriptions for amphetamines, so if you're really desperate, go make a brain scan and maybe you can get a prescription for something.

Good luck, and don't take it too hard on yourself. Slow people usually live longer.

No matter what books tell you, speed reading is not good for learning. It's good for reading fast through a text the vocabulary of which you know VERY well (personal experience)Photoreading is BS.




Basically you need to feel good when learning, right?

Feeling good will make you addicted

Addiction will ensure that you keep learning in the future and progress steadily until reaching your goal.

How to feel good while learning?

First, the method must not be too hard for you to apply. This is why i + 1 works so well.

Secondly, you need to have enough motivation to counquer the difficulty of learning an you will feel easier.

What you need is:

Motivation > difficulty of learning

Sleep well and exercise a few times a week.

You're just wasting your time looking up bullshit learning methods and ways to improve yourself. Instead just study more.

hmm, it's a bit hard to identify exactly what the problem is.

In terms of having an optimal state of mind, I suppose drink lots of water and eat a healthy diet (make sure you get all your vitamins) + vit. C (helps with absorption of other vitamins) + sunshine (vitamin D) + exercise. I don't see how randomly choosing a single supplement is going to help...

Also: have normal sleep patterns (in bed well before 12, and sleep for no more than 8-9 hours), and lay off alcohol or any other substance that's detrimental to the mind.

I don't really know if there is any wonder drug that a person can take, but I remember a while ago people were taking ritalin to study harder-- not that I recommend that. It might mess up your brain chemistry a bit.

Caffeine tends to make people feel more alert but it actually can reduce concentration. That being said though, I often drink a fair bit of the stuff. Gets me through the day.

--Maybe you need to scrutinize your study habits a bit more. Try to practice more what you learn so it doesn't go in one ear and out the other. If I don't revise that tends to happen to me. I was told for revision do this: next day -> 1 week - 1 month.

--Also keep in mind, it is quite normal to go through plateaus, apparently, especially when a person reaches around intermediate, I think? Just persevere I guess.

definitely Wrote:Caffeine tends to make people feel more alert but it actually can reduce concentration. That being said though, I often drink a fair bit of the stuff. Gets me through the day.

Sometimes I feel like I need the next cup to learn. But it's just an excuse not to learn right now but after the cup.

I like omega oils, its better to have a lot tho like from salmon sashimi, or straight flax oil. From what I remember the amounts you get in tablets doesn't compare at all... although looking at the info now it's confusing with all the sites trying to sell you stuff.

Anyway raw salmon has loads and is easy to get in Japan so I go with that now

jettyke Wrote:

definitely Wrote:Caffeine tends to make people feel more alert but it actually can reduce concentration. That being said though, I often drink a fair bit of the stuff. Gets me through the day.

Sometimes I feel like I need the next cup to learn. But it's just an excuse not to learn right now but after the cup.

xD. I find it motivates me a bit. If I have a nice hot cuppa sitting beside me, especially through the long haul of RTK.

If you watch infomercials at 2am or so, I think they sell that NZT stuff.

Tzadeck Wrote:Sleep well and exercise a few times a week.

You're just wasting your time looking up bullshit learning methods and ways to improve yourself. Instead just study more.

Tzadeck!! <3

What or whom are you comparing yourself to?
# Remember: What people believe or say about themselves is not always real or true - even if they believe it to be true themselves.
# Who says you are slow? Even if the message from others is the same, you wouldn't have a real basis for that belief as the reality may be quite different - you could just process things differently.

What can you do to change?
# Improve your technique. This is usually where everyone sucks to begin with and experiences the most gains from improving - this would be my number one area for any learner.
# How much thinking have you done about your technique? I don't mean thinking about how much it feels like its not working, but how you can take it wholeheartedly to the next level right now. Get some paper out now and see what you can think of. I guarantee after a little thinking and some real action, you will feel a whole lot differently about what you can achieve.

Be aware
# Learning Kanji through RTK is a long process. There's 3000+ in the whole process. When have you tried to undertake remembering something that huge before. It will take time and its going to suck. How committed to Japanese are you? This might be something to consider now, before the real hard times come.
# Speaking of hard times, once RTK is over, you'll have a heck of a long way to go, BUT once you get to your destination you will have one very important achievement - rock solid, awesome, amazing Japanese ability. Take the time and enjoy the journey. Expect 2-3 years of 2+ hour days to see JLPT N1 - some consider this to be the pre-university educated Japanese native speaker level, enjoy!
# If Japanese is worth it to you, take the plunge and go for it. What I say above is really just for people who want it all, or want to get to where they can start to have it all. Perhaps, for you, just like me, reading Manga and understanding everything people say or that's on TV is enough. In which case, you can get there in much less time - rejoice!

Cranks Wrote:What can you do to change?
# Improve your technique. This is usually where everyone sucks to begin with and experiences the most gains from improving - this would be my number one area for any learner.
# How much thinking have you done about your technique? I don't mean thinking about how much it feels like its not working, but how you can take it wholeheartedly to the next level right now.

Cranks has got this exactly right, and it bears repeating. The difference between good and great performance usually has to do with the quality and the quantity of your practice, not just quantity alone. For example, say you want to sound like a Japanese native speaker but you spend all your time just reading Japanese texts and never actually speaking. You might somehow manage to make some small progress (improved vocabulary, grammar), but finding a Japanese language exchange partner would take it to a whole new level, because then you're practicing the actual skill you want to improve. And if you found a partner who was willing to correct your pronunciation and teach you some handy idiomatic expressions not found in books, that would take your further still.

Sigh...not really a very good example, but I hope the point comes across. If you want to get more details about this idea, I'd recommend reading Talent Is Overrated.

I was just thinking - what it would be like to have sex while being on NZT - that is with 100% of your brain.. both you and your partner It must be awesome...Gimme some!!

Become 夜神 月 Yagami Light

Tzadeck Wrote:Sleep well and exercise a few times a week.

You're just wasting your time looking up bullshit learning methods and ways to improve yourself. Instead just study more.

That is the best advice you'll find on the forum.

From personal experience, I must have wasted so much time wondering which way is the best way to learn/approach something.. The best advice it to just do it. Don't over analyse things. Just get stuck in and put in the hours.

ex: When I started RTK, I didn't bugger around looking for other methods, I just blasted in and didn't look back. I'll never forget the feeling of accomplishment at the end looking back on the thick book/course I'd just conquered. If I'd flapped around I might never have started - paralysis by analysis.

Quotes stolen from AJATT:

“The key to strategy… is not to choose a path to victory, but to choose so that all paths lead to a victory.” | Cavilo, The Vor Game

“…you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.” | Friedrich Nietzsche