Performance enhancement for career advancement
| Ⓒ By Jonathan Roseland |
I'm not a doctor, medical professional, or trained therapist. I'm a researcher and pragmatic biohacking practitioner exercising free speech to share evidence as I find it. I make no claims. Please practice skepticism and rational critical thinking. You should consult a professional about any serious decisions that you might make about your health. Affiliate links in this article support Limitless Mindset - spend over $150 and you'll be eligible to join the Limitless Mindset Secret Society.
Your success in your chosen career or business is fundamentally predicated on the capacity of your mind and body.
Sadomasochistic workaholism is NOT a sustainable strategy for happiness in your career. In this article, I won't waste your time by belaboring a point as pedestrian as working smart is preferable to working hard or other vapid entrepreneurial platitudes.
The Primacy of Cognitive Capital
To anyone who stays abreast of wide social trends, it's increasingly obvious that the world is rapidly becoming a worse place for those of lower and average intelligence.
The extinction of jobs comprised of rote, repetitive, and unsophisticated tasks is a dire inevitability thanks to the aggressive innovation that our economy fundamentally relies on. In the past, those of low or average intelligence were practically guaranteed an unremarkable life of labor in a factory or a field, fast forward to the very near future and nothing is guaranteed. The only hope is to stay well ahead of the curve of automation. It's time to invest in your own cognitive capital.
Competitive firms are increasingly considering the impact on their bottom line of that which cannot be automated or outsourced; the cognitive abilities of their organization's individual members.
Professor Jerry Muller, the author of The Mind and the Market, articulated it best:
“…a period of growing equality of access to education and increasing stratification of marketplace rewards, both of which have increased the importance of human capital. One element of human capital is cognitive ability: quickness of mind, the ability to infer and apply patterns drawn from experience, and the ability to deal with mental complexity. Another is character and social skills: self-discipline, persistence, responsibility. And a third is actual knowledge. All of these are becoming increasingly crucial for success in the post-industrial marketplace.” (March 2013, Foreign Affairs)
Some abilities we see heightened in those who are rich in Cognitive Capital:
The Red Pill Formula for Biohacking Cognitive Capital
Caballo is a tool for biohacking Cognitive Capital in the long and short term.
In the short term, it imbues an appreciable cognitive advantage within 4-6 hours of dosing. If you've followed the Caballo Protocol, the data will reveal a statistically significant uptick in your brain training scores while you are on Caballo for geospatial tasks, math ability, reaction times, and working memory. Which will manifest in professional performance improvements in...
Taking second and third doses of Caballo, I've maintained a persistent focus on difficult web development and SEO tasks for up to 12 hours.
Caballo's long term positive effects correlate to the second half of Professor Muller's statement:
"...Another is character and social skills: self-discipline, persistence, responsibility. And a third is actual knowledge. All of these are becoming increasingly crucial for success in the post-industrial marketplace.”
Smart drugs are the gateway drug to genuine personal development, which is a lot of grueling, hard work with limited immediate payoff. When people first experience the near-instantaneous upgrade of focus, memory, motivation, and cognition resulting from smart drugs they begin to ask what else they can do that will make them more productive and happy in the long term which leads them down the rabbit hole of personal development. Smart drugs provide the motivational fuel to follow through on meaningful personal development work which will actually yield a return on investment. How many people do you know that are at least a little bitter about life? This is largely because they underestimated the amount of motivational fuel they would need to accomplish their goals.
While you are on the discipline molecule you will cement long term productive habits (especially if you are gamifying your lifestyle with the Coach.me App).
The Neuroplasticity that the Alpha-GPC and Noopept sparks is key to high leverage skillset acquisition which serves as the foundation for a truly dynamic career.
Cognitive decline in our aging population is described here as an impending tsunami with the potential to wreak our healthcare system and drain significant cognitive capital from the market. This is bad news for society at large but it's good news for individuals, like yourself who are (hopefully) wise enough to invest in building and maintaining their cognitive capital. If you search the ingredients of Caballo on Pubmed, you'll find that the strongest scientific research demonstrates the anti-aging and cognitive decline preventing effects of these smart drugs.
So a lot of this article has focused on how smart drugs can be beneficial to those in geeky, technical professions. The Black Pill (Piracetam) may yield a greater ROI for professions that rely more on pure motivation, energy, and verbal intelligence, such as...
Especially if your work depends upon you having a silver tongue, a golden mouthpiece, or being a perpetually persuasive pontificator - if your compensation depends upon your verbal abilities - I encourage you to A/B test (on Piracetam/off Piracetam) the verbal intelligence portion of the Caballo Protocol, which you can start doing now while you are waiting for your order of Caballo
Sorry, I don't offer Caballo anymore - a similar Nootropic effect can be achieved by stacking the Racetams.
Nootropics for Career Professionals
Piracetam -- The quintessential smart drug that instills a pleasantly intense focus. Order Piracetam
Phenylpiracetam -- The Mercedes-Benz of the Racetam category of smart drugs. Phenyl is an especially potent enhancer of mathematical ability so it's worthy of the attention of professionals who can benefit from an edge in crunching the numbers; engineers, quantitative analysts, and day traders. Order Phenylpiracetam
Modafinil -- A hardcore vigilance agent used by militaries and Air Forces. It's a hardcore promoter of focus and wakefulness. For 8-10 hours it will put you deep in the focus zone and you'll be very awake. Order Modafinil
Rhodiola -- A powerful Adaptogenic nutraceutical herb that modulates your autonomic nervous system for peak performance. Rhodiola has a very pleasant energizing effect when several hundred milligrams are consumed in hot tea. Order Rhodiola
Eleuthero -- Siberian ginseng has been used by traditional Eastern cultures to overcome fatigue. It's even better combined with the other adaptogenic herb Rhodiola.
Caffeine+L-Theanine -- Energizing caffeine and tranquilizing L-Theanine is one of the most loved Nootropic stack combinations. You can, of course, alternate drinking coffee and green tea but it only works if you drink high-quality coffee. If you can't afford to drink organic, toxin-free coffee frequently or don't like coffee you can take a Caffeine+L-Theanine stack.
Bulletproof Coffee -- Professionals around the world find the combination of toxin-free coffee mixed with high-quality butter and brain-stimulating MCT oil seriously empowering! It's conducive to keto lifestyle which kickstarts your day with some healthy fat (the butter) and caffeine. You can order the official Bulletproof Coffee and Kerrygold butter from Ireland or you can try DIYing it with whatever high-quality coffee and butter you can get your hands on.
The Cortex Stack -- This powerful acetylcholine promoting stack has in particular been braised by lifehackers for imbuing focus and verbal intelligence that gives them an edge in the workplace. Order Cortex
Nicotine -- If your work demands creative writing supplementing Nicotine is worth considering, it's my favorite creativity drug. It powerfully stimulates the default network of the mind, your unconscious creative capacity. Unlike Ayn Rand, Tolstoy, or Mark Twain I don't smoke, I consume pharmaceutical-grade Nicotine directly.
Kratom -- White strains of Kratom are praised frequently by users as a pharmacological enabler of motivation and workaholicism. Kratom does have some downsides to consider but it really will make you want to work hard.
Ashwagandha -- This is the best herbal stress relief solution I've found. Professionals and entrepreneurs chronically overclock their autonomic nervous systems which results in chronic stress that needs to be self-medicated for. A tranquilizing yet non-addictive natural Indian herb that dissolves stress and enables great sleep. Order Ashwagandha
Sleep Hacking
Speaking of sleep, if you're a truly ambitious workaholic hell-bent on conquering the world you probably consider sleep a bit of a hindrance. I've got good news for you, quality matters more than quantity; disciplined application of these sleep hacks will allow you to sleep less but awake MORE reinvigorated and ready to own the day.
Biohacking Immunity
Something you might not consider is the high cost to your career of getting sick. Most people get a little sick during the cold winter months taking at least several days but may be several weeks of work to nurse themselves back to health. This time is clearly a loss BUT what you may NOT be accounting for the high-cost none-optimum health. Throughout the wintertime, many people have head colds or a little bit of nausea for weeks on end which seriously retard their cognitive capacity to do great work. In this podcast, I describe thoroughly the biohacking supplementation protocol for staying in tip-top health during the cold season.
Mind Map Your Future
To instill powerful motivation I'd encourage you to take some time (20-40 minutes) to Mind Map your future. I like the software MindMeister which you can use for free for this. Create a 5 Year Self Determination Flowchart
It's well said that we often overestimate what we can achieve in a year and underestimate what we can achieve in 5 years.
In 1 year you'll likely be pretty similar to what you are right now.
It's also kind of hard to say what your life will be like in 10 years, some people's lives radically change for the better or worse in 10 years.
However, in half that time your life will likely still have a significant resemblance to what it is now.
I would like you to make optimistic predictions about what your life could look like in 5 years in these areas...
Business or Career
Education and Learning
Family and Friends
Finances
Health and Fitness
Hobbies
Relationships & Sex
Things
Travel & Adventure
Where will you live?
What would an average day or week look like?
I want you to strike a balance between your wildest fantasies and a reasonable prediction of how you will be living if you practice your best habits with discipline. Here's mine
Perhaps you can draw some inspiration or ideas from it.
Lifehacks for Motivation
Coach.me -- You need to measure and quantify the habits that fuel motivation. I'll suggest you try this seriously addictive habit formation App and social accountability tool. So it leverages your digital narcissism to train you winning habits with scary consistency. I've used it to...
- Master a second language
- Learn to salsa dance
- Overcome my approach anxiety
- Write daily
- Practice a daily meditation practice
- Stay sober while practicing ethical hedonism
- Brain training daily for OVER a hundred days straight
Yes. It's free (and ad-free). It synchronizes beautifully between your Android, iPhone, and web browser. This is hands down my most useful lifehacking tool, it's one of the few pieces of technology that actually makes me MORE productive, consistently. It takes about 30 seconds to Download it.
Brain.FM -- Focus is crucial to flowstate which is the state of mind where you're happy and concentrated on doing your best work. This is an app that I use every day, it plays cool algorithmic music optimized to improve focus and creativity. There's a number of places on the Internet where you can find free-focus promoting algorithmic music tracks but I paid full price for a lifetime Brain.FM membership because I knew that if I paid good money for it I would actually use it and the 1-2 hours of deep thought and true productivity that I get daily thanks to Brain.FM makes it one of the best software investments I've ever made!
Dual N-Back Pro -- This software brain training game upgrades the RAM of your conscious mind by exercising your working memory.
- It's the one brain game that is demonstrated to have transfer effects to general intelligence outside of the brain game.
- It improves attentional control noticeably, in fact, it requires persistent laser-focused attention.
- It makes you a robust gangster at life (as I like to say), in more scientific terms it reduces emotional reactivity, especially from negative emotions.
- It's a neuroplasticity hack that improves the density of grey matter within 20 days of training.
- This is quantified in a 10-15 point gain in IQ that is consistent amongst long term practitioners.
There's a free version of it that you can download and use now on your smartphone but the very affordable paid version is well worth it, especially because of the sunk cost motivational mechanism.
Evernote -- This is probably the best note-taking app for recording your thoughts and to-do lists.
Manage Stress with HRV Training
Stress is inevitably intertwined with ambition. Avoid stress at all costs I guarantee that you'll lead a boring and unprofitable existence BUT mismanagement of stress robs life of joy and satisfaction. Real high performing professionals endure a lot of stress, they are the go-to players in the workplace that can handle problems and pressure but they are experts at stress management. If you're going to lead a high-stress professional life where you're constantly putting out fires you need to be as good and disciplined about stress management as you are about your actual work. There are a lot of ways to manage stress but one of the best that I've found is HRV technology that trains you to consciously turn down your autonomic nervous system.
On Networking
You should know that the really good job and business opportunities are not to be found in the mainstream. The way to capitalize on them is through networking effectively, this doesn't mean going to a lot of cocktail parties and handing your business card out to everyone. You'll need to ingratiate yourself with private social networks or secret societies. Check out my article on The Secret Society Infiltration Model for "Networking"
Letters of Reference
In the business world, 3rd party credibility matters. It's seriously valuable, especially if you're some kind of consultant or freelancer. But perhaps you just don't have many letters of reference because you don't know how to ask. Feel free to use my Request for Testimonial (or Letter of Reference) Template
Books
Think and Grow Rich -- The classic personal development book. If you haven't read it yet just read it and you'll find yourself inspired to greatness. If you read it a long time ago read it again and think about how you've changed.
Mastery by Robert Greene -- This book explores a number of historical cases of mastery and presents a cogent methodology for attaining mastery in a given domain.
Head Strong by Dave Asprey -- Your productivity at work fundamentally relies on the health and proper functioning of your mitochondria; the base level energy generation system of the body. This book is chuck full of biohacks for living the bulletproof life.
Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss -- Tim's 700-page summarization of hundreds of hours of Tim podcast. An exhaustive exploration of lifehacks for optimal productivity.
The Memory Book -- The classic book on memory systems for remembering facts, data, stories, people's names, etc. The memory systems in it are fun and really do make your memory better which is invaluable in the workplace.
Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff -- This short book is a masterclass on sales psychology. A deep exploration of frame control, status, and urgency. Even if you don't work directly in sales, it's worth reading if your work ever involves having to persuade people. I consistently find that applying the principles in it adds to my bank account balance.
Frame Control
Speaking of frame control if you're still a bit confused by the subject you'll want to check out this in-depth article and podcast I did with 24 Practical Examples of Frame Control
Also, check out this podcast I recorded with my friend Chuc on using memory systems to optimize your performance in sales.
Cultivate Good Instincts
Successful business leaders speak about their excellent instinctual intelligence in business; how going with their gut has lead them to great riches. But you also hear a lot of losers describe how going with their gut, making decisions impulsively has led to them make disastrous decisions in life and work. In this video, I explore this topic deeper and discuss how to cultivate great heuristic intelligence.
Record conversations with your smartphone
Communication skills are perhaps the greatest leverage point you have in your career. Great communication skills will propel you to great heights and bad communication skills will really hold you back. You can sharpen your communication skills quickly by recording casual conversations that you have on your smartphone -- just download an audio recorder app on your phone and leave it on next time you're meeting a friend for coffee. Then listen back to how you sound and you'll notice a bunch of ways to improve your communication game. I explain this further in this article.
The High Leverage Information Diet
You hear a lot of gurus talking about this confusing topic of information diet. To advance in your career you must absorb a lot of information but apparently, too much information is a bad thing. In this animated vlog-style manifesto on information, I go deep on methods and philosophy for maximal information metabolism.
Storytime...
I've got some podcasts with my very colorful learning experiences in the business world. Give a listen to I Did Business with Insane People: 4 Stories of Psychopathy, Ego & Ambition and Introducing Myself, My Story, and My Values.
Habits -- Hour 1: Empire Building & Hour 2: Zombie Mode
In these vlogs, I describe two cornerstone habits for working more efficiently
- Spend the first 60 minutes of the day working on the things that really matter.
- Move tasks that are not cognitively demanding to the very end of the day.
Apps vs OS Philosophy
This podcast is about general personal development but it contains a powerful duality that you need to understand if you want to unlock true motivation and not waste your precious time with personal development stuff that's not going to get you where you want to go.
Need accountability?
Sometimes what you really need to get ahead in your career is somebody to put some pressure on you. There's all these motivational mechanisms and tools but sometimes what outperforms all of them is just someone else's expectations of you. A lot of people ask their friends, family, or significant other to be their accountability partner BUT there's a lot of downsides to this -- it introduces some tension and pressure to the relationship and robs harmony from the relationships that should be the most reinvigorating and comforting -- many have ruined their marriages and friendships this way. I suggest coaching -- hire a life coach or expert consultant -- but this can be expensive and time-consuming, which is why we offer a very lean biohacking consulting/life coaching program. Here's how this would work...
- The Biohacking Consultation is 1 hour and 45 minutes total - which is actually two consulting calls.
- First Call 1 hour - Discovery & Strategizing call, I need to ask you some questions, we'll discuss your history and outline a biohacking strategy and action plan to overcome your issues.
- Second Call 45 minutes - Follow up call in 30 or 60 days to see how you're doing with the plan we outlined; how you've improved, what you're struggling with, etc
There are a few important reasons we split the time up into two calls
- It's a significant motivation hack for you to follow through on the biohacking habits and plan we'll outline because you're accountable to me in 30 or 60 days.
- I'm incentivized to come up with a really effective biohacking strategy for you because I have to talk to you after you've been following it for a month or two.
- It timeboxes us with a deadline of 30 or 60 days for you to make improvements and accomplish your goals.
Your Skin in the game here is that you're paying good money for this and you're accountable to me on another call in 30 or 60 days. You'll have to explain your lack of action if you fail to follow through.
My Skin in the game here is that I'll offer a 60-day money-back guarantee on this life coaching. If my coaching and action plan really fails you can have your money back. For this reason, I don't accept everyone as a client.
PLEASE fill out this form
http://www.limitlessmindset.com/membership/consultations
Take a few minutes to answer a few questions, if your issues are far outside my areas of expertise I'll decline the consultation. My time is finite and very valuable so I only want to spend it consulting the people I can really help. Thanks in advance for your understanding!
Please respond...
Either below in the comments (or for privacy, send me an email or social media message)
In your career, what really frustrates you? What makes you think "Oh! I have to deal with THIS again...?" What cycles or patterns can't you seem to escape?
Finally...
Join the Limitless Mindset Substack to...
Get frequent free edifying content about Biohacking, Lifehacking, and my holistic pragmatic antifragility philosophy. This informative (and often entertaining!) Substack is about how to take advantage of the latest anti-aging and Biohacking science and where I dispense timely mindset nuggets, lifehacking tips, and my own musings.-
{{#owner}}
-
{{#url}}
{{#avatarSrc}}
{{name}} {{/url}} {{^url}} {{#avatar}} {{& avatar}} {{/avatar}} {{name}} {{/url}} - {{/owner}} {{#created}}
- {{created}} {{/created}}
