A few things.
The main thing you need to do is to maximize the benefits of the sleep you are getting. That is the single most important factor in being able to cope with mental fatigue and keep your health intact. To that end:
1. Strongly consider using bright light therapy to regularize and deepen your sleep. You can read about it in this thread:
http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-39799.html
One thing that is common to guys who do a lot of mental work is that they sometimes have trouble turning it off and falling asleep. That is in particular something light therapy takes care of -- it more or less guarantees correct and timely sleep induction.
2. (This goes hand in hand with #1) Make sure your sleeping schedule is highly regular. You should be getting up and going to bed at very nearly the same times every day, including weekends. Do not make the mistake -- all too common to guys who work hard during the week -- of oversleeping on weekends and throwing your rhythm off. Using a light box (see #1) will help establish a very regular schedule, and also improve and deepen the sleep you are getting.
3. DO NOT ABUSE CAFFEINE. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough. Guys who do a lot of mental work make the mistake of leaning on caffeine to get them through the day, and this messes with your sleep and makes you more not less tired on average and over time.
You should not be drinking more than one cup of coffee a day, always in the first half of your day (never late) and never on an empty stomach. One cup after breakfast or after lunch is fine; do not exceed that.
4. Do not abuse alcohol, and other drugs. Forget about nootropics, you don't want to mess with that stuff. Keep your system clean and your body and brain will thank you over time.
5. Download the free utility f.lux and install it on all your devices at home and at work. You don't want to be staring into blue light monitors after dark, this will take care of that. Keeping f.lux on incandescent setting throughout the day (not just at night) will also relieve some of your eye strain.
https://justgetflux.com/
That's as far as sleep goes, and that is the absolute key. In addition, the following habits/tips will help you stay fresh through the day and generally help:
-- Do not overeat. Don't eat an excessively heavy lunch in the middle of the day, or a heavy dinner late. It's better to eat more often and smaller portions. Try to avoid junk and very high sodium restaurant food.
-- Get up from the computer every 30 minutes. No matter what you are doing, get up, walk around and do a few basic stretches. This is key -- you have to give your eyes a rest, and you have to give your body a rest from the bad postures it adopts when sitting in front of the monitor. A LOT of eye strain can be ameliorated by taking breaks. Look up some simple postural stretches you can do in the office or in the bathroom and do just a few throughout the day.
-- You should do your main weightlifting workouts on the weekend when you are fresh. If you can work out hard and effectively with weights both Saturday and Sunday that goes a very long way towards increasing your test levels and keeping your body in good shape. However:
-- Do not overdo it in the gym after a week of mental work; work out hard but safely. I see a lot of weekend warriors and cube jockeys, pale and having a bad posture, come into the gym and immediately try to lift heavy weights (with bad form) on something like the deadlift. That is a recipe for significant injury and for fucking up your body. If you are doing mental work all week, your body is probably not very flexible, has postural problems, and is primed for injury. You have to work out intelligently and balance the need to lift hard with being aware of what you can do. Err on the side of lighter weights and higher rep sets done with perfect form.
-- To counteract the postural problems that are likely to accompany this kind of mental work, use modalities like stretching, yoga, and massage. Do some basic stretches every day; take a hot shower or a hot bath when you get home, then get on the mat and do some stretches afterwards; sign up for a yoga class if you can fit it in your week; get deep tissue massage from a good professional masseur once a week. All these things will help keep your body flexible and supple and reduce the risk of injury when you lift (and in general).
***************
All of this seems like a lot but it really isn't -- and these things will make an immense and disproportionate difference in your day to day life. Check them out.
The main thing you need to do is to maximize the benefits of the sleep you are getting. That is the single most important factor in being able to cope with mental fatigue and keep your health intact. To that end:
1. Strongly consider using bright light therapy to regularize and deepen your sleep. You can read about it in this thread:
http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-39799.html
One thing that is common to guys who do a lot of mental work is that they sometimes have trouble turning it off and falling asleep. That is in particular something light therapy takes care of -- it more or less guarantees correct and timely sleep induction.
2. (This goes hand in hand with #1) Make sure your sleeping schedule is highly regular. You should be getting up and going to bed at very nearly the same times every day, including weekends. Do not make the mistake -- all too common to guys who work hard during the week -- of oversleeping on weekends and throwing your rhythm off. Using a light box (see #1) will help establish a very regular schedule, and also improve and deepen the sleep you are getting.
3. DO NOT ABUSE CAFFEINE. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough. Guys who do a lot of mental work make the mistake of leaning on caffeine to get them through the day, and this messes with your sleep and makes you more not less tired on average and over time.
You should not be drinking more than one cup of coffee a day, always in the first half of your day (never late) and never on an empty stomach. One cup after breakfast or after lunch is fine; do not exceed that.
4. Do not abuse alcohol, and other drugs. Forget about nootropics, you don't want to mess with that stuff. Keep your system clean and your body and brain will thank you over time.
5. Download the free utility f.lux and install it on all your devices at home and at work. You don't want to be staring into blue light monitors after dark, this will take care of that. Keeping f.lux on incandescent setting throughout the day (not just at night) will also relieve some of your eye strain.
https://justgetflux.com/
That's as far as sleep goes, and that is the absolute key. In addition, the following habits/tips will help you stay fresh through the day and generally help:
-- Do not overeat. Don't eat an excessively heavy lunch in the middle of the day, or a heavy dinner late. It's better to eat more often and smaller portions. Try to avoid junk and very high sodium restaurant food.
-- Get up from the computer every 30 minutes. No matter what you are doing, get up, walk around and do a few basic stretches. This is key -- you have to give your eyes a rest, and you have to give your body a rest from the bad postures it adopts when sitting in front of the monitor. A LOT of eye strain can be ameliorated by taking breaks. Look up some simple postural stretches you can do in the office or in the bathroom and do just a few throughout the day.
-- You should do your main weightlifting workouts on the weekend when you are fresh. If you can work out hard and effectively with weights both Saturday and Sunday that goes a very long way towards increasing your test levels and keeping your body in good shape. However:
-- Do not overdo it in the gym after a week of mental work; work out hard but safely. I see a lot of weekend warriors and cube jockeys, pale and having a bad posture, come into the gym and immediately try to lift heavy weights (with bad form) on something like the deadlift. That is a recipe for significant injury and for fucking up your body. If you are doing mental work all week, your body is probably not very flexible, has postural problems, and is primed for injury. You have to work out intelligently and balance the need to lift hard with being aware of what you can do. Err on the side of lighter weights and higher rep sets done with perfect form.
-- To counteract the postural problems that are likely to accompany this kind of mental work, use modalities like stretching, yoga, and massage. Do some basic stretches every day; take a hot shower or a hot bath when you get home, then get on the mat and do some stretches afterwards; sign up for a yoga class if you can fit it in your week; get deep tissue massage from a good professional masseur once a week. All these things will help keep your body flexible and supple and reduce the risk of injury when you lift (and in general).
***************
All of this seems like a lot but it really isn't -- and these things will make an immense and disproportionate difference in your day to day life. Check them out.
same old shit, sixes and sevens Shaft...