you've probably already heard of this, but do a couple hours of calibration training (e.g. on quantified intuitions) per year, and your overall calibration is likely to go up ~10%-20%. not a huge, wild boost, but significant!

If possible, engage both sides of your body while processing a challenging cognitive task, as simply walking increases brain activity. Or, take short breaks to walk frequently. (This might look like walking while on a work call, for instance.) More here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00100/full

This is a weird one, but use aromatherapy (I'm dead serious). Many studies have come out linking cog performance to increased use of olfactory senses: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7556469/

Get ahold of an Alpha-Stim, which is a device that sends a certain pattern of alpha wave through your brainstem. It's FDA-approved for insomnia but check out Reddit and you'll see people using it all-purpose for other things. I find it helps my ADHD and sleep efficiency most of all. You may or may not be able to find them on eBay if your doc won't give you one for "insomnia": https://alpha-stim.com/clinical-efficacy-of-assisted-cranial-electrotherapy-stimulation-treatment-on-depression/

Clinical Efficacy of Assisted Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation Treatment on Depression - Alpha-Stim

Clinical Efficacy of Assisted Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation Treatment on Depression   Wei Y., Yang Z., Pan H., Zhao S-J., Fang J-Z. Clinical Efficacy of Assisted […]

I've personally tried inositol and it helped (or placebo'd, so probably placebo'd) some of my negative ruminating thoughts. (This is not medical advice.)

Stop smoking weed, it literally makes your hippocampus smaller and drops your IQ https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cognitive-effects-of-long-term-cannabis-use-in-midlife-202206142760

Cognitive effects in midlife of long-term cannabis use - Harvard Health

As more US states have legalized recreational cannabis or passed medical cannabis laws, public perception that cannabis is a harmless substance is growing. But its long-term benefits and risks remain unclear, and research has revealed consistently that heavy long-term cannabis use can affect cognition in midlife.

You may already know this but happiness and low stress levels increase cognitive performance. One of the best predictors of happiness is quality and quantity of relationships. In this digital age, it can be extremely hard to form and maintain new connections with people. I reccomend the book Platonic, it talks about making friends and cultivating relationships. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60916718

1. Having a good amount of sleep: A well-regulated sleep schedule can significantly enhance cognitive performance. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. In my experience, good sleep improves memory, problem-solving skills, and overall brain health. So, never stay up late before the exam if you want "high cognitive performance"

2. Structured Daily Routine: This helps your body to know when you taking a break and when you are working. This helped me enhance my focus during working hours and have good rest when I am not working.

Learn to tolerate and feel all emotions, especially any negative ones, and understand them as important signals. Use these signals to guide your priorities.

work out

Getting a good night's sleep is obviously extremely important for cognition. But wearing a sleep mask seems to be a surprisingly effective and low cost way of enhancing episodic learning and alertness:

https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/46/3/zsac305/6912219?guestAccessKey=9744452e-69ce-454f-b027-8c2279b72ade&login=false&utm_source=authortollfreelink&utm_campaign=sleep&utm_medium=email

Wearing an eye mask during overnight sleep improves episodic learning and alertness

Abstract. Ambient light can influence sleep structure and timing. We explored how wearing an eye mask to block light during overnight sleep impacts memory and a

AG1 helps @hmys

From what works for me, finding something you personally enjoy and finding different ways of exploring it is a great way to engage you mind and will alleviate some stress as well. Don't focus on perfect, just focus on having fun. Taking this sort of break will clear your mind from alot of brain fog, and may help you solve problems that otherwise would put a major headache into your skull.

reading books which are mostly text

Learn

(ignore)

Sleep more

I have a similar question where I'm actively giving out bounties.

Drink less water

Read the "Focusing" book by Gendlin.

Get a Chilipad for colder sleeping

If you're not someone who drinks a lot of water, you can make it easier by making it tastier with lemon and other flavorings1

You should probably have more sex. Lots of positive hormones, confidence increase. Or at least hug a couple times a day

Sleeping consistently, best on a schedule

The key thing to understand is that most things that have a high impact are about removing something that is limiting you, rather than boosting you. Things like fixing your low iron are more specific to you than catch-all, but they will have a MUCH higher impact than any nootropic. Understand that you are looking to patch any holes before building up.

So you need to make sure that you get b12 vitamin if you are vegan, get d vitamin if you stay inside a lot, get more sleep if you stay up late and so on.

A few things that have already been mentioned here is drinking water and trying to ventilate better to avoid CO2, but other things to avoid are: Bad air pollution, Alcohol, sugar, anything that can mess up hormones (dairy, pfas).

You can build this list yourself, but the key insight is not to know which specific nootropic to get, but which common toxins/deficiencies to avoid.

Human bodies are either in a growth/consumption mode or in a repair/stress state. In my experience, when I stack activities to create a strong repair/stress state, my cognitive ability is through the roof.

Specifically, if I finish eating by 6pm the night before, get 7-8 hours of quality sleep (including 1.5-2 hours of measured deep sleep), wake up and do a hard cardiovascular workout in a fasted state, by 10-11a, I borderline levitate and have high mential acuity.

Give it a try! Free and impactful.