Getting That Edge: Why “Limitess” Wasn’t So Far-Fetched

We all want an edge, want to be that much smarter, sharper, faster, whatever is relevant for ourselves.   There are some fundamentals to being your best – getting sufficient sleep, putting good food into our systems, being physically active, doing work that is important to you – and frankly, too many people skip these and just want to go to the next shiny bright object (coffee, Aderall, or a figurative shiny bright object to shift their attention).  So if you’re one of those folks who is particularly deficient on one of those areas above but want to be your best, then just stop at this point and go make that part better. Because I can almost guarantee that the improvement you make, say, in eating better, will be higher-leverage to so many aspects of your life than this hack I’m about to talk about. 

So if you’re still here (meaning, you take care of your sleep, food, etc.), and if you haven’t heard the word “Nootropic” before, well, the fun is just beginning. 

Let me say at the outset that I am not a doctor and anything you put into your body is your responsibility. 

So what are nootropics – the easiest way to describe them is getting the same effects as coffee or Aderall but with minimal to no side effects.  Nootropics are basically chemicals that stimulate your brain, helping you to be more focused, attentive, or creative.  Note, they are 100% legal and don’t think that because I said creative that these are hallucinogens. 

For purposes here, I’m going to give a high-level and then refer you to a podcast where you can get a ton more info.  There are a variety of nootropics and most come in powder form.  The really interesting, and somewhat frustrating thing about them, is that every person and every body responds differently to the different nootropics, and to different dosages.  In this way, it makes it hard to tell people exactly where to start or to feel confident in telling someone that if you take x, you’ll experience this specific thing. 

But they are intriguing enough to dig into more and definitely to test them out.  I, for one, have tried a variety of them (piracetem, aniracetam, choline, phenylpiracetem, and a few others), and I’ve been struck at just how differently they affect me vs. some of my friends.

From a results perspective, when I take them, I just feel more focused, more dialed in to what I’m working on, and I look back and see that I have been more effective than normal.  That’s really enough for me.  And that should be enough for you to look into them further. 

Here’s one podcast – Brad interviews Ilan Ferdman (who isn’t a doctor but has clearly spent a ton of time researching and testing out different nootropics) - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacon-wrapped-business-brad/id889456820?mt=2&i=344255044

Plus a cnn piece on Dave Asprey (BulletProof Coffee) - http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/25/technology/nootropics-smart-drugs/ 

 

 

 

Comments

[Babak Azad]

brendon,
from everyone i've spoken to or heard talk about them, there are very few side effects, if any. i will say one of the ones i took made me feel pretty crappy - just too amped up and it took a few hours to feel normal again. but that is by far the exception. out of a 100+ days of taking them, that's the only day i've felt off. and i just didn't take that one again. to reiterate, each body responds differently, so that one had worked for others which is why i tried it.

as for longer-term side effects, etc, have heard nothing at all.

again, i'm not a doc, so you have to look into yourself. i'm sharing b/c they've worked so well for me and for others.

[Brendondavid]

Interesting topic. I'm not all that familiar with Nootropics. Have you noticed *any* side effects at all from the types you've taken? Dehydration? etc.