Can practicing sports like archery before mental work boost performance?
You have mentioned that tools like staring at a target before mental work can boost focus. Would I achieve a similar effect if I practiced sports like archery, rifling or even first person shooter video games boost focus as well? Afterall they are all about honing ones visual attention in on a small target.
Are cooldowns a waste of time?
I read a post from Alex Viada that exercise cooldowns have no impact on muscle soreness, next day performance, next day perceived exertion, and longterm athletic performance. He also mentions that doing a cooldown can negatively impact glycogen replenishment. I was wondering what your thoughts are on this? Thanks, Nadine
How can I tune down my excessively good moods?
Often when I feel good I feel more good than I want to. After exercising, having a pleasant social interaction and so on I often feel extremeley intelesely ecstatic, motivated and curious. These feelings are so intense it is hard to think clearly like I want to. They often last far too long. A workout at 2pm can leave me blissed out for many hours to such an extent it is hard to do work or other things I should do. A good conversation at 5pm can stimulate me so much it is hard to fall asleep at 10pm. How can I tune down my excessively good moods when I want to?
Concentrating deep work to a four hour block vs. spreading it out throughout the day with big breaks inbetween
I have a desire to concentrate my deep work (mathematics), to 3-4 hours in the morning. This is because I find it difficult to do mathematics in the afternoons and evenings. I also take a long time to wind down after doing math and tend to burn out if I do it later in the day. However, you seem to think it is better to distribute the deep work throughout the day with breaks for two or more hours in between. Do you think it would be beneficial if I try harder to distribute my deep work throughout the day? And why exactly do you think we need two or more hours of rest in between deep work? Are there specific studies that demonstrate the importance of two+ hours of rest in between?
Are shorter workdays optimal for knowledge workers in demanding disciplines
How much quality work do you think people who perform cognitively demanding work like mathematical research, theorem proving and so on for a living should expect them selves to be able to work per day? Some suggest short workdays like 2-4 hours and then taking the rest of the day off for resting and recovering their mental capacities for the next day's work. Others would suggest this seems lazy and that they can achieve more if they push themselves for longer hours.