Start by downloading three types of Biohacking apps and conducting a simple daily self-quantification experiment...
1. Brain Training App
This will help you establish a baseline of your cognition and memory, which will be enhanced by Nootropics. I'm a big fan of Dual N-Back which is the most clinically efficacious brain training task.
The popular apps Lumosity and Focus - Train your Brain are decent options if you find Dual N-Back too boring.
2. Meditation App
10-20 minutes of meditation a day is important to increase your awareness of your state of mind and how it's affected by smart drugs. The Headspace app app is free and a great place to start if you a new to meditation.
3. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) App
I like Instant Heart Rate by Azumio for Android, for iPhone try Elite HRV or the native Apple Health app on the Apple Watch. The Nootropic agents in Caballo will improve your stress management.
Try to pick a consistent time to use these three every day, usually around lunch in the afternoon or early evening. I recommend taking the HRV stress measurement first, the brain training second, and the meditation third - this is your self-quantification mindfulness regimen. Ideally, you want to conduct it during a time when no major life events are occurring, as the purpose of using these three apps is to establish your baselines of stress and cognition.
4. Audio Recording App
This might seem a little weird but you are going to be recording yourself speaking, you want to record yourself in a variety of social situations; like just hanging out with friends or family, at work, and in a high-pressure social situation if possible (like on a date!) I like Miidio Recorder for Android (Evernote voice notes will also work on any device) you just pull your phone out (which is totally normal in social settings), tap the record widget, and nonchalantly leave your phone on the table. This requires just a little stealth, make sure whoever you are with does not see that you are recording your conversation. Then listen back to your conversation, before you go to bed or whenever, and you can hear how you sound and establish a baseline of your verbal ability.
5. Sleep Tracking App
Nootropic ingredients should improve the quality of your sleep, so we are going to integrate some sleep quality tracking into our self-quantification experiment. The best app I've found for this is Sleep Cycle. So download Sleep Cycle, and add a sleep note for whatever Nootropics you're taking - you shouldn't be taking stimulating Nootropics before bed but there may be an effect on your sleep quality on the days you take them.
It's going to take about 20 minutes a day for several days, then...
Take a Racetam-Rich Nootropic Stack
Some of Nootropic's ingredients are water-soluble and some are fat-soluble so it's a good idea to take it with a healthy fat source (Tuna, avocado, or DHA fish oil capsules) and a drink (water or tea is fine).
Day 1: Take the recommended dosage in the morning. Make a note of the time you take the Nootropics and how much later it takes for it to kick in (when you find yourself deep in the focus zone) and when it loses its effect (usually within 4-6 hours).
Day 2: Just repeat Day 1, unless you found the recommended dosage too intense. The purpose of these two days is to figure out what the approximate half-life of the Nootropics is in your system.
Day 3: Once you've established the half-life of Nootropics in your system (usually in between 4-6 hours) take a 3rd dose about 30 minutes before the half-life ends.
Day 4: If you haven't found your intake of Nootropic too intense up to this point this time decrease the third dosage. The objective here is to find the upper limit to which you can be comfortably cognitively enhanced too.
Of course, you are going to continue the self-quantification apps when you start taking Nootropics. There should be a very acute difference in the quantifiable measurements of your mindfulness practice and your verbal wittiness while you are dosed on Nootropics - particularly Racetams, like Piracetam.
IF you get headaches...
That's a sign that you may need to increase the choline in your system, a Nootropic stack should include bioavailable sources of Choline, but you may need more choline to balance the Racetams. Choline is easy to get from dietary sources, my favorite is eggs!
IF you get tired...
That's a likely sign of excessive Choline in your system - probably means you are getting a lot of Choline from elsewhere in your diet that you could probably cut back on, at least on the days you are taking a Choline rich-stack - I'm looking at you guy who has 8 eggs every morning!
I developed this holistic self-experiment protocol originally for the smart drug I created, Caballo. It's now EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE to clients of our flagship transformational program, Anakainōsis.
However, you can enhance your cognitive capital by using the self-quantification protocol described here in conjunction with any Nootropic stack, particularly Racetam-rich Nootropics.
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The Caballo Protocol: A 5-factor DIY self-quantification protocol