Supercharge Your Mind: Simple Hacks to Unleash Your Hidden Potential and Boost Brainpower

Imagine a supercomputer humming beneath your skull, processing information at a staggering 11 million bits per second. That’s right, 11 million! This incredible machine isn’t some futuristic gadget; it’s your brain. But here’s the catch: out of this firehose of information, your conscious mind can only handle a measly 50 bits per second. That’s like trying to filter a raging river with a tea strainer! The vast majority of what your brain processes gets filtered out, leaving you with a trickle of information you can consciously work with.

This filtering isn’t a bug; it’s a feature! Our brain performs this incredible feat to keep us sane and ensure our cognitive functions are occupied with what truly matters in our daily lives. But with so much information getting sidelined, the constant barrage of thoughts, worries, and anxieties can easily overwhelm us. No wonder we often feel scattered and struggle to focus!

Here’s the exciting part: this isn’t a hopeless situation. This article unlocks the hidden potential of increasing your brainpower, not by cramming in more thoughts, but by learning to think less. “Thinking less? Easier said than done,” I hear you. Guilty as charged! But fear not; we’ll explore powerful tweaks to your daily routine to help you achieve a zen flow state — a mental state of deep concentration and focus.

Imagine transforming that mental chatter into a serene symphony of focus. This article will be your guide, unlocking sharper focus, boundless creativity, and unwavering determination.

Ready to dive in and unleash your true potential? Let’s embark on this journey together!

Studies reveal that we have over six thousand thoughts daily, and a staggering 30–50% of our waking hours are consumed by mere mental wandering and idle thoughts.

No wonder we often feel depleted, our cognitive muscles strained by this relentless barrage of information. As for our actual awareness and short-term memory, research by George Miller suggests a stark limitation: we can only be aware of and process around seven pieces of information (plus or minus two) at any given time. Adding more thoughts on top, like positive affirmations, to change disruptive thought patterns is akin to trying to control a vast armada single-handedly by shouting into the wind, hoping everyone can hear you. It simply doesn’t work.

The key to unlocking the brain’s full potential lies in simple yet powerful tweaks to our daily routine. These tweaks aren’t drastic changes but micro-adjustments that can significantly enhance mental clarity and focus. Think of it like hacking your brain for optimal performance with minimal effort.

The following tips and insights will guide you on this journey of inner peace and mental mastery. By implementing these strategies, you’ll silence the mental chatter and unlock the incredible power that lies dormant within you. The rewards await sharper focus, boundless creativity, and unwavering determination.

Ready to unlock your true potential? Let’s dive into these insightful tips and embark on the path to a calmer, more focused you!

Buckle Up

Think of your brain as an electric vehicle. A good night’s sleep recharges you, but just like any battery, it has a limited capacity. Multitasking, that siren song of productivity, is a myth. We can truly focus on only one thing at a time.

While we can keep some information on hold in a mental buffer while processing something else, like taking a call and briefly changing the subject, studies show that this constant switching between tasks is actually counterproductive.

There’s a known phenomenon called the Zeigarnik effect, where our brains tend to remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones. However, holding information in that mental buffer can drain our precious mental resources when it comes to multitasking. It’s like juggling multiple tasks at once. The problem multiplies with each additional task, leading to wasted energy on detours and getting sidetracked by less crucial errands.

The best solution? Get it out of your head, write it down, make a to-do list, and offload it onto paper so you can digress to something else without worry. Processing one piece of information at a time allows your brain to focus its power and frees up mental space for peak performance.

Less is More: Finding Inner Quietude

Finding time and space for mental quietude becomes crucial in our age of constant distractions. However, it’s not about hiding away from the world. The key lies in striking a balance. Introspection is a valuable tool for self-discovery, but too much of it can lead you to overthinking, navel-gazing, and analysis paralysis. We need to make decisions, learn from them, and move forward. Trusting ourselves is key. Accepting mistakes as part of the learning process builds confidence and fosters better decision-making.

This concept resonated deeply with me when I established an online presence. It seemed counterintuitive, almost paradoxical — a social media detox to build an online platform? But deep down, it resonated like the truth often does. It was like the koan, “the sound of one hand clapping.” It didn’t make logical sense, yet it felt intrinsically right. It allowed me to think about direction, approach, and purpose. In the quietude, I ventured inwards, seeking answers, tracing the threads of my thoughts back to their source.

Aware of my tendency to overthink and get lost in the labyrinth of my own mind, I needed a roadmap, a plan to stick to, regardless of the outcome. May the fourth seemed like a fitting deadline, a target to commit to. During this introspective pursuit, I focused on my thought processes, becoming acutely aware of how much time and energy I spent simply thinking about things.

This led to the development of my personal “Principle of Three.” Any goal, I decided, could be broken down into three manageable steps. Anything more becomes overwhelming; anything less lacks direction. Let’s say I have a goal of where I want to be in a month. Step one: the goal itself, a clear vision. Step two: where I am right now, my starting point. Step three: How do I get there? What are the actionable steps I need to take? Simple, yet effective. Each of these steps could then be further broken down into three smaller steps, a cascading structure that provided clarity and a sense of control. Completing tasks and the satisfaction of ticking boxes is just as important as creating them in the first place.

Following my thoughts back to their source proved fascinating, especially for the negative, distracting ones. By tracing them back to their origin, I began to see their lack of substance, the power they held diminishing with each step. There’s a space, I realized, between each thought. By focusing on these spaces, I discovered moments of strange yet profound happiness, a state devoid of external stimulation.

The more stressed I became, the harder it was to access these peaceful gaps. Yet, the importance of exercise, especially during challenging times, became glaringly clear. Interestingly, during these mental exercises — these contemplations and meditations — my mind seemed to function more when alert and consciously active.

Over time, I observed a noticeable sharpening of my mental faculties. It felt like a cognitive boost, an enhancement of my intellectual abilities. This reminded me of the Deep Blue experiment, where a chess computer faced off against the legendary Garry Kasparov. Interestingly, the better Kasparov played, the seemingly less brainpower he utilized. The opposite was true for the IBM computer, which devoured immense processing power. It mirrored the concept of flow state, that beautiful natural paradox: less is often more.

This contemplation led me to a pivotal realization: I don’t have to complete every thought that comes to mind. In fact, stopping and drawing back thoughts is very liberating. Knowing that I don’t have to chase every rabbit hole down a never-ending mental path was empowering.

Empowered by this newfound awareness, I began to practice interrupting thought patterns. Similar to allocating time for meditation, I dedicated specific moments to this mental exercise. Whenever I caught myself following a particular thread, I gently brought it back to its source with my next inhale.

This practice expanded to include daily (work) time specifically for addressing digressing or detrimental thoughts.

Exercise: Imagine inhaling the thought with your breath and letting it dissolve as you exhale.

It worked like a gentle guide, drawing the thought and the energy with it back to myself, a feeling akin to gathering a wisp of smoke and returning it to the source of the fire. This put me back in the driver’s seat. I was holding the reins and could stop the mental chariot whenever needed. This control brought a steady surge of mental power that further helped with grounding my thoughts.

The positive effects of this practice were astounding. It reminded me of a Bible verse:

“Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

I wondered if any of my fellow adults could recall the experience of untainted childhood. Those days were filled with pure experience, uninterrupted by the worries and anxieties of the future. Time itself seemed to breathe in perfect rhythm and harmony. Simple joys — watching butterflies flit through the garden, animals grazing freely — wove a tapestry of wonder. I existed purely in the present moment, devoid of worry. My mother, my caretaker, provided for my every need. She fed me when I was hungry and clothed me when I felt cold. Immersed in the company of animals, I lived in a state of pure, unadulterated happiness, content and present.

These meditative moments of existing between thoughts resembled that childhood experience, reminding me of the joy of simply being with animals or human companions (after all, I’m not a Moravian Mowgli — I had human friends, too!).

Delving deeper into ancient teachings, I discovered a common thread that resonates with contemporary wisdom. Similar to Zen philosophy and the tranquillity of nature, truth often presents itself in a beautifully simple way. It doesn’t beg, brag, or preach; it simply reaches out to our deeper selves, connecting without excessive explanation. It whispers, never shouts. The quieter the mind becomes, the more whispers we begin to notice.

This contemplation sparked another thought: The common advice to “listen to your heart” can be misleading if taken literally. After all, the only voice we perceive directly is the one in our head. And oh, how that voice can be a confusing and noisy chatter! Judgmental, condescending, even cruel at times, it’s at the very least distracting. Following it blindly is a recipe for disaster. Ironically, this voice is a hair’s breadth away from losing control of one’s mind altogether.

Many ancient teachings, such as Vedic and Yogic philosophy, emphasize that we are not our bodies, thoughts, or souls. On an individual level, we are Atman, and on a universal level, Brahman—an analogy for light, omnipresent, and everlasting. Identifying with anything less than our true essence is another surefire path to suffering.

Building on Descartes’s famous “cogito ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am), I champion “I feel, therefore I am” as a more powerful statement. Whether uttered by Baruch Spinoza or Antonio Damasio, this sentiment deeply resonates with me. It underscores the importance of where we direct our attention. From a science and quantum mechanics point of view, where attention goes, energy flows. Therefore, I propose that instead of saying, “Listen to your heart,” we say, “Feel what your heart is telling you.” The emphasis is on the “feel.”

Think about it this way. Our internal dialogue is a constant stream of chatter. It can be critical, anxious, or filled with mental clutter. But beneath this mental noise lies a deeper wellspring of wisdom — a place of intuition and feeling. We can access this deeper knowledge by quieting the external chatter and turning inward.

This doesn’t mean ignoring logic or reason. It’s about finding a balance. Feelings can be a powerful compass, guiding us towards what truly serves us. But sometimes, logic and reason are necessary to navigate complex situations. The key is cultivating a relationship with our thinking mind and feeling heart.

Language of Subconscious Mind

Here’s a crucial point to consider: our subconscious mind doesn’t process language like our conscious mind does. It doesn’t distinguish between positive and negative phrasing. Statements like “I don’t want to be anxious” or “I shouldn’t eat that cake” can actually backfire. By focusing on the negative (“don’t want,” “shouldn’t”), we’re still dwelling on the undesirable outcome. Do not think of a red car is another nice example of this. Did you picture a red car in your mind? I did, indeed.

The power lies in reframing our internal dialogue with positive affirmations. Instead of saying, “I don’t want to be anxious,” try “, I am choosing calmness.” Replace “I shouldn’t eat that cake” with “I am choosing a healthy snack.” This subtle shift in language makes a significant difference. We’re directing our subconscious mind towards the desired state, and where attention goes, energy flows.

The difference between “I don’t want to drink alcohol” and “I am choosing sobriety” is the difference between dependency and freedom. It’s the difference between failure and success.

The path to inner stillness is a lifelong exploration that requires consistent practice and a willingness to experiment. Meditation, mindfulness exercises, and spending time in nature are all valuable tools. But ultimately, the most important step is to begin.

Start by taking a few deep breaths each day. Notice your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Look at your hands and say, “I am present in my body, in this moment, here and now.” When you wait for a bus, for the tea to cool down, or when you are about to fall asleep, find the micro-moments where you get your attention back to yourself.

Practice interrupting mental chatter and returning your focus to the present moment. You’ll discover a newfound sense of peace, clarity, and purpose as you cultivate this inner stillness. In today’s noisy world, this quiet power within is more valuable than ever.

May the Force Be Within You