Developing one's intellect?

[vilst3r]

Was wondering what are some useful techniques that'll increase my intellect in order to help me cope with school work. I've heard clearing the mind in meditation helps increase concentration and attention span. What are your thoughts on this matter?

[Oldern]

Was wondering what are some useful techniques that'll increase my intellect in order to help me cope with school work. I've heard clearing the mind in meditation helps increase concentration and attention span. What are your thoughts on this matter?

It can help. Meditation is the very first step required in order to do what you want to do. I would advise several more things.

One is to look at your diet. You will need to focus on your brain, and your eating will need to reflect that as well. Do not be afraid of taking in some sugar (or its healthier alternatives) if you feel like your brain will be working a lot in the next few months or years - but of course, all in moderation.

I experienced a clearer, more capable thought process after switching down to the basic food - seeds, eggs, etc. So that is one possibility you might want to check.

Other is bloodflow. Are you exercising enough? An improved circulation can help your brain as well. Combine that with regular meditation, and you will find yourself naturally drawn to any physical substance that you might need in order to keep up. And remember, your higher self wont give you a task that you cannot complete! : )

[Liet]

Not just any meditation, effect greatly differs depending on how you do it, besides the change wouldnt happend overnight(maybe over a week?).

The effect of a crystal is immediate tho... For school, i'd go with pyrite, its similar (just not extreme) in effect to amphetamine but equaly calming as stressing.

Exercise has a similar effect on the psyche as pyrite.

[βαθμιαίος]

Getting enough sleep helps a lot.

[Spaced]

I think Oldern laid out some good points, diet and exercise are major factors for me. I also like to exercise my brain with sudoku and crossword puzzles. I find doing sudoku puzzles every morning helps keep my pattern recognition abilities sharp.

As someone who struggles with attention deficit disorder I found concentrating on schoolwork next to impossible. I realized that it was because of my attitude towards it. I often felt like "oh I don't want to do this at all, why are they making me do this?" And from that point of view there was no way for me to get anything done. The key for me was to realize that I wasn't doing my schoolwork for the professors, I was doing it for myself because I wanted to learn. I found that if I got interested in my schoolwork it no longer became a chore and I actually enjoyed doing it. Maybe cultivating such an attitude would help you with your studies as well.

[BrotherAsa]

Your effort should be toward expansion in two areas, focus and mental retention. There are many simple exercises you can do in both areas. A search of the internet for exercises in each area should give you great rewards. The ability to excel in the area of academics is simply the result of training and exercise just like playing a musical instrument or a sport. Mental retention exercises are centered around your ability to create recall of information. A simple retention exercise is to mentally create yourself a mansion in which each room is uniquely painted or decorated-a cloud room in which the walls are painted with clouds or an Old West room. Each thing you wish to be able to recall goes into one of these rooms-they can be designated by subject or group, etc. Start with something easy the names of friends, automobiles, pets (past & present), teachers, etc. Visualize putting whatever it is in a unique place then practice going back and pulling them back up over and over again, increasing the number of rooms and amount of "storage" as you go. As for focus there are just as many exercises to improve in this area as well. Two simple ones are simply at night when you have turned off the light and before sleep look around your room, identify everything you see and tell yourself "that is what my dresser looks like in the dark", etc., then simply listen and identify each sound that you can hear. At lunch close your eyes and listen, identify every sound you can hear telling yourself that is what a motorcycle sounds like, etc. Go sit in a park look down in the grass and identify all the life you can find there. Small exercises like these done diligently, with purpose, and dedication will return great rewards in all areas of your life. I hope this helps you in your journey.

[vilst3r]

Thanks guys for your help so far, and I strongly agree with Spaced, how your attitude towards intellectual work affects how well you well learn. As for my diet, it's usually bases of 3 meals a day and my food consists mostly of rice, meat and fish, but I'm still reluctant to eat vegatables more often. Sleep is the biggest problem for me, I would sometimes sleep more than 10 hours and still wake up feeling tired (recommended sleep for teens usually 8-9 hours). I'm aiming to clean up my sleeping pattern and wake up feeling fresh which I barely get now these days. Also any tips for creative work/study?

[Tenet Nosce]

Was wondering what are some useful techniques that'll increase my intellect in order to help me cope with school work. I've heard clearing the mind in meditation helps increase concentration and attention span. What are your thoughts on this matter?

Read. Preferably books.

Sort of stating the obvious, but I noticed that nobody else had mentioned it!