Forget 2018 New Year’s resolutions – do this instead …

I gave up making New Year’s resolutions years ago. For a good reason …

Every year I made my resolutions. And then failed to stick with whatever it was I was determined to do for the next year.

It made me feel like a failure.

I certainly didn’t need another thing to add to my list of a malfunctioning brain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, poor memory, insomnia, and all the other things going wrong with my life.

But then I came across a solution. Something I could do and that has improved over time. It’s changed my life. And helped me become healthier, wealthier, and wiser.

Wiser I think because I gave up New Year’s resolutions!

Resolutions are doomed to failure

Now before I tell you what to do instead of resolutions … it helps to understand why resolutions are nearly always doomed to failure.

The genesis of New Year’s resolutions were not borne in a positive place.

4,000 years ago, the Babylonians made promises at the beginning of their year to their gods. Promising to pay their debts and return any objects they borrowed.

Then our old friend Julius Caesar in 46 BCE established January 1 as the beginning of our New Year. And Romans offered sacrifices to the deity Janus with promises of good conduct for the coming year.

Early Christians used the beginning of the year for thinking about their past mistakes. And resolving to do better in the future. (Sound familiar)?

Nowadays people make New Year’s resolutions only to themselves. A practice that is most certainly doomed to failure.

In fact, recent research shows that while 41% of Americans say they make New Year’s resolutions. Only about 9% are successful in achieving their goals.^[i] It’s probably not much different in your part of the world.

So given that dismal record over 4,000 years, and a high probability of failure, I humbly recommend you forget about 2018 New Year’s resolutions too.

And instead, you may want to try what I did.

Fix your brain a little at a time by updating your dietary habits, do at least some exercise, and learn how to use nootropic supplements to support whatever else it is that you are trying to achieve.

Here are 7 tips on how to achieve your brain hacking goals in 2018. With a higher probability of success.

7 Secrets of Successful Neurohackers

So to keep you out of the failure zone, here are 7 key tips that can help you keep your 2018 New Year’s neurohacking resolutions. Overcome anything life throws at you this year. And reach your goals (with the help of nootropics) in 2018.

1. Define your goals. What do you want to achieve this year? It’s one thing to say, “I want to get organized”, or “I want to spend less and save more”, or “I want to enjoy life to the fullest” or “I want to lose weight”…

But what exactly is it that may prevent you from getting organized, or taking control of your finances? Or your love life? Or being a more pleasant person?

It could be problems with motivation or concentration. Memory and recall could be an issue. Energy to maintain the stamina you need to stick to your resolution.

You could have an issue with social anxiety, or bouts of depression. Preventing you from living life to the fullest. Procrastination could leave you feeling like a failure because of a lack of motivation.

With your brain running like a finely-tuned instrument, you can improve the odds of meeting these goals. This is where nootropic supplements come in.

But you need to narrow down what needs to be fixed or strengthened. Then select the right nootropic or supplement combination to address what it is in your head that’s holding you back.

You can find all you need to build the best nootropic stack, or select the right supplement – here on NootropicsExpert.com.

More about that in a minute …

2. Be realistic about your progress. The only way to know if you’re making progress is to measure and record any changes you experience. You can feel the effects of some nootropics within 30 minutes. But others may take consistent dosing over 2 – 3 weeks before you experience any lasting change.

Keeping track of how you feel when you take a nootropic supplement pays huge dividends as a source of motivation. Otherwise, you may try something new, and give up prematurely. Especially if you’re not aware that a supplement could take time to build up in your system.

For more on what to expect, check the “How does _____ feel?” section for each of the nootropic supplements reviewed in here on Nootropics Expert.

3. Lasting change takes time. Lasting progress in nearly anything in life seldom happens overnight. But the experience of many neurohackers, including myself, show that you can feel profound positive benefits in something as serious as deep depression in less than 30 days. Sometimes even sooner.

But if you suffer deep bouts of depression. Or are sidelined every day by debilitating anxiety attacks. It takes discipline and some persistence before you’ll feel lasting change. This goes for fixing brain fog and memory problems too. See Tip #5 for more on this.

4. Keep a daily schedule. If you ever find yourself saying something like, “I was too busy to remember to take my stack”. Or, “I missed my 2^nd dose at noon because of an unexpected call”. If you have issues with brain fog or depression, the only way to make this work is to schedule it.

Treat these nootropic New Year’s brain hacking goals like they were scheduled doctor’s appointments. A doc appointment would go in your calendar. Right? If that’s what it takes, plug your daily 2 or 3 dose schedule into the calendar on your phone if you have to.

That which is scheduled gets done. And soon becomes a habit.

My schedule goes like this: nootropic stack/ADD/thyroid meds and coffee as soon as I get up, thyroid meds at 10 am, nootropic stack/ADD meds before lunch, thyroid meds at 2 pm, and thyroid meds/ALCAR/NALT at 4 pm to prevent a stimulant crash.

You’ll find “dosage recommendations” including how many times per day for each nootropic supplement reviewed here on Nootropics Expert.

5. Don’t go it alone. Share your goals with a support group that understands what you are doing. NOT friends and family who have no idea what nootropics and their benefits are.

You can share your goals and get advice here on Nootropics Expert in the comments section of each review and post. Or on the Nootropics Expert Facebook page. Or the reddit.com/r/nootropics forum. Longecity.com also has an area devoted to nootropic and supplement discussions.

It does take some courage and feeling a little vulnerable to share something that you may have been struggling with all your life.

But to dramatically increase your odds of achieving your 2018 New Year’s resolution brain hacking goals with the help of nootropics, you’ll want the support of those who share many of the same issues as you.

Social media and forums can make a great “accountability partner” if you are serious about achieving your goals.

6. Some progress is better than no progress. Expectation of perfection when setting your 2018 brain hacking goals guarantees you will fail. So do not prime yourself for failure!

But miracles can happen. My life is a great example of a 180-degree turnaround from broke/depressed and miserable to a life of abundance and love. But it took several years of trial and error. Setting goals and trying things. Until I got it right.

So if you are guilty of “all or nothing” thinking, you are pretty much guaranteed to fail. Any effort toward your goal is better than no effort.

A little better memory and recall is better than permanent brain fog. Fewer social anxiety attacks is better than not going out at all.

And if worse comes to worse, refer back to Tip #5.

7. Be flexible. Keep in mind that “degrees of success” is the type of mindset that makes change more sustainable. That means temporary failures can either lead to a total meltdown and giving up. Or, you can re-evaluate and take another step toward your New Year’s resolution goals.

Flexibility also means doing what you can do right now to help you toward your goals. If your budget doesn’t allow for a full-blown nootropic stack to address every one of your issues, start with one or two.

And deal first with the issue that is troubling you the most. Maybe depression is holding you back more than memory issues. Possibly anxiety is a bigger issue than faster recall.

Take another look at the work you did for Tip #1. And choose the most important thing to work on first if you need to. Get feedback from your peer and accountability group. If you forget your dosing schedule for a day or two, get back on it as soon as you can. Nootropics are mostly incredibly forgiving. And the benefits often build up over time.

Best Nootropic Stack of 2018

So what is the best nootropic stack that will help you achieve your brain hacking goals in 2018?

It all depends on the work you did for Tip #1 earlier in this post. What works for me or the person next to you may not be what you need. Our body and brain chemistry is unique. And our issues are unique.

But to help narrow your choices, and get you started, check out the page “Best Nootropics for 2018”.

There you will find a short list of the best nootropics for each of the main issues we deal with daily.

You will find the best nootropics for:

• Cognition, decision-making, focus & thinking
• Memory
• Anxiety & depression
• Energy & motivation
• Brain repair & maintenance

And to help you fine-tune your nootropic stack further, you will find links near the bottom of that page. Pointing to popular posts I’ve written covering in much more detail, subjects like learning & memory, social anxiety, ADHD, depression, motivation, hacking your flow state, boosting BDNF, and even a post on your gut-brain connection.

The most important take-away from this post is “the expectation of perfection guarantees you will fail”.

So if you are going to make a New Year’s resolution for 2018, make it this; resolve not to aim for perfection in your neurohacking goals this year.

Instead, be bold and try different nootropic supplements, try different foods and upgrading your meals, get more and better sleep, and get in a little exercise.

Happy New Year from me and everyone at Nootropics Expert! And may your 2018 be filled with prosperity and love.