Tuesday, July 27, 2010

On Cognitive Fitness

I am a firm believer in the idea that most of the things you learn in school are outside the classroom. Aside from textbook knowledge, a student needs to experience the dynamism in interacting with people in the real world. Spending too much time memorizing facts and solving mathematical equations might make him too closed in on himself, unable to comfortably relate with others. Not that wanting to excel in the academics is a bad thing, but there has to be a balance between what is scholarly and what is street smart. Someone well-versed in the anatomy of plants could also be a natural in leading a group into a good discussion.

The article by Gilkey and Kilts mentions several ways to improve one’s cognitive fitness through experience, play, patterns, and novelty. There is no better time to start than now, no matter what your age. Although of course, the younger you start, the better chance of gaining more life skills.

As a college senior, I try to immerse myself in as much experiences as I could before I graduate. There are just some things that I have to initiate myself into doing or else I would not have the chance of experiencing them ever again. I am a workaholic, no doubt about it, and I feel that I'm spreading myself too thin most of the time. The time which is supposed to be allotted for sleep is now being used for cramming. As a result, I wake up tired and cranky, dependent on that cup of coffee to give myself a boost.

Aside from sleepless nights putting a strain on my wallet to keep on purchasing brewed coffee, they also put a risk on my physical, emotional and mental health. An average of 4 hours of sleep for around 3 weeks now is not exactly enough to let my body rejuvenate. I'm actually scared that I'm going to start losing my brain cells one by one if I continue doing this.


I need to come up with a more creative way of making the most out of what's left of college life without abusing my body. This calls for an innovative way of managing my time and setting my priorities straight.

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