28 Power Up Your Mind
that our natural body clock is closer to the lunar cycle of 25 hours
rather than the solar rhythm of 24 hours.)
It is has been confirmed that there really are some people
who favor the mornings and some the evenings. There are also dis-
tinctly better times of the day for doing things. In the mornings,
most people take in new information best, while the afternoons—
except immediately after lunch—are better for reviewing and pro-
cessing. However, there are significant individual variations from
this general pattern.
Days are, broadly speaking, times for taking in experiences,
nights for processing them. In addition, at a micro level within the
day, Georgi Lozanov has suggested that we need to aim for periods
of high energy, then relaxation, then energy, then relaxation, and so
on.
Most of this is common sense. But somehow, perhaps
because we lead such busy lives, the powerful role of sleep is often
forgotten, as are the natural cycles that necessitate processing time
as well as task time.Think back over the last week. Have there been days when you have been conscious of under-
performance due to lack of sleep? Do you try to build in relaxation moments as well as more
energetic ones? Are you a morning or an evening person?Of course, the stimulation afforded by other people and the excite-
ment of new experiences are other major sources of nourishment,
just as altogether quieter moments can be.Nearly unpacked
You have now nearly finished unpacking your brain—but do you
really need to know any of this stuff? Does the chemistry of your
mind have any bearing on your success as an individual? Would
you work smarter if you knew a little more? Is all this just common
sense anyway? Or would it be better to plug your mind in, start to
use it, and leave the worrying about how it works to brain
scientists?