My experience suggests caffeine CAN be one of the most powerful ways for a person to increase their energy when they need it.

I say it “can” be because it can also be a complete waste of time if you fail to use it right. On top of that, it can be powerful but that doesn’t mean it’s always a good idea to indulge in it.

People can build a tolerance for caffeine. If you’re the kind of person that drinks a few bottles of soda a day (or a few cups of coffee) then you’re probably not going to be able to fully appreciate the benefits of the caffeine.

In fact, if you were to stop taking the caffeine you could suffer from withdrawal. You could end up feeling worse than usual while never fully appreciating the benefits of the caffeine.

These days, I try not to indulge in caffeine at all for a number of reasons but I spent many months playing with different dosages to see what worked for me and what didn’t.

During the periods I had been off caffeine for months I could take a relatively small dosage and feel a huge burst of energy. During those bursts of energy I was able to get dramatically more work done than I was used to.

The problems came after a few weeks of caffeine when I’d see a reduction in productivity. I started to build some kind of a tolerance (or at the very least feel some kind of a tolerance and in cases like this, that’s essentially the same thing.)

After a few months of playing with different dosages, I started to realize the main challenge with using caffeine to improve performance.

I would go through weeks of major productivity as I was using the caffeine but then, I would suffer for another week to get off the caffeine without feeling exhausted. It was possible but it just wasn’t particularly enjoyable.

The reality for me was that the management just wasn’t worth the increase in energy.

More energy is good but feeling pumped up and ready to work is only as useful as you’re prepared for it to be. I’ve spent many an hour being busy but completely unproductive just because I had the energy for it.

The important time isn’t the busy time. It’s the relaxed times when you have the opportunity to think.

I don’t rule out using caffeine for short term boosts of energy once in awhile.

I imagine, if the right circumstances came up, I would do it in a second. I never plan on consuming caffeine recreationally again because it feels like such a waste. At any moment, knowing that I don’t have any real tolerance for caffeine, I can instantly boost my energy to whatever I need it to be. To me, it just feels like an extra tool in my toolbox.

Someday when I need it, I’ll have full access to it.

That’s, of course, just more of my silly opinion. I’ve heard plenty of students swear by full nootropic routines meant to boost their intelligence (at the cost of a lot of money and a whole lot of random and poorly understood chemicals.)

As of this point, I’ve certainly never had a regular need for anything other than what comes naturally.

What I think would be a real shame is if they thought they couldn’t do well without this stuff…

There are all kinds of dependence concerns with stuff like caffeine and other nootropics but the number one dependence problem that I’m concerned with is the one in the gut.

Is this stuff getting your grade or are you? If you start to question that then I’m thinking it’s time to stop until you know the answer.