How I Work on My Intellect

Pavel Telitsyn

Jun 23, 2026

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. I am not a physician, and nothing below is medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before adopting any practice or supplement. Everything described is my personal experience combined with a review of available research.

What Am I Working On?

For me, intellect is the ability to achieve complex goals. Our entire world consists of abstractions invented by humans: words, numbers, code, notes, and so on. I am only interested in the part where a person interacts with these abstractions, forming skills to achieve their goals.

This could be studying subjects for admission to an educational institution or learning skills to build a business. In all these situations, it comes down to honing mastery: the grind. The grind means the routine, hard, and often boring work that must be done day in and day out to achieve a long-term goal (career, a purchase, studies).

My goal: to improve the grind by 20–30% daily, which will provide a colossal advantage over the long term. Below are my main methodologies.

1. Consistency or Death

The principle everything starts with: the brain lives by the "use it or lose it" rule. What is regularly used gets built up, and what is idle gets dismantled. And this isn't a metaphor: taxi drivers' posterior hippocampi grow in proportion to their years of navigation; musicians and mathematicians have more gray matter precisely in their "working" areas. Deep engagement literally rewires the brain for itself.

How I apply this in life: I choose directions and develop in them regularly throughout my entire life. For me, this is biohacking, programming, languages, and games. These are all large, complex systems that drive the whole mind, and I apply them in life regularly, rather than abandoning them a week after a "course". At the same time, I am not afraid of new directions—on the contrary, I study them with joy.

2. Flow State

The flow state is a deeply studied condition of optimal performance in neurobiology and psychology, where attention fully merges with the activity. At this moment, the brain enters a mode of deep focus, the "inner critic" turns off, and the release of dopamine and noradrenaline sharply increases information processing speed.

How to enter flow:

Balance between task difficulty and skill level. If a task is too easy, boredom sets in, and the brain switches off. If it's too hard, anxiety arises, which blocks the flow. The task should be roughly 4% harder than your current skill level. Ideally, you should feel a slight challenge but still understand that with maximum concentration, the task is manageable.
Absolute elimination of noise and distractions. Shifting attention requires a colossal amount of resources, while flow demands maximum conservation of brain energy. Put all devices in "Do Not Disturb" mode, and close unnecessary browser tabs. If you work in a noisy place, use active noise-canceling headphones. Warn those around you that you are unavailable for the next 90 minutes.
Clarity of goal and immediate feedback. The brain must know the exact vector of movement every second. Before starting a session, write down micro-goals. For example, not just "write code," but "implement a memory clearance function for this specific class". Feedback should be fast: in programming, this is compilation or tests; in writing, it's a completed paragraph. You must immediately see the result of your action.

3. Supplements

In my regimen, I divide supplements into two groups. I take some in courses for studying and long-term brain work, while others are situational, used as "doping" for high-speed tasks.

For Studying (in courses, with breaks)

Lion's Mane (Ежовик гребенчатый) Stimulates neuron growth. Lion's Mane is a structural nootropic: the first changes in neural connection density are recorded after 6–8 weeks.

NGF and BDNF Production (Neurogenesis): Erinacines (especially Erinacine A) are recognized as the most powerful natural inducers of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF).
Effect: Acceleration of nerve fiber regeneration and the growth of new dendrites.
Mechanism: Studies show that erinacines activate the TrkA/ERK signaling pathway, which increases neuron survival under oxidative stress by 60–75%. In 2025, it was confirmed that extracts obtained via deep liquid fermentation contain times more Erinacine A than mycelium on brown rice. That is why I switched from mycelium to extracts.

For "Doping" (situational)

CDP-Choline (Citicoline) Unlike substances that only temporarily modulate neuronal activity, citicoline provides the building blocks for the physical restoration of cell membranes. Research highlights three key areas of its impact:

Concentration and Attention: Citicoline increases dopamine levels in the CNS and the density of dopamine receptors: meaning fewer errors on monotonous tasks and better prolonged focus. Meta-analyses confirm its efficacy at doses of 250–500 mg for significantly improving attention in healthy adults.
Neuronal Membrane Repair: Citicoline is an intermediate link in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, the main structural component of neuron membranes. When taken, it breaks down into choline and cytidine; cytidine then converts to uridine, which is critically important for the synthesis of membrane phospholipids.
Bioenergetics and Mitochondria: Data indicates that citicoline improves mitochondrial function in the frontal lobes, increasing ATP levels in the brain. This reduces "mental fog" and increases overall cognitive endurance.

Caffeine + L-Theanine A synergistic duo that provides the effect of "calm alertness": high concentration and an energy boost without the side effects of pure caffeine. This combination yields measurable results within 30–60 minutes.

Focus without the Side Effects of Stimulation: The main problem with pure caffeine is increased anxiety, tremors, and sharp blood pressure swings. L-theanine neutralizes these manifestations, leaving a state of "calm focus". Studies show a 22% reduction in physiological stress markers (salivary cortisol) compared to taking pure caffeine.
Accuracy and Reaction Speed: The combination is critical for tasks requiring high information processing speed and fine motor skills: it reduces reaction time while simultaneously decreasing the number of errors due to better filtration of distractors.
Attention Switching: The stack helps to enter a state of deep work faster after forced interruptions. To reduce tolerance, modern protocols recommend a cycle of 5 days on / 2 days off.

Phenotropil (Phenylpiracetam) One of the most powerful legal nootropics with a pronounced stimulating effect. The presence of a phenyl group allows the piracetam molecule to instantly cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), acting faster and more aggressively than classic racetams.

Anti-asthenic Effect and Cognitive Endurance: Phenotropil acts as a modulator of nicotinic acetylcholine and NMDA receptors, and also functions as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. This prevents burnout during extreme mental loads and increases stress resistance.
Scientific Context: Clinical studies confirm its high efficacy in treating cognitive dysfunctions and severe asthenic syndrome, noting improvements in memory, attention, and psychomotor reaction speeds.
My Approach: Tolerance to the stimulating (dopaminergic) effect of phenotropil builds up very quickly—literally in 2–3 days of continuous use. Therefore, I never take it in long courses. It is a pure situational "dope" (100 mg) exclusively for days when an abnormal volume of complex analytical or academic work lies ahead.