I test stuff on myself. I keep what works. I drop what doesn't. Here's what stuck.
- Caffeine - early only. I drink my coffee in the first hours of the day. I stop before 10am. After that it wrecks my sleep and I feel no upside. So I load it early and cut it off.
- Green tea + coffee. I drink a lot of green tea. When I mix green tea with coffee, I feel way better than coffee alone. It's the L-theanine. It smooths the caffeine out. Best combo I've found.
- I eat late. First real meal around 12 or 1pm. If I eat early, I get tired. Eating later keeps me sharp through the morning work.
- No nicotine. I tried it many times. I was never better at coding. I felt lazier. All I got was the addiction. No benefit. So it's out.
- Magnesium and creatine. Magnesium at night for sleep. Creatine every day. Simple. Works. Kept.
Morning
Coffee + green tea. Load the caffeine early.
10:00
Caffeine cutoff. After this it only costs sleep.
12:00–13:00
First real meal. Eating earlier makes me tired.
Night
Magnesium. No food 2 hours before bed, protein only.
The point isn't the list. It's the method. Test one thing. Keep it only if it makes you sharper or sleep better. Nicotine failed. The tea and coffee stack passed.