One of the keys to my progress in chess (or alternatively sub-par performance) has been the management of mental energy, as mentioned in The Long Journey to Class A. We often tend not to take into sufficient account the energy requirements of our brain during extended mental efforts, although it is a part of our body that needs it as much - actually much more - than our muscles during physical activity.
I recently ran across the Psychology Today article "The Making of Mental Energy" which reminded me of its importance. It also serves as a short and useful background to the topic, including how to manage your energy inputs. One excerpt from the introduction helps frame the situation:
It's only 2 percent of your body weight, but your brain consumes 20 to 25 percent of your metabolic energy. And that's just on idle, the energy cost to keep your 86 billion neurons and give-or-take 164 trillion synapses on standby.
Once the brain is activated, energy demands quickly multiply. Paying attention is an energy-guzzler requiring mental effort, the application of self-control. Decision-making, empathy, even meditation consume mental resources. Taking in information and processing it, conducting a quick inventory check against memory, maintaining focus and interest, to say nothing of suppressing distraction - whew, it's exhausting just thinking about it.
This of course describes chess-related mental tasks quite well, so the applicability of the topic should be obvious. Now I just need to do a better job of it myself...
