The Secret of Using Coffee Effectively for Your CFA Studies

@VazRu – black tea is a great substitute! Maybe 1/30th of the cup size above 😉

I’m coffee deprived so to speak, in fact haven’t been having them for the past few days! I’m testing out a yo-yo cycle as we speak :))

Thanks for the kind words @firefly, I’m glad I could be of some sort of inspiration! Yes definitely, try to tone it down, because you’d be less of a monster like I was. It’s effectiveness increases the more infrequent you use it (yes strangely). But like @edulima said, each person is different, you can observe your reaction/productivity to these adjustments over time. Try having it only on alternate days (as you suggested 3-4 cups per week, max 1 cup a day), and let us know how it goes.

Thanks so much for that prompt and helpful advice @Sophie..as always, you are (yet again) my saviour 🙂

Use it, but don’t abuse it. 🙂

@Sophie Sometimes I have a cup of coffee and fall asleep right after finishing it… What am I doing wrong?

@Dan, that’s a stage I reached too. It became the norm, such that I need one just to feel ‘normal’ (and have no problem sleeping with it) – I suspect your body got used to a certain minimum dosage, which is why stage 1 is needed 🙂

@sophie, I believe the first picture describes me everyday. Do you think black tea would be a good substitute?

P.S. This is my only cup of the day

Wow 5 cups is pretty high volume.

For those drinking multiple cups of coffee a day — how are you going to get access to so much coffee at the exam venue on the exam day? I don’t think you can bring beverages with you into the hall, so the only time you’ll get is the lunch break and if you drink a great many cups then, you’ll need to have bathroom breaks in the afternoon session. I was so worried by this that I trained myself to drink only one cup of coffee in the morning the last couple of weeks before the exam.

Good point @MockTurtle‌ . I tend to drink 1 a day in the morning as well for the same reason. Wouldn’t want to have withdrawal symptoms on the exam day itself!

Is this same with tea too?

Hi @Dan, is it decaf? 🙂

Different people have different tolerance levels to coffee. Other factors that come into play are: how much sleep overall are you getting? How about exercise? Ideally, you’re having a balanced life from a “metabolism” perspective.

@Sophie, I am a coffee addict, in fact I love it so much, I’ve made my husband an addict too :P..point is, we just passed CFA Level 1 and, atleast for my part, a lot of it I attribute to my coffee drinking habit. Right now, there’s really little time left (inspired by posts here, we’ve already registered for Level 2 :D) and I don’t want to experiment by withdrawing from coffee altogether. However, the results of your ‘experiment’ are so impressive that I’d love to try it out..so, can I tone it down a little (atleast for the time being) and cut it to 3-4 cups a week..please, please, please??? Do let me know if that works 🙂

I feel like this post is written for me. I am hopelessly addicted to coffee, and can’t do anything until I’ve had my first cup.

Not sure if I’m ready to go cold turkey though…

I have been conducting similar coffee and caffeine experiments on myself for that last 5 years. I draw similar conclusions and prefer to use caffeine as a tool rather than a habit.

Worth noting, green tea still has caffeine just a lower dose. It’s good for reducing your intake if you can’t take cold turkey. Genetic analysis shows that caffeine has more of an impact on some people based on your genes so some people may need 2-3 cups to get the hit of your one cup.

@fuzyfro89‌ I second that. I am totally with you on that one.

@sophie: It’s very inspiring to hear stuff like that. I am helplessly addicted to coffee. As the exams get nearer, I can easily drink up to 5 mugs a day. Whenever I try to reduce my intake I get terrible headaches. And honestly, I am not sure I want to give it up. My reasoning is that I don’t have any other vices as in I don’t smoke, drink, gamble nor am I addicted to anything else except coffee. Just the smell of a hot cup of black coffee is wow sounds pretty good right now actually. So I believe life is too short to deny ourselves even the simplest of pleasure and well coffee is my one serious source of pleasure. I can’t leave it, not right now.

@CFAcharterwannabe – that’s quite a lot in a day, no wonder you felt the headaches. You should try reducing the cups you have daily, gradually, to reduce the shock and withdrawal symptoms. Not gonna be easy, but if you wanna use it effectively it’s helpful!

I look forward to having an experiment after June 7th. Until then, I will drown myself in God’s magic elixir.

this is so brilliant and i’m going to try this.
I’m sure can take Phase 3, self discipline has helped me stop smoking, why is why im looking forward to this experience as well 😀

However, ive been having coffee almost everyday for almost 9 years now.. but i STILL feel its effect with almost every cup, which enhances my focus and productivity… can’t image having 1 cup after 4-5 weeks

@Sophie, this post is right on time, thank you! It’s quite an interesting insight.

@Ravivooda – I think in general, 2-3 avg cup of tea = 1 cup of coffee in terms of caffeine content.