There could be some benefit to dropping LSD during work, according to an article in the December issue of Marie Claire. Fair warning, though: Despite the growing interest in ingesting small doses of the psychedelic—known as "micro-dosing"—to do better work, it's still illegal.
Micro-dosing LSD entails a thought process adjustment or a brain refresher, not a mind-altering hallucination trip. It has been floated as an alternative to Adderall: You get focus and clarity, with the added bonus of creativity, to produce a "flow" that improves efficiency.
"It gives you fresh eyes for programming or figuring out algorithmic stuff," one woman, who started micro-dosing with her husband, told Marie Claire. "It made me really productive in a motivated way. Whatever mental block that was stopping me from doing something would disappear."
Psychologist James Fadiman, Ph.D., outlined a guide to micro-dosing in his book The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: One day of micro-dosing LSD at the 10-microgram level, a couple days off, then restart the cycle on the fourth day. Evidence, as with most drugs, is purely anecdotal—few researchers can overcome legal hurdles of studying illegal substances. That means the benefits of micro-dosing are vastly under-explored, as are the long term effects of repeated psychedelic use. New research also indicates LSD could help patients with mental illnesses, especially depression.
The testimonials from those who have tried small doses of LSD to produce better work more quickly are promising. It's just illegal, even on the micro level.
