Phase 2: 9-15 hours after waking up

Levels of dopamine, epinephrine, and cortisol start to come down

Serotonin starts to rise and lends itself to a relaxed state of being – can be enhanced with a warm bath, yoga nidra, ashwagandha

Taper the amount of br...

• Binaural beats place the brain into a state that is better for learning
• Binaural beats: playing one sound in one ear and a different sound in the other ear
• Low-frequency waves put the brain into a relaxed state versus high-frequency soundwaves which put the brain into more...

• There don’t seem to be any differences in cognitive tasks between cycling versus walking workstations
• Active workstations are better for some tasks, worse for others: there appear to be improvements in attention and cognition when using active workstations versus seated – however –...

• We weren’t designed to sit all day – but we also weren’t designed to stand all-day
• Just sitting for 5-8+ hours a day is terrible for us and can impact sleep, neck pain, cardiovascular system, muscular pressure
• A combination of sitting and standing throughout the day is b...

A ring light or light pad placed in front of you will also increase alertness and stimulate photons

• Placing your desk near a window – and opening a window if possible – will stimulate eyes and send “wake up” signal during the first 7-8 hours of the day
• Around 9-16 hours after w...

• Listening to particular sounds and in particular, conditions can improve cognition
• Sometimes we want more background noise, sometimes we want less: our auditory tolerance can change from one day to the next and even fluctuate within the same day
• Background noise to avoid: ...

Vision and light are important components to set the brain in a high state of alertness

Being in a brightly lit environment can lend itself to increased productivity throughout the day, not just in the morning

Work in a space with as much overhead light as is safely...

Phase 3: 16-24 hours after waking up

• Keep the environment very dark or dim & room temperature low
• The body needs to drop in temperature to fall asleep & stay asleep
• If you wake up in the middle of the night, use as little light as possible
...

• To be alert and maintain an optimal level of alertness, keep the screen or book at nose level or slightly higher up – ideally while standing or seated
• For every 45 minutes you are focused on something, take a walk or relax your eyes and dilate your gaze for 5 minutes to avoid fatig...

Around 17-24 hours after waking (shift workers or students): 

• limit bright light to just enough that allows you to complete work to keep sleep and metabolism in the best shape possible;
• if you want/need to be very alert, make the environment as bright as possible
• It’s m...

Cathedral effect: thinking becomes smaller and more constricted in tighter visual fields, and vice versa

High ceilings versus low ceilings: high ceilings elicit abstract thoughts and creativity whereas low ceilings promote detailed and concrete work

• Tip to manage office interruptions: if someone enters your office or workspace, acknowledge their presence but don’t shift your body or reorient yourself
• We weren’t designed to sit all day, but we shouldn’t stand all day either – a combination of about 50/50 is bes...

• Where you physically place a screen or book in your workspace plays an important role in alertness
•  When looking down toward the ground, neurons related to calm and sleepiness are activated
• Ideally, work while standing or seated, not laying in bed or on the couch
• Stan...

The quality of our life and our productivity is directly correlated with our ability to focus. Prof Huberman discusses ways to engineer if:

• It will take about 6 minutes to settle into work and focus: unless you are very stressed or excited about something, don’t expe...