Focus Toolkit: Tools to Improve Your Focus & Concentration

In this episode, I provide a list of behavioral, nutritional, and supplement-based tools you can use to improve your ability to get into a focused state to do mental or physical work. I explain science-supported strategies for transitioning into focus, maintaining focus during the work bout, and exiting the focus session, which is also critical, including decompression/defocusing tools. I explain when and how to use: binaural beats, caffeine, deliberate cold exposure, the pros and cons of working in fasted vs. fed states, and supplements and foods that enhance dopamine, epinephrine (i.e., adrenaline) and acetylcholine to promote optimal focus. Also, I explain how short behavioral practices, such as meditation and visual gaze training, will benefit your ability to focus over the long term. As deep focus is crucial to significantly improve cognitive or physical performance in any realm, this episode should be useful to anyone. By the end, you’ll have an essential toolkit of science-supported, low- to zero-cost focus and concentration strategies to select from that can be tailored to your physical and mental performance needs.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) Focus Toolkit 

(00:04:42) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT

(00:09:37) The “Arrow Model” of Focus: Epinephrine, Acetylcholine & Dopamine

(00:15:15) Modulation vs. Mediation, Importance of Sleep

(00:18:11) Tool: Binaural Beats to Improve Concentration 

(00:20:54) Tool: White, Brown & Pink Noise, Transition to Focused State

(00:22:55) Warm-Up for Cognitive Work, Refocusing Attention & Neuroplasticity 

(00:26:14) Tool: Ultradian Cycles: Warm-Up, Maintaining Focus & Deliberate Defocusing 

(00:31:22) How Many Daily Ultradian Cycles Can One Perform? 

(00:32:28) Sponsor: AG1

(00:35:35) Virtusan: Mental & Physical Health Journeys 

(00:36:52) Tool: Fasted vs. Fed States & Focus, Prevent an Afternoon Crash, Ketosis

(00:45:52) Tool: Foods to Improve Focus & Regulating Food Volume

(00:47:53) Tool: Caffeine & Focused Work, Dopamine Efficacy, Alertness

(00:52:55) Tool: Stress & Improved Concentration 

(00:55:46) Tool: Deliberate Cold Exposure & Focus, Dopamine & Epinephrine 

(01:00:39) Layer Focusing Tools & Design Your Own Protocols 

(01:01:19) Tool: Short Meditation & Improved Ability to Refocus 

(01:07:40) Tool: Yoga Nidra, Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) & Defocus Periods

(01:12:13) Tool: Hypnosis & Focus/Deep Relaxation States

(01:16:07) Optimal Time of Day to Use Specific Tools

(01:16:46) Tool: Overt Visual Focus & Deliberate Gaze 

(01:20:42) Covert Visual Focus; Deliberate Gaze Warm-Up & Focused Work 

(01:24:43) Tool: Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids 

(01:27:28) Tool: Creatine Monohydrate 

(01:29:10) Tool: Alpha-GPC & Acetylcholine, Increased Risk of Stroke? & Garlic 

(01:33:52) Tool: L-Tyrosine Supplements & Food

(01:34:47) Combining & Choosing Focus Tools, Variability 

(01:36:50) ADHD Prescriptions, Training Neural Circuits, Maintenance & Reduced Dosage

(01:39:19) Tool: Optimal Order Approaching Focus Tools, Prescriptions & Dependency 

(01:42:56) Tool: Phenylethylamine & Dopamine

(01:44:50) Tool: Other Supplements to Enhance Dopamine, Epinephrine & Acetylcholine 

(01:46:46) Behavioral, Nutrition & Supplement Tools for Focus

(01:49:12) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Momentous Supplements, AG1 (Athletic Greens), Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter

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