#8: Toolkit For Focus

Author

Kris Ograbek
November 17, 2022

Hi,

I'm happy you want to invest in your brain. That's a smart choice. As always, I've got 4 Brain Nutrients for you:

  • One Short Article: Toolkit For Focus

  • Two Quotes.

  • One Neuroscience Fact: Circadian and Ultradian Cycles.

Enjoy!

One Short Article: Toolkit For Focus

Focus is delicate. To reach deep focus, you have to be deliberate and careful. But losing the state may be as easy as checking your phone. Sadly, Big Tech companies compete for your attention. They don't care about your ability to focus.

Today, let's talk about a toolkit for focus. It will help you validate how your everyday life influences your concentration.

Sleep

A good night's sleep is essential for focus. Almost every process in your brain and body depends on your sleep. When you are sleep deprived, your ability to concentrate suffers. And you can't compensate for that.

Caffeine

It is a simple way to increase alertness. But you don't want to overdose on caffeine. Jitters signal an excess. What's the right amount? Usually, it's 100-200 g of caffeine. However, our caffeine tolerance varies tremendously. So you have to know yourself.

Meditation

Meditation and focus are close friends. Your concentration is dynamic. During every "deep work" session, it deepens and shallows. Bringing yourself back to a deeper focus is a skill you want to master. Refocus. Meditation practice offers that, along with many other benefits.

Practice Visual Focus

I described this exercise in detail in this issue. In short, if you want to increase your mental focus, stare at a small object for 30-60 seconds.

Glucose

Your neurons love glucose. A sufficient level of glucose increases your cognitive functions. So you want to be fed. But be careful. Overeating will make you sleepy.

Interestingly, intermittent fasting practitioners noticed increased focus during the fasting state. It turns out your glucose-to-focus correlation isn't linear. It creates a U-shape function with two peaks:

  • when your glucose is low

  • when you have a sufficient glucose level.

This chart demonstrates what I mean.

Cold Shower / Ice bath

Cold exposure has many benefits but let's talk about concentration. A 1-3 minute cold shower increases epinephrine and adrenaline in your brain and body. It is a perfect "cocktail" for increased focus.

Music

You can choose between binaural beats or noises: white, pink, or brown. The music helps to transition into the focused state. You probably want to listen to the music before your session. During deep work, it may be distracting.

For more detail, check out this Huberman Lab Podcast Episode.

What about combining the tools?

For better results, you can mix 2-3 tools. But don't go for all of them at once. Again, it's all about experimenting. Pick one or two items from the list, and see what works and what doesn't.

Which tools do I use?

I combine fasting with caffeine for my session. If I struggle to concentrate, I do the visual focus exercise. But I also prioritize my sleep and take care of proper hydration.

Still, my biggest hack is the environment. I wake up before my family. Before the session, I avoid distractions - no phone or Internet. So I don't need a big transition into deep work because I'm not distracted at any point in the morning.

Also, consistency helps. I do it every single morning. Now, I can focus for 90+ minutes. Effortlessly.

It still surprises me how much I can accomplish in 1,5 hours. And I want you to experience the same.

Two Quotes

  • "We don't need complex, sophisticated systems to be able to produce complex, sophisticated works." Tiago Forte, Building a Second Brain.

  • "All habits follow a similar trajectory from effortful practice to automatic behavior, a process known as automaticity." James Clear, Atomic Habits

One Neuroscience Fact: Circadian and Ultradian Cycles.

The circadian cycle is your 24-hour body clock. Surprisingly, it consists of 16 90-minute cycles; ultradian cycles. So I plan my "deep work" sessions to be 90 minutes long and begin 90 minutes after I wake up.

Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Keep your brain in mind.

Kris

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