Productivity

Notes

• When you're most alert, best to do things you already know how to do. "Linear implementation" (source: Huberman)

• Mid-morning is often when many people are in peak alertness

• Creativity is often best when calm or slightly drowsy

• Background noise / music (source: Huberman)

  • Good if we're not alert (a lot of things going on around us will make our body on high alert)

  • Bad if we're already alert (will make you too distracted / alert)

• The goal is to aim for a good balance of "go" and "no go". Action and suppression (source: Huberman)

  • Action to be motivated to get things done

  • Suppression to not get distracted (by phone, or meaningless to-dos)

  • These pathways are very consuming. After a while, discipline starts to wane

• Exercising earlier in the day helps us get up earlier, and helps us stay alert later in the day. More energy in the day in general (source: Huberman)

  • If the exercise is very consuming, you might crash after you have a meal

• Fast and low carb states lend themselves to alertness (source: Huberman)

  • Food makes you sleepy in general

    • The blood is directed towards the gut

    • Energy spent on digestion

• A bit of starch at lunch if highly consuming exercise done in the morning (source: Huberman)

• Biologically programmed spike in alertness 60 minutes before bed (source: Huberman)

  • Historically, humans needed to gather resources before sleep

  • Passes after 45-60 minutes

  • Don't worry about this -- instead, do mundane tasks in this time (e.g. cleaning)

• The low information diet

Decision Matrix

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