Goals

Notes from Huberman goals podcast

• Focusing on a goal line visually helps. Study found that participants performed ~20% better and with ~20% less effort when focusing on the goal line they were running towards

  • This is for short term goals. As other notes show, visualizing for long term goals doesn't help too much

• Multitasking has a use

  • Study showed that on average humans only actually hold their full attention for 3 minutes

  • Multitasking activates norepinephrine / adrenaline. So it can be good when about to start focus on a goal if you need activation / adrenaline

• Focusing visually on a single point in space for 30-60 seconds enhances ability to focus mentally, prepares brain for focus

  • So good before starting on a goal if you need disciplined focus (at least that's my understanding of the difference between this and multitasking before focus)

• Cold showers can provide 2.5x in long term dopamine release (he mentioned a study I think)

• Visualizing successful outcome of goal is a little helpful, but only at start of trying to achieve a goal and maybe a few times during

  • But visualizing what failure might look like is actually far more impactful for determining if the goal is successful

• A goal needs to be not too easy, but not impossible

  • More likely you'll give up easier if it's either

  • So, a challenging, attainable goal

• Big difference between when you decided to pursue a goal vs feel like you're being forced into it. You attain more benefits, dopamine if you feel like you're the one who decided to do it

  • e.g. rat study where some rats were motivated to exercise, and others were forced to. The ones motivated to experienced positive health benefits. The ones who didn't actually experienced negative health impact

• It's important to assess progress on a goal. He mentioned once a week is a good starting point.

• Experiencing rewards when you complete progress towards a goal help increase chance you'll do it again (dopamine release)

Notes

Links