In this video, the journalist discusses the morning routine of neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, known for his expertise in productivity and well-being. The routine is divided into three phases: morning, linear, and non-linear. During the morning phase, Huberman recommends getting light into your eyes, drinking salt water, taking a cold shower or plunge, delaying caffeine intake, and doing light exercise. The linear phase is focused on deep work, with 90-minute work sessions followed by a 20-minute rest period. The non-linear phase is for creative work and relaxation. Incorporating these habits can have a significant impact on productivity and overall well-being.
Key Insights:
- Dr. Huberman provides insights on how to improve productivity and well-being.
- The morning routine consists of getting light in your eyes, drinking salt water, taking cold showers, delaying caffeine intake, and doing light exercise.
- The linear phase focuses on deep work, with recommended work-rest intervals.
- The non-linear phase prioritizes creative work and suggests non-sleep deep rest for relaxation.
- Social interactions and outdoor activities are encouraged at the end of the day.
- Implementing even one of these habits can have a noticeable impact on productivity and well-being.
- Dr. Huberman’s teachings can be personalized and integrated into one’s lifestyle for sustainable improvement.
Transcript
Alright, Dr. Huberman. How do I become limitless? I’m stressed, I’m overworked. Everyone wants to know, „What’s the pill that’s gonna make me limitless? What’s the technology?“ We actually have the chemicals, take 300 milligrams, that will reduce brain fog, blast your system. And if you don’t do this enough, you are messing yourself up in a number of ways.
At first, these were just habits. But then things started changing. I was blind, but now I see. The pursuit of productivity and well-being is a common goal, but hitting the right balance between the two can be a challenge. Often, I find myself completely sacrificing one for the other. On one hand, my productivity is through the roof, but my health and well-being suffer. Or I’m completely zenned out, checking all the holistic boxes in my life, and productivity dies.
I tried many different morning routines and really struggled to find one to strike that perfect balance, until I found Andrew Huberman’s morning routine. Andrew Huberman is brilliant and has documented hundreds of hours on this topic. But finding one clear and concise regimen with all the videos and conflicting information was very difficult to do.
The routine can easily be understood by breaking it down into three sections: morning, linear, and non-linear. Additionally, there are four major pillars throughout this morning routine that I’ll share throughout the video that have truly changed and impacted my life. For the better when it comes to productivity and how I feel throughout the day.
If you clicked on this video, you probably already know who Andrew Huberman is. But for the five of you that don’t know who he is yet, Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and a tenured professor at Stanford University in neurobiology. And he’s well known for his widely popular podcast, The Huberman Lab. I think there’s a lot of brilliant academic leaders out there on podcasts and writing books and research papers. But what really makes Andrew stand out to me personally is he not only talks the talk, but he walks the talk. Andrew looks like he takes his own advice. He’s smart, he’s productive, and it shows.
So let’s cover phase one, the morning. The morning phase is all about setting the tone, and it generally goes from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the morning. The first step is almost immediately getting light into your eyes and drinking salt water. I take some mineral drops in my water in the morning. Trust me, it doesn’t taste great, but this really helps get the neurons firing in your brain right away in the morning. And the light actually helps set the tone for your circadian rhythm. So this is going to allow you to not crash in the afternoon and actually be able to go to sleep and be tired when the sun goes down and you’re trying to go to bed early. Plus, it just feels good to be in the sun, so it definitely helps to do this.
Next, he recommends the dreaded cold shower or a cold plunge if you have one. Now, this is going to give you sustained dopamine levels all day long. And they’ve done a lot of research on this. Chocolate, sex, and cocaine raise your dopamine levels temporarily in the short term, about two times over baseline. Cold plunges or cold showers actually increase your dopamine level 2.5 times over baseline. So even more than hardcore drugs. Cold plunges motivate you and keep you sharp and focused. And the beautiful thing is, it’s a slow rise over time. So when you do the cold plunge in the morning, you’re going to be more focused and more sharp when doing tasks throughout the day.
He also recommends that you delay your caffeine intake to at least an hour after you wake up. And this is really going to help you offset your cortisol levels in the beginning of the day. And I believe the term is called adenosine. This builds up when you sleep, and if you immediately drink caffeine, it temporarily suppresses it. But it all comes roaring back in the afternoon. Many people find that if they delay their caffeine intake to 90 to 120 minutes after waking up, that they feel more alert in the morning and they completely avoid that afternoon crash. Just this tip alone has been huge for me. Like, I noticeably experience the difference when I just wake up immediately go to the coffee pot, drink it down versus waiting, maybe having some tea that’s not really caffeinated, getting some light in my eyes. It makes all the difference in the world.
Next, he recommends to do some light exercise in the morning. This could be walking, this could be running, weight lifting. I do Jiu Jitsu in the evening, which is pretty intense and taxing on my nervous system and my muscles and my body. So, I don’t want to overdo it in the morning. So, I go a little bit lighter at this part of the routine. If you’re doing some kind of exercise in the morning, that’s also going to support dopamine levels throughout the day, which is going to help you stay motivated and focused and sharp.
Next up is the linear phase. The linear phase really lasts from about 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the afternoon. This phase is where you can focus on your deep work. You’re going to tackle most of the day-to-day tasks that you need to get done here. He recommends doing a 90-minute work session followed by a 20-minute rest period. You can also do the Pomodoro Technique, which is 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off, on a simple timer to keep you focused and knocking out tasks. So, this is where I’m getting the majority of my work done. I’m meeting with clients, team members, strategizing, and knocking out projects for my agency. One thing I’ll do is I’ll take short breaks to maybe step outside, get some sunlight in my face, reset, and then jump back on to Zoom land. And while you’re working this phase, I find it really beneficial to put my phone on „Do Not Disturb,“ maybe set it off to the desk because it’s very, very easy to go down the rabbit hole of scrolling on social media if you have it immediately at your fingertips.
Now, lastly is the non-linear phase. The non-linear phase starts 7 to 8 hours after waking up. It usually lasts about 2 p.m. till 10 p.m. at night. This is my favorite time of the day, to be honest. This phase is all about focusing on the creative work. So, you’re doing all the analytical tasks in the linear phase, and in the non-linear phase, this is where you can be flexible and creative with your work. So, I’ve actually blocked out my calendar from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. so I can focus on my creative work and not have to take meetings. If it’s been an especially draining day, I’ll engage in some non-sleep rest. This is very much recommended by Huberman as well. Yes, so non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) is an acronym that I coined because it encompasses a lot of practices that are not meditation per se, but that bring the brain and body into a state of relaxation and focus. This is where you simply lay down for 10 to 15 minutes and you don’t actually go to sleep. So, you can do some kind of mindful meditation. There’s apps like Headspace. I personally like to listen to the Dr. Joe Dispenza meditation just to reset your mind, recharge yourself, and give your body some rest to go and tackle the project you’re working on.
He also recommends getting outside at the end of the day. This is where you can have some social interactions, go to dinner, meet with some friends and family. I typically get my social interaction from Jiu Jitsu, which I do in the evening time about four times a week, and it’s a big part of my life. So while training Jiu Jitsu isn’t part of the Andrew Huberman routine or protocol, it’s important to adopt some of these science-backed routines and really incorporate them and integrate them into your lifestyle, whatever that looks like for you.
So just because you see your favorite influencer waking up at 4 a.m. every day doesn’t mean you need to beat yourself up because you’re not doing the same. It’s about sustainability. It’s about feeling good and longevity. So, I’ve been incorporating his teachings into my morning routine for about four months now, and I can tell you it really makes a difference. Just small things, even if you pick up one of these habits, delaying caffeine, getting some sunlight in your eyes, maybe doing an ice bath. Just one of these things, you’re gonna feel a major impact. And when you start stacking them, that’s when you start to get really crazy results. And if you’re on the path for personal development, I just did a video on one of my favorite books that actually helped me acquire fifty thousand dollars by simply reading this book.
