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- 👨🏽💻 Deep Work + Focus Protocols
This post is a distillation of top takeaways on deep work, focus, and productivity protocols.
Top Takeaways
Foundational elements of productivity, cognition, and focus
Baseline dopamine levels
Quality sleep
Avoid overeating, especially carbohydrates, to prevent parasympathetic mode and difficulty focusing.
Fasting can aid in focus, but sufficient blood glucose from a meal can optimize neuronal function.
Ideal focus duration: 90 minutes or less; 2-3 deep work sessions per day
Deliberately defocusing for 10-30 minutes after a focus session is essential for maintaining ability to focus
Hypnosis can be done at any time of day and can provide significant improvements in focus and concentration in a short amount of time.
Dr. Wendy Suzuki’s study found that a 13-minute daily meditation for 8 weeks significantly increased focus and concentration.
Deep Work Fundamentals
Prioritize
Which 20% of activities are most high leverage and will push the needle the most to your desired objectives?
What am I avoiding?
What’s the most important thing that I’m not investing adequate time into?
Schedule Deep Work sessions
Different approaches
Schedule it before less important work each day
Schedule it in-between things, if you have the ability to shift states quickly
Schedule it on alternating days, allowing for the other days to be occupied for more admin tasks
Eat the Frog
A concept that one should tackle the most challenging or important task first thing in the morning
The idea is that by completing the most daunting task early in the day, you'll not only get it out of the way but also gain momentum and a sense of accomplishment that energizes the rest of your day
Daily cold showers help to build the muscle of eating the frog every day
Start Small with a Minimum Daily Goal
If focused effort is met with a lot of resistance, start with an attainable daily minimum goal for your deep work. i.e. — writing for 3 hours may seem overwhelming. Writing 250 words feels manageable. This creates consistency, and a daily win for showing up and fighting through resistance.
Body Doubling
“In his book The Now Habit, psychologist Neil Fiore writes that a primary reason we procrastinate is because as humans, we are social beings, but focused work requires quiet time alone.
If our social and play needs aren’t being met, sitting down to work on a task by oneself can be highly aversive. Moreover, we tend to procrastinate on tasks that bring up difficult emotions, like fear, pressure, or self-doubt.
When a task is aversive and being alone is also aversive, it’s no wonder we end up seeking relief by switching over to email, Twitter/X, or Slack.
By having a body double, solitary work becomes social, making it more palatable. And when we are in the presence of another person, we actually respond differently to perceived threats—a phenomenon known as social buffering.
In this way, body doubling reduces the aversiveness of solitude and mitigates the unpleasantness of the task itself.”
Options for Body Doubling
Work with a friend or colleague — set a specific time, and timer for 45-60 minute sprints
Hire someone to work through things you have resistance towards — they can give you accountability, and possibly expertise
ie hop on a call to talk through project management, or emails, or whatever it is
Distraction Free Environment
When you sit down for deep work, make it a ritual
Put your phone physically out of sight — even seeing it uses your willpower to not use it
Work with Grand Gestures
This idea involves leveraging a radical change to your normal environment, combined with a significant investment of effort or money, to increase the perceived importance of the task and thus aid deep work. For example, J.K. Rowling checking into a luxurious hotel to finish a book, or Bill Gates secluding himself in a cabin for a "Think Week."
Dopamine Protocols for Productivity
Have a short list of about five different effortful (painful) activities to use when feeling amotivated or procrastinating
Goal is not to accomplish something within the activity, but to force the body and mind into a deeper state of pain and discomfort
This helps return to baseline dopamine levels more quickly and robustly
Morning sunlight exposure: increases cortisol and dopamine levels, leading to states of well-being and alertness.
Listening to a NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) or Yoga Nidra track increases dopamine reserves by up to 65%.
Regular exercise: both cardiovascular and resistance training help maintain elevated baseline dopamine levels.
Cold shower, ice bath, or cold plunge in the morning
Duration: 30 seconds to 2 minutes
Temperature: 37–55 degrees Fahrenheit (approach with caution)
Increases baseline dopamine levels significantly (double or more)
Audio for Focus
Peer-reviewed studies show that 40 Hz binaural beats can improve focus and concentration
Increases levels of dopamine and acetylcholine
White Noise, Pink Noise, and Brown Noise can improve ability to transition into concentrated states.
Can also help with focus, in spurts of about 45 minutes
Huberman doesn't recommend using for hours on end
90 Min Ultradian Cycles for Focus
Work in 90-minute cycles of productivity (focused, hard work); after 90 minutes, there’s a drop in our ability to focus on hard things.
You can start a 90-minute cycle anytime after waking, whenever you’re ready to tune out distractions and get to work.
If you’re good at getting into a focused state quickly, you can hit 2–3 ultradian cycles per day. Take breaks & do less focused things in between cycles.
The more deeply you can concentrate, the fewer bouts you can perform, because it’s exhausting.
Workspace Optimization
We weren’t designed to sit all day, OR stand all day. Best is a combination of sitting and standing - half and half.
Work with overhead light / ring light, and/or near a window to increase dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and optimal amounts of cortisol.
Use a hoodie or wear a hat to restrict your visual window: optimizes alertness, focus, cognition.
Technologies + Supplements
Sens.ai
At-home headset for clinical-grade neurofeedback
Programs to help you train your brain to stay in flow states, focus, and concentration
Sens.ai →
KetoneIQ
Exogenous ketones for brain fuel + focus
NeuralRX
NeuralRX is essentially a longevity stack for your brain — it upregulates ATP in the brain, improving memory, learning, and neuroplasticity.
When taken consistently, it’s a really interesting and powerful nootropic
It’s not cheap (about $100/month), but it really pushes the needle
Caveats: you have to store it in the dark, it’s an MCT oil so the bottle can get messy, and you have to slowly build up the dose so it doesn’t upset your stomach
Ian Mitchell, the founder & formulator, is an absolutely brilliant polymath chemist. Here’s a pod episode with him to learn more.
Code ‘Human3’ gets you 20% off
Lion’s Mane
Studied for its neuroprotective and neurogenesis effects
Nootropics Depot’s Erinamax Lion’s Mane capsules are the only brand optimized for Erinacines, the key active ingredient
- Ali
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