How to Quickly Improve Focus - Andrew Huberman

Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning.

Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award in 2017, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. He also works on neural regeneration and directs a clinical trial to promote visual restoration in diseases that cause blindness. Huberman is also actively involved in developing tools now in use by the elite military in the U.S. and Canada, athletes, and technology industries to optimize performance in high stress environments, enhance neural plasticity, mitigate stress, and optimize sleep.

Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals including Nature, Science, and Cell and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover, and other top media outlets.

In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab Podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the Top 25 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.

[hubermanlab]

Always a pleasure to collaborate with After Skool to share science and health protocols. Thank you for the collaboration!

[DanDascalescu-dandv]

SUMMARY (by me, AI-free):
* mental focus is linked to visual focus
* focus for 60-120 seconds on a very small region in front of you, e.g. a window on your screen
* the finer the visual image, and the more you can focus on it, the better your mental focus will be
* to focus auditory attention, close your eyes
* the typical learning bout should be 90 minutes (ultradian cycle chart @ 18:37)
* put the phone out of sight
* use your alert hours for useful activities, not for scrolling social media or watching TV

The rest of the video is interesting, but less actionable, except for what not to do:
* Adderall doesn't improve focus, it improves alertness
* people have given themselves ADHD by using smartphones and watching videos instead of reading

[breezypeaches]

I totally needed to hear the part when he says " Don't give up that period of time (when you're most alert) for things that are meaningless, useless or not aligned with your goals." That makes so much sense for me when it comes to focus while working remotely. Thank you Dr. Huberman and After Skool. Shout out to the awesome Lefty Artist of this channel!

[ReynaSingh]

“A short attention span makes all of your perceptions and relationships shallow and unsatisfying.” Eckhart Tolle

[cabelodefogouk]

One of the most powerful tips I ever read which I employ regularly: when starting a new project, write the words "THIS IS FOCUS" in very large letters at the top of the page. Continue to write it, cascading down the page, making the letters smaller and smaller until you can't write them any longer. Exactly the same principle.

[kennethj]

“Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge.”--Lao Tzu

[ashrkvch]

Note to self:

RULE: Mental focus follows visual

1.Behavioral practices are the best for enhancing focus & concentration.
2. Mental focus is anchored to our gaze's direction, thus focused gaze can stimulate mental concentration
3. Less often blinking might help to concentrate better.
4. If studying via audio sources, closed eyes are OK. (closed eyes = ↓distraction, ↑auditory attention, e.g. blind people, musicians)
5. Smartphone is an machine designed to grab & hold your attention for as long as possible, be aware
6. Motion pictures are good for entertainment, not for focus & deep learning
7. The more challenging the information source the better it is for the focus training (books vs simplified insta reel)
8. Focus for transformation rather than information (long lasting & boring sessions of deep work will give you more)
9. 90 min bouts of learning/work with 5-10 min warm-up, ~60 min of pure concentration and 10-20 min of loose focus peaks should work
10. Eliminate distractions prior to your working/learning bout
11. Don't be scared of attention drifts, just return and re-anchor your attention to the task, like muscles this "mental muscle of re-anchoring" can be trained
12. We have only 24 hours each day, so know when you are the most alert to enhance your efforts (usually, during early parts of the day people are more alert)
13. Hydrate your body, have a good night sleep (around 8h), use appropriate sources & amounts of caffeine
14. All day focus is an impossible task for most of us, use 90 min focus (ultradian) cycles during the day and reserve some time for other deliberate disengagement activities (physical exercises, social interactions etc.)
15. Like any skill attention can be learned & perfected, just keep going

Thanks for sharing this content with us for absolute zero-cost, you are amazing human begins!

[That_Freedom_Guy]

"Your attention is your most valuable asset. Dont waste it on things that are not aligned with your goals".
Yes, definitely. Your attention is the most valuable thing to others as well. If they can convince you that your goals are aligned with giving them all your attention, then that seems rational and is what we will do. Salespeople call it "Closing the deal".

[ronniehattingh]

The visual focus practice feels very similar to my favourite way of entering a focused mindset, which is a counting breaths meditation where you count each in and out breath while remaining aware of the movements of your breath in the body. You check in with your brain frequently to be aware of what your attention is on, if it’s wandered from your breath then you restart the count. From doing this I start at not being able to focus on it for even 3 seconds and get to 30seconds or longer and afterward focussing on something is so much easier. I believe becoming relaxed is also tied to improved focus (just not too relaxed too the point of sleepiness). ❤

[Eng]

Reading for about 30 minutes (in the morning) of some historical or philosophical texts helps me to stay focused throughout a day. And I am structural engineer. I learned about it about a year ago and assumed that it is just "repeating coincidence"! 😅

[ColleenCanFly]

This came at the perfect time for me as I know I’ve been distracted for some time and am ready to live a more intentional life. Thank you 🙏🏽

[jayrossxo]

This was informative. I've always had a strong sense of focus. I remember as I kid I could focus on something so intently, without blinking my mom would think it was creepy and would break my attention. I think I had a problem with focusing too much, I wouldn't sleep, eat or use the bathroom if I was focused on a project, work, homework assignments, or learning a new skill. However, over-focusing can make it hard for you to see the bigger picture or like me, neglect my basic needs. I would get burnt out, overwhelmed and exhausted yet, I won't take breaks which led to other issues as well. I had to learn to take breaks in between which was hard but, once I saw how I was able to perform even better when I gave myself time to breathe, I had to enforce them to have a better balance in my life.

[thatguywiththedrums]

I always enjoy listening to Andrew Huberman! He is very skilled at explaining concepts in an easily digestible yet mentally stimulating fashion

[SantoshBalakrishnanVSL]

Amazing that our ancient Indian practice of Trataka advocates exactly the same. Thanks for putting this out there SO scientifically.

[nheaven]

Thankful for this channel & community. Hope everyone has a great day

[namelessfire]

9:40 This is absolutely true. I actually turn my ear toward the person I'm listening to. It does wonders for focusing on speech.

[Draakie]

Live healthy, and do something you love to do (turn hobby into job). Best wishes everybody 😊

[guyqsjc]

3:06 A benefit of only being able to focus well on one thing at a time is you can use that to take your focus off negative things by focusing on positive things.
9:57 Looking at people's body language or some visual that matches the audio helps me to listen and focus more. I don't like looking at people in real life tho cause it's uncomfortable. But closing the eyes can help some people do some activities like singing, playing instruments, or dancing, etc.

[isaacsolomon]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:00 🎙️ *Introduction to Improving Focus*
- Mental focus follows visual focus.
- Visual system capabilities: blurry vs. laser-focused.
- Plasticity starts with alertness, which can be triggered by various factors, including love, joy, fear, and pharmacological methods like caffeine.
01:21 ☕ *Alertness and Focus: Caffeine and Adderall*
- Caffeine as a tool for increasing alertness.
- Adderall's chemical similarity to amphetamine and its impact on alertness.
- Caution on the potential issues and abuse of Adderall.
03:07 👀 *Visual Focus and Acetylcholine System*
- Visual focus options: small region with detail vs. dilated gaze with less detail.
- Relationship between visual focus and acetylcholine release.
- Behavioral practices anchored in visual focus enhance depth and duration of focus.
04:57 🕊️ *Virgin's Eye Movement and Neural Activation*
- Explanation of a virgin's eye movement.
- Activation of neurons in the brainstem triggering norepinephrine, epinephrine, and acetylcholine release.
- Importance of practicing visual focus at the specific distance relevant to the task.
08:11 👁️ *Visual Focus Practice for Improved Attention*
- Practical advice for practicing visual focus.
- Importance of fine visual images for higher attention levels.
- The relationship between reduced blinking, focus, and maintaining a mental tunnel of focus.
09:35 🤔 *Attention Drift and Re-anchoring*
- The natural drift of attention and the need to re-anchor it.
- Strategies to maintain visual focus even as attention drifts.
- The impact of blinking on maintaining mental focus.
13:00 📱 *Phone Usage, Movies, and Passive Experiences*
- Phone design and its impact on limiting visual attention.
- Caution on excessive consumption of passive content like movies.
- Balancing neurochemical resources for active learning versus passive experiences.
15:45 ⏲️ *Duration of Focus and Learning Bouts*
- Ideal duration of focused learning bouts (about 90 minutes).
- The importance of eliminating distractions during focused learning.
- Incorporating breaks and disengagement for effective plasticity.
17:08 ⏰ *Peak Alertness and Learning*
- Understanding personal peak alertness during the day.
- Aligning learning activities with peak alertness for optimal results.
- Recognizing the valuable asset of peak alertness for meaningful tasks.
18:37 💡 *Attention as a Learnable Skill*
- Attention as a learnable skill critical for neuroplasticity.
- The need to avoid prolonged attempts to focus continuously.
- Utilizing breaks and disengagement for accelerated plasticity.
19:56 🎧 *Conclusion and Further Resources*
- Promoting the Huberman Lab podcast for more tools related to mental health, physical health, and performance.
- Encouraging exploration of science-based tools on various platforms.
- Providing links to Huberman Lab on social media and hubermanlab.com.

Made with HARPA AI

[eduardofukay]

Thank you very much.
I have noticed that some of my routine already incorporated some of your advice, like meditating and staring at a point.
But now I know THE WHY.