HUBERMAN LAB HABITS PROGRAM

Adjusting habits requires overcoming what I call “limbic friction” (energy to overcome anxiety, procrastination and/or fatigue). You’ll want to leverage the natural rhythms of your brain and body to make it more likely that you will engage or maintain habits. This is made easy by dividing each 24-hour day-night cycle into three phases.

PHASE 1

The first 0-8 hours after waking. Your brain and body are more action and focus oriented in Phase 1 due to elevated dopamine, adrenaline and cortisol levels). It’s easier to overcome limbic friction. Note: We are also more prone to distraction and reflexive multitasking at this time. Don’t succumb to that.

Set 1-4 habits for completion in Phase 1. These should be the habits that require energy and focus. Setting a window for completion (e.g., 45 min of focused reading, work, etc. in Phase 1) rather than a precise start and stop time lends flexibility to your schedule. For example, you might elect to exercise or write or study “after waking but before noon,” meaning it can be done at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. but definitely in Phase 1. Of course, if you can do it at the same time each day, great, but setting a broader window of opportunity can help given busy lives. 

PHASE 2

In the 9-15 hours after waking. Leverage your naturally higher serotonin levels and lower adrenaline, and engage in habits that don’t require you to overcome much limbic friction. 

This is an excellent time for behaviors and thinking that can be completed with less focus. The sort that involves creative exploration is perfect: writing fiction, rough drafts, writing music, play of any kind, experimentation. Or lower-focus requirement physical pursuits like Zone 2 cardio. Whereas Phase 1 is terrific for habit where precise execution is needed, Phase 2 is best for looser things—trying a new recipe, brainstorming, exploring a new approach to some aspect of work, a physical pursuit, relationships or learning. 

Again, as stated in Episode 53: “A lot of habit formation has to do with being in the right state of mind and being able to control your body and mind.”

PHASE 3

It is the 16-24 hours after waking. This is when we reset our ability to overcome limbic friction by, you guessed it, resting and sleeping. 

How to master Phase 3, in short: 

¶ Avoid bright lights
¶ Sleep in a cool, dark room
¶ Explore supplementation (not melatonin) if needed.

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