To say my life is busy is an understatement. Writing this blog is my passion. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But writing the blog, two weekly newsletters, and a book is a tall order. There is no team, there are no editors, web developers, graphic designers, or social media managers. I do it all. Now add all this on top of my full time job—and not just a job, but a corporate career at a prominent company. Finally, my roles of father and husband supersede all of this. This is a percarious balance, but I refuse to burn the candle at both ends. I refuse to hustle and grind, as those terms connote hurriedness and clenching. Instead, I take care of myself. I strongly believe that optimizing for health and human performance is the only way I’ll maintain this balance over the long term.
I’ve put a lot of thought into how to do this and I’ve done a lot of research. So I wanted to share with you my imperfect insights on how to fit health and human performance protocols into even the busiest of schedules.
First, I’ll present the health and human performance optimization tools as I categorize them by sleep, diet, health, and focus. Then, at the end, I’ll explain how I manage to fit this all in.
I want to make it clear, however, that nothing in this article substitutes professional health advice. The article does not aim to address illness or disease. I’ll provide sources at the end for as many of the protocols as I can.
21 human performance tips
Sleep
- Track your wake time: Three to four hours after you wake is the optimal time to focus for most people.
- Go for a walk as early as possible after waking: The optical stimulus of scenery flowing by your field of vision as you walk helps set your nervous system for the day.
- View sunlight as early as possible after waking: Natural sunlight helps set the endocrine system (hormones) for the day. It also sets the ‘internal clock’, meaning you’ll fall asleep more easily at night if you get natural sunlight early in the morning.
- Delay coffee: This is a tough one, but hold off for 60-90 minutes before having your first coffee after waking. Again, this relates to your body’s internal clock. This little delay can improve your sleep.
- Keep it dark: Dim the lights and limit screen use at least one hour before bedtime, but preferably two hours before. Wear a sleep mask if it doesn’t bother you too much. Studies have shown that even the faintest light in the room can diminish sleep quality.
- Don’t sleep in on weekends: Keep your sleep and wake times consistent every day of the week.
- Take a morningness-eveningness questionnaire: Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird is largely determined by genetics. A morningness-eveningness questionnaire is a scientifically-developed tool that helps you identify your ideal sleep and wake times based on your circadian rhythm type. Click here to take the quiz online for free (no affiliation).
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Diet
- Intermittent fasting: Going for stretches of 12-14 hours without eating is not just a weight loss fad. There’s a lot of evidence supporting several health benefits that fasting produces. One such benefit is the repairing of cells. When your cells have a surplus of energy, they multiply. However, when your cells feel that they may be deprived of energy, instead of multiplying, they repair themselves. You may not want to do this all the time, but why not once in a while?
- Vitamin D: Most people would benefit from supplementing with vitamin D, especially during the winter months.
- Omega 3: Is not only beneficial for heart and brain function and health, but has also been shown to alleviate depression.
Health
- 150 minutes of Zone 2 cardio per week: Zone 2 cardio is when you’re exerting yourself just to the point that your heart rate is elevated, but you could still have a conversation without having to pause between words to catch your breath.
- Heart health metrics: Of course, when it comes to heart health, please consult with your doctor. Don’t take cardiovascular health advice from a blog on mindfulness and Stoicism. Ask your doctor about your levels of Apo B, which is a crucial measure of cardiovascular health, but one that is less evident to most people than, say, cholesterol.
- Colon cancer screening: Do this no later than 40 years of age.
- Mammograms: Women aged 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year. Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every 2 years, or can continue yearly screening.
- Stress vs Growth mindset: Your mindset and preconceived beliefs about stress change how it affects you. If you believe stress is bad for your health, it almost certainly will be. If you believe that in moderate exposures stress is a necessary ingredient for growth, you can reduce its harmful effects. Long-term stress is certainly harmful, but one-off, acute encounters with stress are simply the body’s way of preparing itself for challenge.
- Take a deep breath, specifically this one: A physiological sigh is a breathing technique that you can use to alleviate acute stress or anxiety. Inhale deeply, almost fully. Then, at the top of the inhale, take one additional ‘sip’ of air. Exhale fully. Click here to watch a YouTube clip that explains it more comprehensively.
Focus
- Focus periods: The ideal duration for a period of intense focus is 90 minutes.
- Defocus: After a 90-minute bout of focus, take 20-30 minutes to deliberately de-focus. Go for a walk. Do some stretches. Have a snack. Do anything to disengage from the work.
- Don’t look down: Placing your computer monitor in a position that forces you to look slightly upward places you in a higher state of focus. You can also simply look upward when you’re about to re-focus.
- Recharge: Naps are OK for most people but yoga nidra (also referred to as Non Sleep Deep Rest) is an excellent, short practice that really recharges the batteries. Yoga nidra is basically guided meditation that usually involves a body scan. It’s incredibly relaxing, refreshing, and can be done in as little as ten minutes. Click here to check out my favorite YouTube channel for yoga nidra (no affiliation).
- Meditate: There are countless studies demonstrating that regular mediation practice can improve focus, memory, and attention. The study I found had participants meditate for at least 12 minutes a day, five days a week.
Related article: Deepen Your Mindfulness Meditation Practice
How to fit human performance into a busy schedule
I’m going to re-list all the protocols you just read. But this time, for each of them, I’ll describe how you can condense it. The idea here is one that I’ve embraced in my own life, which is that something is better than nothing. I could let all my obligations beat me down to the point where I say ‘I simply don’t have enough time for this, so I can’t do it.’ Or, I can find a way, even if it means reducing everything to its bare minimum.
Sleep
- Track your wake time: If you keep your sleep and wake times consistent, this only needs to be done once and takes one minute.
- Go for a walk as early as possible after waking: Combine with the protocol below.
- View sunlight as early as possible after waking: Dr. Andrew Huberman of the Huberman Lab podcast recommends doing this for 10-30 minutes. Sometimes, all I can manage is 2-3 minutes, which I believe is better than not doing it at all.
- Delay coffee: Going for your morning walk and getting sunlight makes this easier.
- Keep it dark: Just do it.
- Don’t sleep in on weekends: Just do it. It’s tempting to feel that you need to get caught up on sleep, but renowned sleep researcher Dr. Matthew Walker has said that sleep doesn’t work like a bank account; we can’t hold on to savings.
- Take a morningness-eveningness questionnaire: It takes five minutes and you only need to do it once.
Diet
- Intermittent fasting: I do this one day a week and intend to increase the frequency gradually as I age. Plus, skipping a few meals actually saves time.
- Vitamine D: If you can afford it, just do it.
- Omega 3: If you can afford it, just do it.
Health
- 150 minutes of Zone 2 cardio per week: If you can, bike or walk to work, the grocery store, or virtually anywhere within a reasonable walking or biking distance. This kills two birds with one stone and takes less time than doing 150 minutes in addition to your commutes.
- Heart health metrics: Heart health warrants the 60-90 minutes it’ll take you to schedule and attend the doctor appointment(s).
- Colon cancer screening: Just do it.
- Mammograms: Just do it.
- Stress vs Growth mindset: This is just a mindset shift. It doesn’t cost you any time.
- Take a deep breath, specifically this one: It only takes a few seconds.
Focus
- Focus periods: You will get more done in these 90 minutes than you would otherwise.
- Defocus: It may seem counterproductive, but if you really stick to the above protocol, it pays dividends.
- Don’t look down: Setting up an ergonomic workstation takes a small, one-off time investment, but the returns are worth it.
- Recharge: Again, it may seem counterproductive, but a 10-minute yoga nidra practice turns a lethargic afternoon into a second morning of productive focus.
- Meditate: There are many days where I can only manage 10 minutes, but this is something I never skip because meditation to me is not a human performance protocol. It’s a means of connecting with life itself.
Rest is essential for optimizing human performance
I’ll leave you with one more protocol: take time off. Take breaks of more than just a weekend. Take that time to do more on the above protocols. I’ll be taking one of these shortly. I can’t wait to go for a long hike, and find an open space where I can sit and meditate for at least an hour. I’ll be battling jet lag, so I’ll take that opportunity to relax my sleep protocols and just watch YouTube in bed if I feel like it. I’ll have my notebook with me if the urge to write strikes, but the laptop will be far, far away.
Final thoughts
I’m writing this almost nine months after the birth of my son. The fact that I get to wake up everyday and be his father, first and foremostly, above anything else, gives me immense joy and purpose. With that said, these last nine months have come with new demands on my time—major demands. I’ve had to adjust. I’ve had to change. But I refuse to deprioritize my health or my dreams. Something has to give, right? Well, no. Rather than forgoing, I’ve chosen to condense, to be patient, to play the long game.
Ryan Holiday says that good writers need to write two crappy pages a day. The idea is consistency. Show up, get two pages in, and eventually you’ll have something you can make better through editing. This is sound advice, but I’ve had to laugh at it some days—the ones where I’m lucky if I can write two crappy sentences. Just because I only have 10 minutes to write, doesn’t mean I wont sit down and write. The same goes for all the protocols I’ve shared here. There is always time for health and human performance, no matter how little. But when the clock strikes bedtime, I shut off the laptop. Without fail. There’s always tomorrow, unless you burn yourself out today.
Sources
- Huberman Lab Podcast: Maximizing Productivity, Physical & Mental Health with Daily Tools | Huberman Lab Podcast #28
- Huberman Lab Podcast: Dr. Matthew Walker: The Science & Practice of Perfecting Your Sleep | Huberman Lab Podcast #31
- Huberman Lab Podcast: Dr. Peter Attia: Improve Vitality, Emotional & Physical Health & Lifespan | Huberman Lab Podcast
- Huberman Lab Podcast: Dr. Satchin Panda: Intermittent Fasting to Improve Health, Cognition & Longevity | Huberman Lab
- Huberman Lab Podcast: How to Enhance Performance & Learning by Applying a Growth Mindset | Huberman Lab Podcast
- Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day by Amishi Jha
- American Cancer Society screening recommendations for women at average breast cancer risk