In the first 0-9 hours after waking, ensure your workspace is brightly lit, using overhead lights and lights in front of you, to stimulate heightened focus and release dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. If sunlight isn’t available, use bright artificial lights.
To maximize alertness and focus, position your screen or work material at least at eye level, and ideally slightly above it, as looking up activates brain circuits associated with alertness.
Optimize your work by using a sit-stand desk or moving between sitting and standing workstations throughout the day, as this combination is best for health and productivity. Aim to decrease your daily sitting time by about half.
For every 45 minutes of focused work, take at least a five-minute break to engage in panoramic vision, ideally by walking outside and looking at the horizon, to relax your eyes and prevent fatigue. Avoid checking your phone during this break.
To improve cognitive functioning, memory, reaction times, and verbal recall, listen to 40 Hz binaural beats for about 30 minutes before or during a work bout, as it takes time for the brain to entrain to the rhythm. Do not rely on them all the time or every day.
From 9-16 hours after waking, dim overhead lights in your workspace, keeping only lights in front of you, to shift your brain towards states optimal for creative endeavors and abstract thinking by increasing serotonin.
For creative work, brainstorming, or abstract thinking (especially 9-16 hours after waking), work in a high-ceilinged environment or outdoors, as this promotes loftier thinking and broader memory access.
For detailed analytic work or tasks requiring specific correct answers, work in an environment with a relatively low ceiling, as this biases your brain towards detailed, restricted thinking.
To keep interruptions short, acknowledge the person but avoid orienting your body towards them, signaling that you are busy and the conversation will be brief. Position your workspace to avoid facing a door directly.
If possible, place your desk near an open window, as direct sunlight is 50 times more effective than light through a closed window for stimulating your brain and body, enhancing wakefulness.
Around 12-14 hours after waking (e.g., 4-5 p.m.), turn off bright lights and transition your environment to more yellow and red lights to support natural circadian rhythms.
If working 17-24 hours after waking, limit bright light exposure to only what’s necessary to perform the work, as brighter light will deplete melatonin and severely shift your circadian clock.
If you need to stay awake all night for work, turn on all the lights and keep them very bright, understanding this will shift your circadian clock but can help maintain alertness.
Avoid working in environments with loud, incessant background noise like humming air conditioners or heaters, as this can increase mental fatigue and significantly decrease cognitive performance.
While white, pink, or brown noise can increase alertness, avoid using them for extended periods (more than an hour or so) as they can be stressful and potentially damaging to the auditory system.
If a low-ceiling environment isn’t available for analytic work, simulate it by wearing a brimmed hat or hoodie, facing down, or placing your hand above your eyes at eyebrow level.
Before starting a focused work bout, focus your visual attention on one specific location for 30 to 60 seconds to help increase your overall focus.
Avoid reclining while working to maintain alertness and focus, as looking down and a relaxed posture are associated with calm and sleepiness.
When standing at your desk, avoid leaning on it for extended periods to prevent postural issues and fatigue, maintaining an upright posture.
A more direct method to avoid interruptions is to simply say ’no’ to requests or questions from others until they leave, although this may not be the kindest approach.
Don’t feel restricted to working in the same location; move between different environments like a cafe, office, home, or even different rooms within your home to potentially enhance productivity.