To achieve neuroplasticity as an adult, you must deliberately engage alertness (epinephrine release) and focused attention (acetylcholine release) to signal the brain that change is necessary.
Master your sleep schedule and ensure sufficient sleep to achieve the necessary alertness for deliberate, focused learning, as your ability to focus is directly proportional to your sleep quality.
Understand that actual neural plasticity and the strengthening of learned circuits occur during sleep, making quality sleep essential after focused learning to acquire knowledge permanently.
Immediately after a focused learning bout, engage in a 20-minute non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocol or a shallow nap (90 minutes or less) to significantly accelerate the rate of learning and plasticity for that information.
Organize learning sessions into approximately 90-minute ultradian cycles, allowing for a 5-10 minute warm-up and aiming for about an hour of sustained, deep focus within the session.
Improve mental and cognitive focus by regularly practicing visual focus, such as staring intently at a small target for 60-120 seconds at the distance of your intended work.
During focused learning bouts, eliminate all distractions by turning off Wi-Fi and placing your phone or other tempting devices out of reach to maintain concentration.
When your attention inevitably drifts during a learning task, consciously and repeatedly re-anchor it, using visual focus (if sighted) to guide it back to the material.
After an intense focused learning bout, engage in motor activity involving self-generated optic flow (e.g., walking, running, cycling) without complex thought, allowing your mind to drift as a form of non-sleep deep rest to accelerate learning.
Identify multiple reasons (e.g., excitement for a goal, fear of not following through) to motivate yourself, ensuring sufficient alertness, energy, and attention for learning and brain change.
Determine your natural peak periods of alertness during the day and dedicate these times to focused learning activities that align with your goals, as this provides a natural advantage for learning.
Safeguard your peak alertness periods from passive observance or activities that are meaningless or not aligned with your goals, as this time is a valuable asset for effective learning.
To improve auditory focus, especially when listening intently, close your eyes to create a ‘cone of auditory attention’ and minimize visual distractions.
Reduce your exposure to excessive visual motion stimuli, such as dramatic videos, to prevent diminishing your ability to focus on less dynamic content like text or auditory information.
For behavioral changes related to habit formation, focus on a strategy of ‘repetition, reward, repeat’ rather than intense focus or high emotionality.
Recognize and clearly identify what specific behavior, mindset, or skill you want to change or learn in your nervous system, as this awareness is the first step in neuroplasticity.
Drink one packet of Element electrolytes dissolved in 16-32 ounces of water first thing in the morning and during physical exercise to ensure proper hydration and adequate electrolytes for optimal brain and body function.
Consume Athletic Greens once or twice a day to cover basic nutritional needs, address potential deficiencies, and support microbiome health with probiotics.
Supplement with Vitamin D3 K2, as D3 is essential for brain/body health (many are deficient even with sun) and K2 regulates cardiovascular function and calcium.
Utilize a meditation app like Waking Up, which offers meditation programs, mindfulness training, yoga nidra, and NSDR protocols, to restore cognitive and physical energy, even with short 10-minute sessions.
Use caffeine in reasonable amounts to increase alertness (epinephrine), ensuring it doesn’t interfere with your sleep, as it can be a relatively safe way to boost focus.
(Cautionary) Be extremely careful if considering cholinergic agents like nicotine, alpha-GPC, or choline to increase focus, as their use should be limited to create distinct windows of attention for plasticity, not constant reliance.
Be wary of receiving too much dopamine from external validation for intending to achieve a goal, as this can diminish the internal drive to pursue the actual accomplishment.
Do not attempt to maintain maximum focus all day long; instead, structure your learning into specific 90-minute bouts to optimize brain function and prevent burnout.