Many people refer to biohacking with regard to the benefits for health and fitness, but in my opinion, the most interesting use is for productivity.
Biology governs neurology, and therefore our minds. Paying attention to our biology is one of the most powerful ways we can optimize our minds.
And today, I want to talk to you about a quick hack for optimizing your productivity using circadian biology.
Find your lowest Temperature Point While Sleeping
Basically, we can use the laws of circadian biology to determine when our most productive time of day is.
Every night, approximately 2 hours before our average wait time is our lowest temperature point of day.
Knowing when this time happens is useful for a number of things, but one of them is understanding when we will be most productive during the day.
You see, most people are most alert and ready to be productive 4 hours after this low temperature point.
And you don't need to use a thermometer to find it.
For one week, keep a pen and paper next to your bed and write down when you wake up.
Then, find your average waking time between all of the days.
Subtract 2 hours from that time to determine your lowest temperature point during the night.
Then, add 4 hours and you now know when you are likely to be most productive during the day.
For example, if I get up at 8:00 a.m. on average, then my low temperature point is probably at 6:00 a.m. in turn, my productive time of day is likely to be 10:00 a.m.
Now, why didn't I just tell you to find your average wait time and add 2 hours to that?
Because the low temperature point of day can be useful for other habits and tactics. You can also use this information to shift your circadian rhythm and make other changes.
How to optimize your work time.
Now that you know when you are most likely to be productive, here's how you can optimize it.
Based on the suggestions of Dr. Andrew Huberman, Stanford neuroscientist and professor, the brain can focus for about 90 minutes of intensity.
Furthermore, removing distractions, and including white noise amplify the ability to focus.
A final tip, forward movement shortly after waking, and being outside in sunlight, both improve focus and alertness for the entire day.
So, putting it all together, to optimize your workflow using circadian biology, go for a walk or run outside for at least 20 minutes immediately after waking.
Then, when your optimal productivity time comes around, remove distractions like your phone if possible, and put on some kind of white noise. My preference are binaural beats by the company brain.fm, which have been shown to increase focus brain waves when you listen to the music headphones.
Set your timer for 90 minutes, and get some work done.
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