I am currently writing this 2nd post, 6 weeks after my 1st post (I did not meet my goal, but better later than never!), in a heightened state of overcoming LIMBIC FRICTION, which is a term coined by Andrew Huberman in a podcast I listened to this morning after an excellent night's sleep and a good boost of caffeine. Limbic friction is essentially internal resistance to a behavior. For example, I generally do not enjoy writing...yet, as a way to share what I am learning. I have to overcome a lot limbic friction to make it happen, hence why it took 6 weeks to publish my 2nd post.

What I am learning from Andrew is that specificity of goals, habit formation, and behavior change is less important than setting myself up for success. Specifically, putting my cognitive and physical self in a certain context is more likely to lead to behavior change than writing out a goal with an exact time and date. Contributions to context include but are not limited to the following:

• Level of alertness, which is influenced by circulating dopamine and therefore norepinephrine and cortisol. This can be influenced by
  • Amount and quality of sleep
  • Safe bright light input into the eyes within the first 30 minutes of waking
  • Time of Day of the behavior
  • Use of supplements (i.e. caffeine, tyrosine - precursor to dopamine, etc)

Time of day of the behavior is the influence that I would like to elaborate on for today. Andrew offers a protocol for structuring your day by breaking it up into 3 phases:

1. Phase 1: 0-8 Hours Upon Waking
   1. Best phase for new habits with high amounts of limbic friction
   2. Naturally higher levels of circulating dopamine and cortisol. Dopamine often claimed to be the neurochemical of reward is actually more one of motivation and drive per Andrew. Cortisol is actually good to have increased levels of early in the day since it helps mobilize energy. The problem is when cortisol stays high in the 2nd part of the day.
   3. This is the best time of day for the following:
      
      1. Behaviors with high amounts of limbic friction
         
      2. Linear work like accounting
   4. Behaviors to optimize this state: safe, bright light input within 30 minutes of waking, caffeine, cyclic hyperventilation
2. 9-15 Hours Upon Waking
   1. Best for less new habits that have lower levels of limbic friction
   2. Dopamine and cortisol should be dropping compared to the first 8 hours. Interruptions to this drop from a variety of ways (caffeine intake too late in the day, performing stressful behaviors with a lower chance of success, etc) can disrupt successful behavior change and decrease quality of sleep. This is NOT the optimal time of day to take on behaviors with higher levels of limbic friction.
   3. Increased serotonin due to circadian shifts, which can help with more relaxed state of being and creative work
   4. Begin tapering light input, and even LOWER height of the light if possible since that actually triggers
   5. Behaviors to optimize this state: meditation, yoga, mobility, journaling
3. 16-24 Hours Upon last Waking
   1. Best for habits that are fully automated with the lowest levels of limbic friction
   2. This phase is really a continuation of prior changes mentioned in the last phase. Main goal is to prepare for sleep
      
   3. Behaviors to optimize this stage so you can have the best phase 1 possible the next day:
      
      1. Avoid light like the plague, due to MASSIVE decreases in melatonin production.
      2. Lower room temperatures (Body needs to drop 1-3 degrees to fall and stay asleep)
      3. Cut-off food intake ideally 2 hours prior going to sleep and make sure you are fed enough. Too much food keeps your body temperature higher.

How is this related to health and wellness? It is good to know when would be the optimal time to exercise or food prep for example when those behaviors have higher amounts of limbic friction. Since my biggest limitation in health is managing my stress and sleep quality, performing my high level limbic friction tasks as a gym owner and coach in phase 1 while making sure I actually transition to phase 2 as the hours go rather than continuing my stressful work is of high importance to my health.

​How could this suggested breakdown of one's day apply to you?

Continuing James Clear's advice of stopping a behavior prior to exhaustion to keep it sustainable in Atomic Habits, I am going to stop here. I hope to post more of what I learned from this podcast and behavior change soon at times when I have set myself up for success!

I have watched dozens of patients and athletes at HRCF set goals and fail to achieve more than anyone involved would like to admit. I personally have failed gloriously in achieving my own goals, as well. After reading "Atomic Habits," by James Clear, for the 3rd time, I now understand why:

• Most humans set too big of goals, making it difficult to feel progress.
• Goals are only temporarily motivating, and we are demotivated easily when we are tired, stressed, too busy, etc.

Clear offers a different approach: Rather than setting a goal and chasing it, define the person you want to become and develop systems that help support that person. He argues that identity-based goal setting (i.e. becoming the person you want to be) is much more likely to achieve the desired outcome (i.e. the goal), not only once, but repeatedly. Getting the identity involved with goals involves the ego in the process far more than just focusing on the goal. And it turns out, we all have egos, whether we want to admit it or not. Beyond just the argument of ego, he offers a practical reason for identity-based goal setting by stating that goals only solve problems once if at all, whereas systems, which are needed to support the identity, solve problems repeatedly. Here are examples to help differentiate what this looks like in real life:

Goal Setting Example: Nancy sets a goal to lose 10 pounds. She decides to use the Whole 30 approach to help achieve this goal, which is a temporary system in that she is unwilling to eat according to the Whole 30 for the remainder of her life. She ends up losing 5 pounds in the 1st 2 weeks, which she is thrilled about. However, 2.5 weeks into the Whole 30, she misses a deadline at work, and falls off the metaphorical wagon by going to a fast food restaurant that evening to self-sooth with food, considering she did not have time to food prep for that week with the looming deadline. She ends up stopping the Whole 30 after feeling de-motivated due to the interruption of progress and the stress at work and puts the weight back on over the next 2 weeks.

Identity Change Example: In a parallel universe, a different Nancy decides she wants to lose 10 pounds. She is inspired by her friend, Jackie, who has always exercised and eaten well (The original Nancy in the 1st universe did not have Jackie as a friend). Nancy decides that she wants to become the type of person who consistently eats well and exercises. Learning from observing Jackie's behaviors, she decides to start small by working out for 15 minutes per day and food prepping 1 meal per day during her work week. She uses a calendar to mark of the days she successfully accomplishes these 2 behaviors. Marking the days on the calendar, consistently provides her with a sense of satisfaction that she is casting votes towards becoming more like Jackie, but in her own way. Even when this Nancy misses the same deadline at work, she only falters with exercise and food prep for 1 day because these tasks did not take up as much time and energy as the Whole 30 and she looked forward to getting back on the wagon with marking the next day on the calendar.

Overall, these behaviors feel achievable to Nancy, and she progresses them in the next month to exercising for 30 minutes and food prepping 2 meals per day, continuing to use her calendar as a reward system for the behavior. Eventually, the actual act of food prepping and exercise becomes a reward, as she realizing in those moments that she is casting votes towards becoming the type of person who eats well and exercises. She is well on her way to making a lifestyle change.

This quote stuck out with me the most from Clear's book and speaks to the difference between the 2 Nancys:

"You don't rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

What are the systems you have in place? Do they serve your goals? If the do not, then what is a different system you can set-up that will serve you goals? Or rather, help you become the person you want to be?

If you would like to learn more about this topic, consider the following sources:

• "Atomic Habits" by James Clear found anywhere books are sold
• James Clear being interviewed by Brene Brown:
  • Spotify Versions:
    
    • 1st of 2 episodes: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1FCDXnrrXo9d7VTTX7bi4E
      
    • 2nd of 2 episodes: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7yizll01yfsBY5iOQztpkd
  • Website Versions:
    • 1st of 2 episodes: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/atomic-habits-part-1-of-2/
    • 2nd of 2 episodes: brenebrown.com/podcast/atomic-habits-part-2-of-2/