More on Habits (Part 1): Structuring your day to increase likelihood of new habits

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!