AMA #11: Improve Task Switching & Productivity and Reduce Brain Fog

Welcome to a preview of the 11th Ask Me Anything (AMA) episode, part of Huberman Lab Premium.
The Huberman Lab Premium subscription was launched for two main reasons. First, it was launched in order to raise support for the standard Huberman Lab podcast channel - which will continue to come out every Monday at zero-cost. Second, it was launched as a means to raise funds for important scientific research. A significant portion of proceeds from the Huberman Lab Premium subscription will fund human research (not animal models) selected by Dr. Huberman, with a dollar-for-dollar match from the Tiny Foundation.
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#HubermanLab #Science #AMA
Timestamps
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:46 Is There a Way to Get Better at Task Switching?
00:32:17 Huberman Lab Premium
In the full AMA episode, we discuss:
- What Can I Do in Order to Avoid Getting Brain Fog?
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[@swayamdhakal]

a summary for getting the grasp of the content, while you revisit this video (I recommend watching the video full though): 1. expect some time delay in immediately concentrating from Task A to B, normalize this time delay and don't feel frustrated as it is normal. 2. deliberately tag "transition period" in between the tasks: Note: Can be as small as "10 seconds" for immediate interruptions from colleagues to "5 to 10 minutes" if task A was considerably taking a lot of focus. 3. for the "transition period" do not look into your phone which turns out to be yet another task taking up your attention. Bonuses: 1. Keep your tasks per day as simple as possible, three for example 2. perceptual exercises (fairly hard to explain in this note but here it is: i) closed eyes, concentrate on breathing and skin contact 15 secs ii) opened eyes, look at your hand with breathing notice iii) opened eyes, 5 to 10 feet away also while breathing noticing iv) opened eyes, far horizon also while noticing breathing REPEAT total duration: 2 to 3 mins WATCH THE FULL VIDEO IF YOU HAVE TIME THOUGH! :)

[@LIFE8destiny]

My neurologist highlighted this topic after my aneurysms, a decade ago! I still work at every day. So happy to hear this being NORMALIZED. So grateful! Looking forward to much more about this topic!

[@nicholasshook7513]

Wow this is a good one. This is one of my biggest struggles. I’m the kind of person who goes all in on one task. Even a doctors appointment will throw off my whole day

[@KaylaBrooks4]

Same!!

[@visionboardmusicvision4the513]

SAMESIES💯

[@Fitnessoncallnaples]

1:27

[@jayeshchoudhari4776]

Samest!

[@theodoroskhreich5973]

For the past few days, Your podcast has been my workout partner. I listen to my favourite episodes while I’m working out and I’m always taking something away from each episode I watch. Thank You Dr 🙏 ❤

[@user-vu8pm4dw6d]

Oh that's a good idea!

[@theresahope9759]

I have to say, my task switching ability has increased dramatically since I became a mom. Kids feel when you're not fully engaged with them and they won't settle for anything less than your full, undivided attention. This makes jumping in and out of focus for everything else a lot more flexible 😊

[@allthingsjannah4325]

Oh I feel the opposite! I feel so scatter-brained since having my baby (who is now no longer a baby!)

[@Hoe_Rogan]

When I use to bartend, I would have to task switch so much, and at an incredibly rapid pace. It was so mentally draining, I would literally sit in silence, in the dark when I got home. I would have to commute to work as well, so after work, then commuting home it was just a huge mental overload.

[@MixMyDay]

As an academic, I would appreciate much more info on task switching! This is a huge part of my job stress!

[@TheBrighterSpider]

This was so helpful. I know my brain acts like it's a dog and I'm taking away its bone when I switch tasks. There is snarling, growling and everything in my head. For me the difficulty is in disengaging from task A. I never thought about it as suppressing circuitry, but that describes the feeling perfectly.

[@Idyll_Insomniac]

Since introducing the pomodoro technique to my studies I get so much more done in a shorter period of time as opposed to when I used to just sit down and study for x hours straight.

[@tylerthomson67]

Something I’d like to see a video is acclimation to environment. High altitude vs low, heat vs cold, dry vs humid. It would be nice to see how it can impact fitness, especially for competitions at different locations and traveling with the military. Thanks for everything you do!

[@Alexsonofalion]

Inspiring and effective information. I've utilised your Information to safely recover from severe depression and drug addiction. Thank you. Alexandros Panagiotopoulos South Africa

[@oksanakaido8437]

I've realized why I take so long to do pretty much everything, I have long transition periods where I'm mentally dreading or procrastinating starting that next task😂

[@sinegugundlovu1984]

Had to giggle at Dr Huberman saying "Task Squishing" 🤣

[@GiggleChad-]

Giggle 😂 ha!

[@me0101001000]

Professor, if you are able, I'd love for you to record an episode with Dr. Alok Kanojia. He runs Healthy Gamer GG, and has great insights on this as well, but his training is entirely clinical, not so academic. But his combining his background as a doctor and monk as well as yours would result in an absolutely delightful conversation. I'm particularly interested in your thoughts of yogic practices, like Ek Tattva Abhyasa, which calls for prioritizing over multitasking, and learning to differentiate focus and fixation. Thanks for all you do! :)

[@ModernDino1]

Would also love to see this collab!

[@ashwathraj5021]

Absolutely so relevant. Great idea, and he would love to do so

[@CryptoC4T]

Would be awesome :)

[@cherubin7th]

Yes I was thinking the same a few days ago. Would be great.

[@avaceleste]

I just task switched a million times while watching this. Rookie style. Next time I’ll listen😂

[@ondrey95]

Wish I had the opportunity to learn all of these concepts at a younger age but I'm thankful for this. Always appreciated and always the best.

[@killerbrother6187]

How old are u now

[@canyoupleaserunfast]

Wow, how amazing. I always treat task switching as if I'm a drifter in a sports car and I gotta go another direction, so i drift. Drift does take 2 to 10min in general. And the more i practice the better i get at drifting more efficiently

[@LuLu-kz7pg]

Love this! What if someone task-switches too much? Do they need to get better at dropping in a deep focus?

[@morgangreen2601]

Thats an environmental problem. That someone should run less tasks simultaneously. Task switching is also not the same thing as being attentionally distracted.

[@lindaohanraha-hanrahan2817]

The amount of content you have been creating lately has been bonkers my friend. I love it all but please, please get some sleep.

[@alicequayle4625]

Agree 100%. Andrew should pace himself and prioritise his health and wellbeing.

[@Zain_Passing_By]

​@@alicequayle4625Andrew looks good. Everything is ok

[@truthdogschell8473]

This AMA is awsome. I learned so much. I always thought it was not normal to take about ten minutes to completely digest and understand what I was reading. This subject is fascinating, thank you.

[@ganeshbankar5953]

Sometimes I come to this channel only hear to this 😂 Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast where we discuss science and science-based tools for every day life !!!

[@LoosDc4]

1:54 2:34 3:54 4:25 7:52 8:32 9:13 12:35 14:40 20:36 21:50 26:10 27:27 27:55 28:28 31:04

[@jmass4207]

Huberman mentions circumstances where our brain quickly engages that I think are relatively rare. I think we’ve accumulated far more experience in life with quick engagement from highly engineered content, and that’s where the mismatch in expectations comes from. Last night I was going to throw on a show and The Dark Knight was on. I was instantly deeply hooked by the scene. I knew exactly what was going on. I knew I wasn’t going to watch the whole movie. But I kept watching anyway. Highly engineered content is going to grab you, even in a relaxed environment, much more easily than harder tasks.

[@JohnHoffmann-qw5wg]

Thank you so much! I thought I was broken because I could barely socialize. Now I understand I need time to switch, sometimes 30 minutes or more to turn on my social skills. Moreover it is vote for the idea that I can change/switch most anything (given enough time and determination). Mood, belief, state, tasks, emotions, salience, etc. Maybe we can’t switch states/emotions directly but I can switch tasks that favor a particular state.

[@jonathanberry1111]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🎙️ *Introduction to the AMA Episode* - Andrew Huberman introduces the AMA episode and explains the purpose of the premium subscriber channel. 01:55 🤔 *Understanding Task Switching* - Andrew discusses the concept of task switching, prefrontal cortex's role, and cognitive flexibility. 05:16 ⏳ *Transition Periods for Task Switching* - The importance of introducing short transition periods between tasks to enhance task switching efficiency. - Transition duration depends on the depth of engagement in the previous task. 13:55 📵 *Avoiding New Information During Transitions* - The need to limit exposure to new information (e.g., smartphone use) during transition periods to prevent task interference. - Emphasizes not introducing additional tasks between task switches. 20:38 📝 *Task Management Technique* - Use a task management technique of limiting yourself to three critical tasks per day. - Focus on these tasks and don't overload yourself with too many. - This approach helps in task switching and productivity. 22:04 👀 *Perceptual Exercise for Task Switching* - Engage in a perceptual exercise to improve task switching. - Shifting visual focus between close and distant objects influences time perception. - Practicing this exercise enhances the brain's ability to switch between tasks. 26:44 ⏳ *Time Domain and Task Switching* - Understand the concept of the time domain in task switching. - Shifting attention between tasks involves shifting neural circuits related to time perception. - Transition periods between tasks are essential to ease task switching. 29:33 🔄 *Transition Periods and Practice* - Introduce transition periods between tasks to facilitate smoother task switching. - Deliberate practice, like the perceptual exercise, can accelerate the transition process. - Expect a brief adjustment period when switching between different types of tasks. Made with HARPA AI

[@teegees]

Very cool. Harpa AI seems fairly accurate… what’s your assessment of its accuracy so far?

[@jonathanberry1111]

@@teegees It seems to be better than the automatically generated captions it is based on. But it seems the actual intelligence is from chat GPT 4. If that has something to do with my subscription I don't know but I don't think so as there was no way to enter my API key. I haven't yet checked to see if the transcript it can also make still has the errors that KZbin auto generated captions has, I suspect they might still be intact (errors included) but that the AI can make sense of the gist of things most often when making a summary.

[@GrowlingBearMedia]

I also do short bouts of work to transition between periods of deep procrastination !

[@khubaibshakeel15]

Sir make a video on students how can they increase memory how they can take care of physical and mental health and other things that are important for students.

[@groundrodshorts]

Dude, im so happy that you have 4.5m subs! This content deserves so many more subs. Great stuff. I love your come up story and I heard recently that you have a faith in God . Youre very relatable, thanks for all you do. Godspeed

[@zahrakarimi7818]

A complete answer and explanation! Thank you 🙏🏻 🙏🏻

[@rushankshukla3116]

This is so helpful for someone like me who has switch tasks constantly. Thanks

[@tonysaiart]

If you take requests. I'd love an episode with you and @khanacademy specifically Sal Khan. I think it would be really interesting to hear a discussion on how humans learn new things. #SalKhan

[@caseyismyname]

I find that it takes me up to an hour to get started on my coursework for school and up to 3 hours to actually get into a deep state of focus and I find that I am very easily distracted unless I am under a lot of pressure to; for example, meet a deadline. I think its due to the excess of information I am taking in weither that be through my phone or in my daily life, fogging up my brain. I will attempt these techniques specifically with school and see how it goes.

[@paulinelinares4991]

As a music lover, I very much like this podcast! 👋👍

[@danielmorgado1613]

Thanks, once again.

[@astrophile4473]

Dr... I want a podcast on dreams. Do they really disturb sleep quality?

[@laubowiebass]

I’m friends with the LA Chess boxing champion ( at least a couple of years back he won the title ). It’s a real thing, you have to be an intense person to do that . Also, task switching transitions ? Teachers of young students are often experts at those activities from one task to another .

[@robertmccreary4354]

BASEBALL CONNECTION? Thank you for all that you do! I made a connection to sports when you were explaining the perception exercise and I'd like to see if my connection is correct and whether the drill I thought of would apply. I coach baseball and always tell my high school and college players about the need to "slow the game down." Great players do that but it is very tough to explain how it's done let alone create a drill to practice it. Going back to your perception exercise and your analogy of slow-motion video and frames-per-second, I thought of a drill where I would put a baseball on a tee at home plate and then place other baseballs on tees at 10-15 foot intervals until they reach the pitcher's mound (roughly 60 feet away). If a player focused his eyes on the ball at the mound for several seconds, then focused on the next closest ball, then the next one, etc. until lastly he focused on the one at the plate, would that help his brain/vision "slow down" the pitch by creating more snapshots/frames per pitch?

[@workingwithv3341]

Have you considered writing a book, Andrew? I am absolutely certain that you would be the next "Atomic Habits" in terms of sales success.

[@tubo1812]

He was writing a book but it seems the podcast, shows and lab took his time

[@benjaminkunze8903]

Your Content is such a clear win for me

[@elinahadzhimincheva8495]

I literally try my best to focus on what You say in each episode, the whole time, but at times I end up thinking, how cute you are - its my prefrontal cortex’s fault! 😍 Thank You for Your podcasts. 😊🤓

[@sonjaforrester9255]

Oh my gosh I work in healthcare and many encounters are 10-30-60 mins total and switch between so much so often.

[@kenbrandy]

Please do an episode or give comments on neurofeedback. Especially for things like calming anxiety, improving motivation or mental performance or physical.

[@maqsal]

Hi and thanks for the content you guys put out. I'd like to request a conversation with the leading people on the field of cholesterol as well as statins. There seems to be a lot of conflicting information out there as well as personal experience against the stances on each side. Many for statins and others against. I think a proper discussion about this could potentially help a lot of people seeking clear information about this topic. As a side note, I've heard Petter Attia and others talk about this briefly with you but there still many questions unanswered.

[@Bak2BasiKs]

cant wait to watch this, i have really bad depression brain fog where my brain just feels empty even when im doing things

[@YouTubeIsTrashAssGarbage]

Too bad. You have to pay the premium fee for that information 🤪

[@schumannbeing]

This is exactly why stoners like to smoke before doing stuff 😂 On a more serious note, this is very helpful to hear as someone on the spectrum who has difficulty transitioning between certain tasks without a buffer in between. I can multitask around the house most of the time but beyond that I usually need something to help me refocus and I could even be jamming out to some good tunes on the way home from work before going to evening plans. Sometimes around or two of breath work does the trick. But the more of that buffer I get the less experience burn out later.

[@IonTrone]

thank you for your interest in AMAs :)

[@ayacabrera]

You are a gift! Thank you! 🎉

[@Merlin481]

We need an episode with Cal Newport!

[@AznDudeIsOn]

interesting perceptual exercise in the context of getting used to changing contexts and therefore task switching. Get used to feeling shifting over neural circuits of what will be active and less active

[@zulyv.1269]

Amazing 🎉 Dr. Huberman, would you please create an episode of Dance & Movement. 💃

[@patrickhollywood93]

I love these. Thank you so much. :)

[@JM10344]

Nice this will be put into action

[@msmintjuleps]

I love Andrew but I would pay extra if he would summarize his message.

[@IkeCreed]

I enjoy the extra details he gives around his topic. The short attention span videos have overtaken in-depth conversion.

[@towritemichelle210]

Then it would not be his message

[@redhairgrneyes]

All things considered, this IS the summarized message. We are just so use to being given no information at all that this can feel like a long drawn out explanation. But truly, this task switching "in a nutshell".

[@besmart2350]

Chess boxing sounds amazing. Would love to see some matches. If someone won in chess but then got KO’d, is it a draw?

[@lilbear19601]

I took on a ranch with an underground home. Ranch all needs work, house was full of molding furniture and it was in the walls. Sorting cleaning buyers out build back fencing cleaning stock ponds cleaning and residing three roofs replanning and wiring and finding a place for it all. This is by myself except for a n elderly family member I care for. Two years no outside contact except for shopping and mechanic. All this on a very limited disability income and no insurance. My thinking became unreadable unsubstantiated to any one else. I was spinning out of control with 14 hr days and no days off. I pretty much just shut down mentally first then physically. Attempting to start again but the desire is gone, hoping that by realizing what I need from this talk nudges me into sane action. Peace folks I got to where I was spinning

[@zebra-er6xc]

A short transition period of even 15 seconds while switching from task A to task B where you are not trying to perform task B and that you've designated this as a transition period. I'm not trying to focus on the next thing that I need to do. I might focus on it , but I'm not deliberately trying to focus on it. Rather, I'm going to think about what I just did and the fact that I'm no longer doing that, kind of leaving it like a fog behind. You're trying to move from this deep trench of attention. Tasks normally take 10 minutes for switching unless it is something we are genuinely curious about Do not get additional information to your brain while switching from Task A to Task B, avoid phones and social media 3 critical tasks for everyday where you focus your visual attention strongly, influences the way that your brain parses time. I'll describe the tool first. Can be done every morning for 2-3 minutes in an open space first station, as I call them, where my eyes were closed and I was focusing on my bodily sensations,

[@trillogy.]

TIMING!

[@peterellis4262]

In another episode addressing tools for focus you recommended bringing your visual focus to a very tight area to aid in achieving focus. Would this be appropriate to use as part of transitioning between tasks?

[@Luuvkev]

Love this content!!

[@jessepenner442]

Great stuff andrew. Thanks :)

[@debbiesue4287]

Thank you!

[@kvk1]

Great insight Andrew, thanks.

[@user-kt4bm3zm3j]

Dr Huberman - Is there any chance you will put on a second show in Sydney?

[@raeesap7502]

Hi, thank you for all you do. How many subscribers are on the premium channel?

[@parousia2771]

thank you for this

[@sergealexandre4510]

Thank you so much for your lessons. God bless you !

[@SirintraaPhothipaa-ew3wu]

Thank you so much

[@LuLu-kz7pg]

How do you improve getting other neural circuit to dissipate or disengage?

[@leanbike4]

The last muscle to relax prior to sleep is the Masseter, but prior to this muscle relaxing, my experience is that the Obicularis muscle must relax & does so in 3-4 stages. Please explain why just relaxing these muscles facilitates my sleep, thank you.

[@gimp1imp]

Interesting, I tried the divided attention task of body sensation and sight as I was driving at night while listening to the podcast. It was crazy. As I visually attended to an object in the distance while also attending to my body, it was like riding a roller coaster or something. As many mindfulness techniques, I became out of my mind and felt my body being closer to object. Interestingly at the end Huberman mentions to not try this while driving. I bet he tried this when skateboarding in the past😅

[@ryanisanart]

this research validates pomodoro's 20 min 'break' periods a little bit

[@jhob6207]

Question: Does taking a short break from a "deep thinking" activity like homework shift this focus out of what you are doing, and cause your brain to need that 5-10 minutes of reset to get back on track?

[@amoykikie]

By 22:54, why the concentration is NOT meditation?

[@az55544]

I harvest tree seeds. Adult diagnosed F ADHD so it suits me. I get so deep in the seek/dopamine of my outings, that I often worry about my safety. The task switching I worry about is deep seek/dopamine to what is called situational awareness. Can you dive deep into situational awareness, please? Thank you.

[@galenyeo46]

Your podcast made me think of Mel Robbins and the 5 second rule that she talks about...is that similar? Thank you.

[@anotherdrunkaspiringwriter]

How about a show on accupuncture/ eastern medicine philosophy

[@Sand831]

Any help with managing Plaq in our bodies, brain and circulatory system?

[@ASJ3712]

This mistaken understanding of mine was the single biggest cause of my failure in college.. 😢😢

[@NickEdsonBasketball]

Do a video on COGNITIVE DISSONANCE please

[@tylerj6219]

As a dispatcher my task switching is pretty good but I noticed I'll brain dump a lot of things within a day or two.

[@link6563]

Only raeson I subbed to this channel was for the shorts dances and I have not seen one yet.

[@pseudonymhacklife4111]

😂😂😂

[@leahgillespie1692]

Hello, This is good information. I’m wondering if you share any techniques for working this into business meetings or presentations to improve cognitive focus of participants? For example, if I’m running a meeting and want to be sure my client is really present, is there a simple way to facilitate this without them feeling manipulated? Maybe your address this in the premium version? Thank you.

[@w.w.w.n]

Morning! I try to finish listening to all episodes, but lately there are 2-3 each week of hours content! it's getting hard to absorb...

[@MXS369]

I think he does a good job with time stamps so you can watch the topics that interest you.

[@dariazavatska2767]

@@MXS369 I just feel like I need to watch it all, and its getting really overwhelming. I'm feeling left behind 😥

[@w.w.w.n]

@@dariazavatska2767 same..

[@Christopher-md7tf]

​@@dariazavatska2767But you don't. Pick the stuff that is most important to you.

[@lindaohanraha-hanrahan2817]

Each week we receive a beautiful blueberry cheesecake of science information. You can’t eat it all in one sitting. It’s one delicious piece at a time. An hour or two here and there.

[@MATCHMAKER1111]

is there any benefits from taking a day or two off from learning a skill, if i practice a skill everyday and i take a break from it, is it negative or positive?

[@tantridewina3048]

How many times you do workout per week?

[@EddyLeeKhane]

I thought it takes around 20 minutes to go deeply into a task So if we task switch don't we kill our productivity?

[@gimp1imp]

If we switched task over and over I think you are correct. For example, if I am at work completing notes and I consistently switch between my notes and text and emails, this decreases my productivity significantly. However, I think we must switch tasks at some point in time. I think this this podcast was more about how to switch task most effectively.

[@HungryLancer]

Professor Huberman, I confused Meth with a Math

[@popalucian2507]

I was here

[@SimplyHuman186]

Thank you so much and Ruben for your hours of commercials lol jk great content, fellow human

[@PepperstreetDev]

I've always wondered how Formula 1 drivers can race for over an hour at 200mph then get out of a car and do a interview and sit dead still with full composure and answer questions articulately.

[@N22883]

If anyone is interested in hearing more about brain fog, HealthyGamer has a pretty good video on that

[@derekbinsack]

Wish I knew where he talks about it, I don’t have time this week to watch the full thing

[@derejegodana]

❤🙏❤️

[@stephanamjacobson1705]

Subject matter request: All things conspiracy theory? What is function of Conspiracy theories for the human psyche, sense of purpose in life? What is or why do conspiracy theories arise? In contrast to all things that which are not c t’s, what is the flip side of c t ? How is it humans (are privileged with) this free from c t position of mind set but see a spectrum of thoughts, and understanding that which is? Is there a gradation or spectrum of mindset between the two mindset positions which could be Communicated people see possible outcome of connection vs separation ? 😊

[@tarunarachmad3976]

3:37

[@derekbinsack]

I skipped past 34 minutes and can’t find where the part about brain fog is 😭

[@redemptivedialectic6787]

This episode was so effective at getting me to switch tasks that I stopped watching halfway through

[@astronaute]

When you’ll make an apology video for promoting Athletic Greens?

[@ivinitmittal]

Why? What happened?

[@astronaute]

@@ivinitmittal he was promoting the AG scammers selling their useless and overpriced products and by extension contributed to them scamming us, his community. You can find many videos popping left and right of honest people and youtoubers raising their voice. I unsubbed from Huberman until he acknowledges this mistake.

[@lvprotector]

Ironic isn’t it? There are people complaining about AG1 “scam-selling” and further to Huberman contributing to the scam. AG1 is a great product or not, but each of us CHOOSES to buy or not. A scammer can’t be successful at all, without a “victim’s” help. So simply don’t buy it or do, but Dr. Huberman has been honest about his 11 years of use and the benefits he believes in. One of which is the choice to buy or not. Why are you any different?

[@astronaute]

@@lvprotector huberman podcast is NOT about believing in something. It is about science and study backed information. That’s exactly why he should apologize. Not all of us are well versed in science and watch this and similar podcasts to have access to expert curated information and products.

[@lvprotector]

@@astronaute I understand. There is a difference between someone being supported by a product or company solely for the monetary support and someone (this case, Huberman) believing in the product's efficacy for followers. Have you tried AG1?

[@parousia2771]

yee

[@mindgeek644]

Let’s be honest about life. How much Memantine is required to reset adderall tolerance of a gram a day?

[@abdulmoiz939]

Any body who has a prrmium can you please summarize the entire video