Andrew Huberman: How to Focus and Concentrate Better (Science-Based Tools)

Andrew Huberman begins with the neuroscience of attention: focus isn't a vague concept but a concrete biological process. When you concentrate, your brain releases two key neurochemicals — acetylcholine (which acts like a spotlight, narrowing your attention) and dopamine (which provides the motivation to stay on task). Understanding this mechanism gives you specific levers to pull.

The visual system is the gateway to focus, Huberman explains. Your eyes and brain are directly connected through the oculomotor system. When you physically focus your gaze on a single point, it triggers the release of acetylcholine in your prefrontal cortex. He recommends a practice: before starting deep work, stare at a single point (a spot on your screen, a dot on the wall) for 30-60 seconds. This "visual focus" primes the neural circuits for cognitive focus. It feels odd at first, but the science is robust.

Huberman dedicates significant time to the dopamine system and common mistakes. Most people rely on constant dopamine hits (social media, snacks, music) to "motivate" themselves to work. But this actually depletes the dopamine baseline, making focus harder over time. Instead, he recommends working in a relatively low-stimulation environment and letting the intrinsic reward of the task itself drive dopamine. He specifically warns against listening to new, exciting music while working — it hijacks the dopamine system away from the task.

The ultradian cycle is Huberman's key scheduling insight. Research shows the brain operates in roughly 90-minute focus cycles. Within these cycles, the first 5-10 minutes are a "warm-up" where focus gradually sharpens. Peak concentration occurs in the middle 60-70 minutes. Then attention naturally wanes. Fighting this cycle is counterproductive — instead, plan 1-3 focused 90-minute blocks per day with genuine breaks (no phone scrolling) in between.

Cold exposure emerges as Huberman's top recommendation for sustained focus. A 1-3 minute cold shower triggers a massive release of norepinephrine and dopamine — increases of 200-300% above baseline that persist for 2-3 hours. Unlike caffeine, which borrows alertness from later in the day, cold exposure creates a genuine neurochemical state change. Huberman suggests doing it in the morning before your most important deep work session.

He closes by stacking these tools into a morning protocol: wake up, delay caffeine 90 minutes, get 10 minutes of sunlight, do a brief cold exposure, then sit down for a 90-minute focus block using the visual focus technique. This combination, he argues, creates conditions for "superhuman" concentration using freely available biological tools.