Andrew Huberman — Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast, focused on science-based tools for everyday life.
The gist
In this premium AMA episode, Huberman answers a listener question about getting better at task switching. He distinguishes task switching from cognitive flexibility and explains the role of the prefrontal cortex in context-dependent behavior. His central tool is deliberately introducing short transition periods between tasks, scaled to how deeply focused you were, during which you avoid bringing in new information (especially the phone). He also shares a two-to-three-minute visual perceptual exercise that shifts focus from close to far to retrain how the brain parses time, plus the habit of writing down no more than three critical tasks per day.
Big reveals
- Huberman admits he personally struggles with task switching, often running tardy because he stays mentally locked on the previous task.
- Claims the need for transition gaps between tasks is rarely discussed, leaving people to place an unfair burden on themselves to focus instantly.
- Even an arbitrary 15-second transition period, when consciously designated as transition, improves engagement with the next task.
- Names the phone as the most destructive thing during a transition period because it introduces a whole new task and new context.
- Shares a three-task-per-day rule he learned from an accomplished Berkeley professor as a master's student.
- Introduces a visual perceptual exercise tied to time perception that he says has greatly enhanced his own ability to task switch.
- Calls chess boxing a great example of extreme task switching but a terrible example of space-time bridging practice.
Things worth remembering
- Expect roughly a five-to-ten-minute transition period before neural circuits fully engage when starting to read or focus on unfamiliar material.
- The ideal length of a transition period scales directly with how deeply entrenched you were in the previous task.
- Even a 60-to-90-second designated transition improves your ability to perform the next task.
- During transitions you should limit the total amount of new information entering your nervous system, avoiding phone, texting, and social media.
- Looking at your phone counts as introducing a third task, turning A-to-B switching into harder A-to-B-to-C switching.
- Huberman recommends writing down no more than three critical cognitive tasks per day, excluding routine or physical activities.
- Where you direct your visual attention strongly influences how finely your brain slices time.
- Focusing close to your body fine-slices time like a high-frame-rate slow-motion video, while looking into the distance thick-slices it.
- A transition can be as short as counting ten down to one, as long as you designate it as transition and avoid new time domains.
- Huberman notes the perceptual time exercise is very safe and zero cost, though not to be done while driving.