In this podcast Dr. Huberman discusses ways to enhance your workspace for optimal productivity, focus and creativity.
He discusses tools like how to adjust light for best results, how to arrange your office environment, as well as best posture for mindset and productivity.
Anybody who has worked in an office environment will know there are different people who have different styles of office space.
I have worked with people on both ends of the spectrum. I had a boss whose office was piled with paper everywhere. But he was one of the most efficient and organised people I’ve worked with.
For sure his environment did not meet any of the suggested criteria here. But he had his own method he had built up for decades, and he knew exactly where everything was whenever he needed it.
Conversely I’ve worked with a colleague who had nothing on his desk apart from the computer and telephone. He was also extremely well organised, but suffered from being quite lazy and unproductive.
I would say I am somewhere in the middle. I am fortunate enough to have my own office space where I can keep very little on my desk. I find this helps to keep my mind more focused. Working while you can see clutter around you cannot be good for the creative brain.
My Chinese colleague has helped me with a little Feng Shui organisation. Which as far as I can tell ultimately boils down to be organised, clean and decluttered. Combined with things like desk position, and the direction the model ships I have are facing.
Movement and Sit – Stand Desks
In this podcast Dr. Huberman explains different ways to shift your work environment for particular types of tasks.
He importantly focuses on the role of body movement. Which I personally feel is the number one thing we can all do to enhance our focus at work.
I am fortunate enough to have a sit-stand desk which I have had for more than five years. I am continually moving from sit to stand, as it is not necessarily the sitting which is bad for you. It’s much more to do with sitting and not moving.
Standing for long periods of time without moving can also be bad for you, which is often where people make their mistakes on this subject. They get their first standing desk, then stand all day with bad posture while leaning against the desk as an example.
Posture in the standing position is just as important as in the seated position. And one way to ensure you keep your posture neutral, is to keep moving and do not stay in one position for more than 15 minutes at the absolute maximum.
If you’ve listened to a Huberman Lab podcast, you will know he is all about science based tools for everyday life. Which is why he goes deep into the science around sound based tools such as binaural beats, which studies show can enhance productivity, memory and recall.
I have yet to try this in detail so cannot comment on my own experience. But on occasions when I have plugged into such beats, I did notice a change in my mind direction.
Listen to another fantastic Huberman Lab podcast and expect to learn:
- Which differing frequencies of binaural beats are good for deep work, creativity, memory and cognitive function.
- The influence of ceiling height.
- Heating, ventilation and white noise during mental work.
- Office background noise and employee concentration.
- Effects of a sit-stand desk for health and productivity.
- How different phases of lighting can be used throughout the day tapping into your natural circadian rhythm.
- How to use vision to increase focus.
- Strategies to minimise interruptions.
- Different tools for analytical or creative work.
- …… and as always, much much more.