https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze2pc6NwsHQ

  1. First part of the day is a phase with high level of dopamine and epinephrine. 8 hours after waking, turn on as much overhead light as safely possible. Because ganglion cells are mostly in the lower part of the retina. These neurons send a signal to the suprachiasmatic nucleus to increase our alertness. That is we need for detailed analytical type of work. You can measure the amount of light by Light Meter AppYou can use a ring lamp or a light pad (with blue light) in front of you.
  2. If possible, open the window during you work time. You will get 50 times more blue light than with a closed window.
  3. 9-16 hours after waking slowly reduce the amount of light. You can turn off the overhead light. It is a time for serotonin, creativity and abstract thinking.
  4. The sensitivity to light depends on you eye color. People with blue or green eyes are more sensitive than people with dark eyes. Around 5 p.m. (~12 hours after waking) reduce your blue light and turn off your light pad.
  5. Phase 3: 17-24 hours after waking. Reduce the amount you get in your eyes as much as possible.
  6. You can drink 32 ounces of water and not go to the bathroom 90 minutes (to increase your alertness in the night).
  7. If you focus on a point below you activate neurons connected with calm and sleep and if you focus on smth under your line of eyes you activate the neurons connected with alertness
  8. When you stand or move your neurons in locus coeruleus are more active than when you sit, so you are more alert.
  9. Usually people need 3-6 minutes to get in focus.
  10. Parvocellular visual channel (high resolution), magnocellular visual channel (low resolution). Vergence eye movement connected with high alertness. Every 45 min get 5 min to your eyes to relax (go for a walk), but you shouldn't check your phone this time.
  11. Cathedral effect. People in higher ceilinged environments tend to be more creative and people in lower ceilinged environments tend to use more restricted language. You also can use hoodie or a cap to restrict your visual field.
  12. Jordan Love, Alexander Francis "Psychophysiological responses to potentially annoying heating, ventilation and air conditioning noise during mentally demanding work". This type of noise increases mental fatigue. Banbury& Berry 2005
  13. Isochronic tones, binaural sounds. 40 Hz improves the level of memory, improves reaction time and verbal recall (Colzato 2017). Natural sounds are not as effective as pure binaural beats. 7 Hz 30 min (overlay of rain sound) immediately recall memory decreased. 15 Hz increased response accuracy on a spatial verbal memory task. 40 Hz increased striatal dopamine.
  14. Just sitting is terrible and just standing is bad. You should combine. "Effect of a workplace sit-stand desk intervention on health and productivity".
  15. Frod Sham PLOS one "Does type of active workstation matter: a randomized comparison of cognitive and typing performance between rest, cycling and treadmill, active workstation". No significant difference between cycling and treadmill workstation. 137 young adults. Attention and cognitive control significantly higher for active sessions than for sitting sessions. But verbal memory was lower for active sessions.

1. Many people favor standing desks. Others prefer to sit. The data on this indicate that the best approach is: both! It is best to arrange your desk and workspace so that you can work sitting for some period of time—10-30 minutes or so for most people, and then shift to work standing for 10-30 minutes, and then go back to sitting.

2. Research also shows that it’s a good idea to take a 5-15 minute stroll after every 45 minutes of work. You do not need to purchase a standing desk. A very accomplished academic colleague has maintained tremendous productivity for decades by simply placing a box and a few books on their desk to create a simple, effective sit-stand desk. I use a shallow angle drafting table and then move to a regular desk and back again approximately every 30 minutes. There is evidence that such a sit-stand approach can reduce neck and shoulder and back pain and even help augment some of the positive effects of exercise—which we should all be doing too, of course.