Andrew Huberman on building habits

Creating habits

Andrew Huberman suggests creating a list of six habits and doing at least four of them every day.
The reason behind this is to train your brain to associate habits with random and intermittent rewards, making it easier to maintain consistency.
Habits can be grouped into three different phases based on the time of day in which they are easiest to perform.

The first phase is from zero to nine hours after waking up, when your body is associated with high levels of epinephrine, dopamine, and slightly higher cortisol. Linear habits, such as running, go well in this phase.
The second phase is from 10 hours to 16 or 17 hours after waking up, when you are calmer and more conducive to non-linear habits such as creative writing or brainstorming.
The third phase is from 17 to 24 hours, which is associated with sleep and should be used for engaging in habits that promote it.

According to Emily Balchetti of New York University, imagining the catastrophic effects of failure is a more powerful motivator for developing new habits than envisioning success.
Fear is a powerful motivator and can be used to achieve new goals, but it should not put you in a state of panic.

The dopamine reward system works best with random and intermittent rewards, so it is recommended to reward yourself for job well done in a random and unpredictable manner.
This is similar to what casinos use to keep people motivated.

Andrew's morning routine starts at 6 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. and he tries to go to sleep by 10:30 p.m.
When he wakes up, he makes a beeline for sunlight as it is the best thing for his sleep, energy, mood, and wakefulness.