Hello and welcome to 4-Minute Friday where I share, in four minutes or less, the latest things I’m doing to enhance my health, save money, and make day-to-day life easier and more enjoyable.
All comments and follow-up questions can be posted directly below, on my Facebook page or emailed to me at zach.griffith1@gmail.com!
Productivity drink I’m enjoying: Neutonic
As a grad student currently completing final exams, I will be candid and admit that I’ve consumed enough caffeine these past couple of weeks to power a small village. However, I’ve realized that in excess, caffeine is actually detrimental to my productivity as the ‘too wired’ feeling is something I personally don’t find to benefit studying and retaining information.
A well-known podcaster that’s previously been discussed on HIB, Chris Williamson, alongside renowned author and personal trainer James Smith, recently released the world’s first ‘productivity drink’ called Neutonic and it’s been a gamechanger for me.
While some might roll their eyes and think promoting a caffeinated beverage as a productivity enhancer is just a marketing ploy, understand that I was right alongside you… but then I investigated it a little further.
Yes, Neutonic does contain 120 milligrams (mg) of caffeine but this is actually only a fraction of what many beverages on the market contain with most containing at least 200mg and some as much as 300mg. For reference, a large (Grande if you must) black coffee from Starbucks contains roughly 250mg of caffeine.
What makes this product special is the other ingredients that work alongside caffeine to boost your attention, enhance focus, and give you just the right amount of stimulation. Included in this ingredient list is L-theanine which was discussed in last week’s 4MF as a way to smooth out the caffeine jitters and enhance cognition.
Anecdotally, I can tell you that Neutonic has given me the extra push I was searching for to enhance my ability to study longer and more effectively without causing unpleasant jitters or impacting my ability to sleep if I stop consuming it roughly 10 hours before I plan to go to bed.
Stopping around noon not only gives me steady energy into the later evening but this drink also has yet to give me the ‘crash’ that many other beverages do.
For a complete rundown of the Neutonic ingredients, click here.
For the Amazon link to order Neutonic, click here! (it sells out quick)
Hip mobility exercise I’ve been doing: Couch Stretch
Speaking of studying during finals week, unfortunately, this has meant most of my days have been spent seated in front of a desk. While I do try to stand and take breaks as much as possible, I notice that trying to study while standing isn’t as effective for me and sitting allows me to be more efficient… which is all I’ve been shooting for this week. The unseasoned ground beef and white rice I’ve been consuming twice daily will speak to that.
With this extra sitting, I’ve noticed that my hip flexors — the muscles just inside the hip bones — have become extremely stiff. Using my physical therapy knowledge, this makes sense because sitting at a desk means your hips are in a ‘flexed’ position and over time, the muscles in the area are shortened and become tighter.
Tight hip flexors are a recipe for causing and exacerbating low back pain which is something I’ve also been blessed with and have prioritized avoiding flare-ups like my life depends on it. As I haven’t had much time to do extra fluff in the gym besides compound exercises, I was looking for something I could do at home with minimal equipment and found the perfect option, the Couch Stretch.
While I’ll link a video below, the Couch Stretch is as simple as it sounds. In a half kneeling position, you put your rear foot up on a couch (or any sturdy platform) and open up the area in the front of your hip.
Beware, if you work at a desk or tend to have tight hips, you’ll know it when you get into this position. While you’re sitting on the couch watching T.V. in the evening, throw in a couple sets of these and your low back will thank you!
Link to video: Couch Stretch (skip to 45s if you just want to see the form)
Mental framework I’m leveraging: Parkinson’s Law
While the name sounds obscure, I almost guarantee that you’ll resonate with Parkinson’s Law on some level. Simply put, Parkinson’s Law is the idea that the time it takes to complete a task will fill whatever amount of time that we (or someone else) have put aside to get it done.
In more understandable language, deadlines often don’t get met until …. you guessed it, the deadline. This is especially true for the procrastinators out there who wait until the very last minute to get started. If you’re anything like me, there’s something about a deadline that gets the juices flowing and allows me to complete the task just before it’s due. Although it’s a lot more stressful this way.
I’ve come to realize that although meeting deadlines is the ultimate goal, scrambling and grinding out intense, drawn-out work isn’t the most efficient way of going about things. Leveraging Parkinson’s Law, I’ve began to flip the script and utilize this very same idea to introduce more proactivity into my life.
It’s quite simple.
I set my own daily deadlines on things that I need to complete throughout the week and write these down in a visible place. For example, if I have an exam on Friday, I’ll write down the amount of time I’m required to study each day in the week leading up to the exam rather than putting all my chips on the table Thursday night.
This creates a simple 24 hour deadline that provides an extra push to get something done each day that will contribute to the ultimate goal of doing well on the exam. Not only does this exponentially decrease the amount of stress from deadlines, but I’ve also personally found it a way that yields better results as last minute thinking isn’t always the sharpest.
What else?
A new HIB post will be released next week, stay tuned!
I went to a live show last night featuring Chris Williamson & James Smith – will have more to share soon! So many good insights.
Set the deadline. Do the thing.
If you enjoy this weekly bite of information, please share it with a coworker, friend, and/or family member!
DISCLAIMER
- This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.