Cal Newport

So if we think about our physical health, you start with just everyday activity and basic healthy habits, and then you move up to, I'm actually gonna go out of my way to go to a gym.

I'm gonna drive somewhere.

I'm gonna go through an exercise routine.

It's gonna take 45 minutes.

I'm gonna sweat.

It's gonna be hard.

That is the next tier of intensity in physical health.

We need that equivalent.

and cognitive fitness.

We need something that is like a brain gym.

Well, I've been thinking about this recently.

I've been thinking about more intense cognitive fitness style activities I've been doing in my own life that might be the mental equivalent of going to the gym.

And I have two techniques here that I want to share.

I think it's the first time I've talked about either.

So this is ratcheting up our intensity here.

All right, the first technique I call immersive thinking.

and here's how it works.

You build out a mini excursion, something that might take anywhere between one to four hours.

It is designed to leverage novel environments to help push your brain temporarily into a higher gear than you would normally be.

Just like going to a gym,