John Assaraf

Well, when we wake up, we're born with a certain number of attention units.

And so we wake up, we get ready, we get dressed, we go to work, we do our work, you know, in front of our computers, we talk to people, we take care of our kids, our husband, our wife or whatever.

And by time two or three o'clock goes on, our glucose levels are really, really low.

Willpower is tied to glucose in many cases.

And our ability to concentrate and focus, okay, is way, way lower after three or four or five o'clock.

In the morning when we wake up, we have higher cortisol levels.

So cortisol is like a little bit of rocket fuel.

And so when we have cortisol, adrenaline, we can go.

But then as that cortisol goes down and our focus gets diminished, it's harder to make the decisions that require willpower, the power to override a natural habit or propensity.

So there's a lot of these neural mechanics going on that if we don't understand how it works, like I'll give you an example.

My team knows, do not book me, let's say on a call with Heather at five o'clock in the afternoon.

I won't be as animated.

I won't be as sharp.

I won't be as congruent.

Because I wake up at 6.30 and by 9.30, 10, 11 o'clock, I'm like going, I'm like picking up the speed.

So I do all my hardest stuff, the ones that requires my energy, focus and attention early in the day.

That's why I exercise early.

It's easier for me because I'm an early morning person to say yes to exercise early in the morning.

If you leave me till four or five o'clock in the afternoon,

I never exercise.