The art of being productive—Caffeine
Types of people when it comes to coffee
Today’s world is driven by coffee. As much as we want to deny it, most of us cannot live without coffee, or at least, be really frustrated if coffee suddenly wasn’t a thing. The truth is, without coffee, you wouldn’t have finished that proposal or handed in that particular essay on time. When it comes to coffee, there are a few types of people.
People who avoid drinking coffee entirely after hearing the side effects
People who drink coffee just to help them chase a deadline
People who drink coffee as a part of their lives
Functions of caffeine we all know
It is common knowledge that caffeine acts as a stimulant to the body when consumed. They block adenosine receptors that are supposed to tell us when to sleep. So simply put, it increases our alertness.
Insights from experts
Andrew Huberman is a professor at Standford who specializes in neurobiology. He states in his podcast/YouTube video on caffeine that coffee acts as a reinforcer. That means the place you get your coffee or even the mug it is in can make us leaves a positive impression on them. He also stated that caffeine messes with our circadian cycle, a cycle that governs how we naturally work during the day and sleep at night.
He also has tips on when to consume coffee. For example, it is recommended that we have our morning coffee at least 90-120 minutes after waking to avoid “afternoon crash”, which temps us to have another coffee in the afternoon. This would ultimately lead to difficulty sleeping.
Here is the title of the full video from Huberman if you are interested:
Using Caffeine to Optimize Mental & Physical Performance | Huberman Lab Podcast 101 - YouTube
For more on the significance of sleep to our productivity, check out my previous newsletter on sleep!
My take on caffeine
An analogy most people use to describe coffee consumption, which I agree with, is that it is similar to taking on a loan. If you ask a businessperson or you are one yourself about borrowing money for your business, you should probably know that taking on a loan is not a bad thing at all as long as you are sure that you can repay it on time. The same goes for coffee, it is not an evil thing, you just need to use it properly.
Managing your energy levels
On a perfect day, you would wake up, get straight to work, get a lot done, have lunch, continue to crash it, have your dinner, slowly wind down, and by the time it is time to sleep, you get into bed and immediately go to sleep. BUT and this is a big “but”, we know that this is ain’t gonna happen. Sometimes, we wake up, feel gloomy, had a bad day, rolling on our beds for hours but still unable to sleep.
What if I tell you that coffee might be the solution to all of that? Though not science-backed, most find that coffee can help us feel more positive, which will therefore boost our productivity. This means that you get more done, which makes you feel more tired after your day. This strategy, however, only works if you adhere to the rules. That is, not to consume caffeine after noon and avoid caffeine right after waking as stated by Andrew Huberman in his podcast Huberman Lab.
Caffeine as a trigger for long study/work sessions
In the summer holidays, I signed myself up for a week-long course on neuroscience. Though I don't/was planning to study biology, I find the topic rather interesting. And it is also that particular course that lured me into exploring the mechanism of coffee consumption.
One of the fascinating yet easy concepts is the idea of “classical conditioning”. The idea is simple. Ivan Pavlov, a Russian-Soviet experimenter finds out that if he brings his dog some food and rings a bell a couple of times, the dog associates the sound of the bell with food. The dog ended up salivating when the bell is rung, even without the food.
As such, if we are the dog, coffee can be the bell that triggers us to enter focus mode. This, along with the fact that it acts as a “reinforcer” and that it can keep us positive and keep us awake and focused, coffee might be the perfect “energy elixir” and the key to getting more done.
Drink less coffee but get more from it
Quick tip for those who want to have an ultra-productive morning. You might consider drinking your coffee slowly instead of gulping the beverage down. This can provide a more prolonged or extended boost, it also avoids a “caffeine crash”. Do remember to finish it before noon though, to avoid affecting your sleep, and…we can all agree that we want our coffee fresh.
Closing words
To conclude, coffee can be a great productivity enhancer when used properly. We just have to bear in mind the following:
Avoid consumption of caffeine after noon (10-12 hours before bed)
Avoid caffeine right after waking (wait at least 90-120 minutes)
Avoid downing your coffee in one go
Be cautious of caffeine consumption (even from tea or caffeine-containing soft drinks like Coke or chocolate)
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