Neuroscientist: How To Boost Your Focus PERMANENTLY in Minutes 

For those who don't want their time wasted, here's what you do: Close your eyes and focus on your breathing and overall internal state for 15-20 minutes every day.

The meditation might not be your thing. But listen here, this meditation time is for you and only you. I remember Tony Robbins says, “If you don’t have 10 minutes for yourself then you don’t have a life”.

I have ADHD and I've been using this exact exercise for 10 years, and it changed my life. I do this at least 1-3 times per day, and it allows me to focus much better for 2-4 hours afterward. I've been advocating this for years. It's been the number one thing I've done outside of using some medication to help me focus.

17min sit, eyes closed, attention to body and breathing

In simple terms, this video is saying that spending just 17 minutes in a quiet practice, where you focus on your breathing and internal feelings, can significantly improve your ability to pay attention. This practice may help reduce distractions, especially for those with ADHD, and could potentially offset age-related declines in focus. It's like a quick and easy way to "rewire" your brain for better attention, and it seems to work after just one session.

Here are the six most important points from the video: • Attentional blinks are a common occurrence where we focus on one thing and miss other important information. • People with ADHD experience more attentional blinks than those without ADHD. • Open monitoring is a property of the visual system that allows us to dilate our gaze and see more information. • A simple 17-minute meditation-like practice of focusing on breathing and interoception can reduce attentional blinks and improve focus. • This practice can be beneficial for people of all ages, including children and adults, and can offset age-related cognitive decline. • The practice involves consciously dilating one's gaze to see more information and improve focus.

In summary: Practicing meditation for about 15-17 minutes can help improve focus and attention in our brains, even if we have trouble focusing or have ADHD. It's like training our brain to see things better and pay attention more. By doing this regularly, we can permanently improve our ability to focus and stay less distracted.

I do meditate regularly, and it hasn’t really brought a spiritual aspect to my life. What it has done for me specifically is allowed me to notice when my mind is drifting, throw that drifting thought away, and snap back into what I am working on. It’s hard to explain with words, but I view it like a muscle. The more I focus on the task at hand, the stronger my focus gets. I use meditation to train that muscle like I would at the gym.

I've spent years trying to figure out why even without meds I don't struggle nearly as much as other adhd'ers and I think this is part of the answer. I have always had very strong interoception and have been doing this since I was a kid as a coping mechanism to reduce sensory overload.

I was diagnosed with ADHD and it can be a little frustrating trying to focus on something that you don't feel interested in, but you have to learn. Some college subjects are a nightmare for me because I have to focus more. Thank you for this video.

Before I retired 3years ago I challenged myself to put away 50% of my monthly income into stocks which is quite easy since I lived frugal without debt.I work as an account executive,and I make over $200,800.$100,000 goes into dividends and the other $100,000 goes to my living expenses, I am seeing improvements in my portfolio, dividends look certain,but I have to attribute this to only guidance of a licensed wealth strategist who allocates funds to a plenitude of assets, I have to stay discipline and remember that I am in this for a long term,recently got my first property and looking forward to get another soon.good luck everyone and thanks for the wonderful video

Huberman: "No, I'm not going to tell you to meditate." ... Huberman: "Sit, close your eyes, pay attention to your breathing and body perception." 🙃

I’m so grateful to Andrew for making these videos. This week, I had hiccups. I tried other videos but only Huberman’s short clip actually explained it to me - and made it stop!

Definitely gonna try the focus shifting. I recently started using a CPAP. When my PTSD is triggered, the next time I'm home, I lay down wearing my CPAP and focus on breathing. It helps!

I sat all the way through that without looking away once and it felt like way less than 17 minutes Absolutely magical

Combat vet here. Learned this technique on combat patrols walking point. Still using it today. My focus and memory still stay strong as I practice this every day and can nug down my focus very tightly and even still be aware of everything else around me. This video formalized this for me. Thank you!

A 7 minute video from you in itself is attractive to many with ADHD symptoms - the info you shared is icing on the cake ! 😊🙌🏼

Try standing meditation for half an hour every day for 1 year. Start with 10 minutes if it's a stretch for you. If you're consistent and learn to rekindle your relationship with the present moment. (focusing on my muscles contracting as I'm breathing, or when my pulse at my hands and my feet help) Slowly but surely, you'll forget about boredom as you inadvertently cultivate a sense of wellness and serendipity as you lengthen your sessions. Bring your awareness down to your feet and unfold it up to your joints till you get to the peak of your head. Your legs will shake and return to rest because it releases stored tension and energy in your lower back and hips. If you really fall into the groove of it, you start noticing your head spiraling. This is your inner vital energy opening up through the floodgates bypassing what's commonly known as chakras in your body. After 3 years of experimenting, you're basically chipping away at tension and emotional build-up to boost your sense of vitality. Close your eyes choose a location preferably with the presence of nature and drift away on a voyage of self-discovery and understanding of what it feels like to be fulfilled free of food, entertainment, or sex. You eventually will arrive (with commitment and unwavering patience) at what seems like enlightenment or approaching the gates of heaven as portrayed in the Buddhist or Biblical scriptures as you're greeted by a warm and divine light with each breath you take cleanses the emotional baggage out of your meridians and invites hospitality for your inner child, patching up your inner wounds and scars battling society's expectation and the demands in the name of family and culture. If you want to move a group of people at work or at home, you have to know how it feels to be moved. Focus and a sense of vitality are bi-products of commitment. Let me explain. Others feel how we feel from the words we use and the tone of voice we project it with coupled with facial expressions and body language and gesticulations. You can feel the joy-uplifting energy of your dog coming home to greet you as it helplessly wags your tail just as others can feel your sense of wholeness and well-being after time and devotion for yourself. Let me know if you got something out of this in the rare case that someone tries! Big hats off to you if it helps. And a big salute if you stick around!

I used to have extremely bad short-term memory and concentration issues for many years. The one thing that started changing that was meditation practices. It was the start of me completely recovering from anxiety, depression, depersonalisation disorder, maladaptive daydreaming, video game addiction and more. I go into more detail on how I did this on my channel. Great video thank you for sharing this.

This is not meditation I swear, now close your eyes and focus on your breath for a while :D

I totally agree with your assessment about ADHD. Its not a lack of focus; its super focus but on what the person is interested in. I remember seeing a video where two women were trying to prove a child had ADHD or maybe it was autism The child was super focused on an object and the two women kept trying to get the child to stop focusing on the object. I remember thinking, hey live the kid alone, he's really interested in something and his internal dialogue is asking a lot of questions about the object. So the problem seems to be a person not focusing on what someone else wants him to which can mess with a person's "teachable moment". Like the way classes are structured in this country in 50 minute segments: just when you finally get into the subject the bell rings and its time to go "focus" on something else instead of having a natural conclusion.

Does anyone else lose focus and need to watch it twice?😂

This is nothing but a simple quote from scriptures “ getting back to the seer” and detaching oneself from the scenery. This actually is the purest form of meditation.

Thanks for this. You’ve given me some vocabulary for things I’ve become aware of in myself: attentional blinks and panoramic vision. (I use panoramic vision when walking through crowds.)

Tried this, mind wandered that much I got up, started cooking and forgot I was even doing this. Practice required

JUST WOW ❤🎉 I'm glad I found this video! I've been practicing meditation for about 5 years. Once, I embarked on a 10-day meditation retreat atop a beautiful mountain surrounded by a lush rainforest. During this time, I disconnected from phones, avoided human interaction, and didn't engage with any animals. I had 240 hours all to myself, focusing solely on my breath. I maintained a disciplined routine, waking up at 4 am, sleeping at 10 pm, and having two healthy meals with a small snack at night. These 10 days were the most focused and fulfilling of my life. Concentrating on my breath and observing my thoughts helped me to overcome depression during that period. My focus improved significantly, and I experienced a light, clear-headed feeling without any headaches. Even my memory sharpened, and I could recall things more easily after completing the 10-day meditation journey.

4:50 part of trauma is escape from body feelings - and this practice seems to be kind of work with the body, ADHD and trauma are sometimes interlinked, so it could help with this

fellow ADHDer here, I've been skeptical about methods such as this when it comes to treating my ADHD, but since Andrew told me to try it, might as well. I did it for 20 minutes straight... and honestly it felt great, calm and in control of my own thoughts like never before. I'm not saying that this is the cure or anything but this definitely helps. I came back to the video and read most of the top comments with little to none attention blinks or even if i had one i managed to redirect it. Therefore thank you!

1:04. Attentional blinks ADHD 2:30. Open monitoring 3:00. Panoramic vision: 4:07 ❗ RXXXXX Interoception 15-20 minutes 5:15 5:50❗ 6:32 Dilated gaze

4:20 We did this back in school. I failed this meditation 99% of the times but the couple times I managed to reach that inner calmness, it felt as if I was enlightened.

17 minutes is a lifetime for someone with ADHD

I have been practicing meditation for some time and I can say that just one practice of whatever as powerful it can be can does not last forever. Even after regular practicing if I stop for a month all benefits fade away. I tried that vision dilation and it had a surprising impact on me. Something went on definitely and it felt good. Thank you.

This is essentially Zazen. I have been practicing this for nearly 50 years. You are correct in your conclusions. I wish this was required for all driver’s licenses! 😅

As a Christian,Prayer should be our meditation...

I take hot baths for 20 minutes and submerge all but my nose. However, with ears under water. I listen to my own neart beat and breathing while submerged ( except my nose to breathe). This is the most calming form of easy meditation. Possibly akin to hearing my mother's heartbeat and breathing pattern in the womb. My ability to focus and attend to nformation has always been excellent. Perhaps this is the reason?

I've been doing vipassana for several years and istg it is really helpful to me, i am able to control my emotions and focus on present, i saw visible changes on my behaviour as well. this definitely works, and i hope this works for everyone one else

Yes, I agree with you. Meditation meets your soul and connects you with the universe. In the beginning, It needs discipline to sit for at least 5 minutes. Lots of bad scenes, especially bad memories that reflect your present mindset come into your mind. Paying attention with the help of meditation, you can figure out. But, the main challenge is to continue this practice. I think that is why I was not more aware of my mental power before. I made a wrong decision or wrong action without knowing their impact on my life.

'i'm not going to tell you to start meditating' 5 minutes later... 'so you just need to meditate for 15 minutes' =__=

Wow I just did this! It was literally the hardest thing to do. My mind kept trying to wander off, bringing it back, gave me so much anxiety but focusing on my breathing really help, an exercise worth trying.

I’ve been meditating most days for the last 15 years. I also teach meditation to my yoga students both in studios and have in public schools K-12th grades. People make meditation to be more complicated than it is. Just focusing on your breathing and having your eyes closed is a great way to start. Try 5min a day then add an extra minute every week. In a few months you’ll be meditating for 20-30 min at a time. Don’t be too hard on yourself and don’t have unrealistic expectations. Just try and be comfortable with yourself 😊namaste 🙏 The divine in me sees and acknowledges the divine in you 🙏

This sounds very similar to Open Focus practice, which was researched by Dr Lester Fehmi in his clinic for attention disorders in Princeton. You learn how to broaden/open your focus. For example, by becoming aware of your peripheral vision. However, broadening the focus of attention can be done in all sensory channels. For example, you can be aware of all sounds around you or many parts of your body at the same time. Dr Fehmi was teaching this with the use of his neuro-feedback machine, and he was very successful in resolving not only attentional disorders but also reducing chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, etc.

To have someone else there in that state with you is a lot different for anyone with ADHD or PTSD I think if someone is more sensitive they can definitely sense the other persons emotions and state of well being a lot more easily

watching this video in 2x

Focus is a superpower! The idea of using open monitoring and panoramic vision to boost focus is unexpectedly brilliant. Its simplicity holds the potential for remarkable and lasting benefits.

I wonder if this only works with the eyes closed. Ever since I was a kid, I had a habit of letting my eyes relax and un-focus, which immediately opens up the peripheral vision and silences the mind. It calms you down almost instantly and changes how you perceive and process things.

I've been experimenting with panoramic vision. A few months ago I was running trails through a hilly forest at night without the aid of artificial light. The canopy of the forest blocked the moon and star light. I uses peripheral vison or panoramic vision because it enhances night vision. I ran my 7K route 5 minutes faster and without tripping over a root or rock, or running into a tree or getting a branch in the face. I spent some time pondering over this why this was possible. Either my body went into an enhanced state of ESP or intuition, or the peripheral/panoramic vision caused my brain waves to shift into alpha state, too bad I wasn't hooked up to sensors to measure if that was the case.

Allah has trained me to focus by doing salah (pray) in 17 rakaah a day (1 rakaah is 1 minute), Alhamdulillah

Really interesting. When training clients about public or professional speaking from a stage, I teach them to consciously engage peripheral vision as they look at the audience, in other words, see the whole audience rather than the narrow focus of a small selection directly ahead. Peripheral visioning as I call it, or using "panoramic vision", or "dilated gaze," calms nerves, reduces fear and even more importantly, allows easier access to memorised structure, sequence and content AND opens a channel to receive intuitive content too, often the best content of the talk.

1:04. Attentional blinks ADHD 2:30. Open monitoring 3:00. Panoramic vision: 4:07 ❗️ RXXXXX Interoception 15-20 minutes 5:15 5:50❗️ 6:32 Dilated gaze

I'm a muslim and a kind of meditating during namaz is just amazing!

When I started the video, and, as soon as I heard "panoramic vision", "dilate your vision", I started noticing everything around me without moving my head and suddenly I could focus more on everything. That energy inside me, before this exercise would manifest through heart palpitations, choked breathing, rocking my legs, suddenly changed its path and got indulged in giving attention to inside and outside me. This exercise calmed me in a way I could not fathom. Amazing.

I've only read the first 20 pages of your book, and it's helped me make positive changes already!

Meditation is commonly thought of as underwhelming. I think most people would be overwhelmed the first time they try meditation. To actually take the time and focus to guide your mind away from every impulsive thought you have. I truly think society would enormously benefit from more people taking a small amount of their time to calmly face themselves without any distractions. I.E. no phone!

i am suffering from ADHD that i cant even focus on video ,,😔😔

I think that's the same thing I feel when I do yog nidra session of 28 min,simply concentrating my mind to different parts of my bodies while keeping body steady as rock.

כל הכבוד על ההשקעה. והעברת ידע שימושי. תודה רבה.

I found incredible benefits in doing (a minimum of) 20 minutes of Yoga Nedra every day - easy to do as it is guided. I was also surprised how easily one can extend the practice to much longer sessions.

Wow, I just did this 17 minute interoception. I have been working as a psychic for 22 years and I also have been told I had ADHD, several times in my life… but managed my mental health w excellent nutrition, meditation, journal & self reflection and vigorous exercise for many since the late 90’s. And I have been meditating since 1992. However, with hideous stress from my extended family, I simply did not comply with my former health regimen and My ADHD got significantly worse in the last 4 years, but I did not realize it until I went into therapy in January and the counselor told me she suspected I had untreated ADHD. I have been on straterra for over a month and this 17 minute practice, of just being still, with eyes closed, noticing my breathing and the lovely summer breeze on my skin… made me realize how awful my body actually feels… and the DEEP seeded awarenesses that I had not seen and that were simply not true and not healthy for the expression of my authentic self. Therefore, causing me even more problems. I watch your videos almost everyday and my 27 year old son and I love your work and consider you to be a great part of our growth. However, this video potentially just changed my life even more significantly. It was fascinating and disgusting to me to feel the sick feeling in my stomach and other parts of my body… but then, in this 17 minute practice, I forced myself further to discover the root of the bad feeling and to give my jagged breath time to relax the gnarled misperceptions into greater health. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I will look forward to this practice daily now.

Daily salawat is the only way to not only maintain focus all the day long but crucially increase faith and mindfulness how blessed Islam is! Alhamdulillah ❤

I’ve had ADHD for decades, and I am only really understanding it in the last couple of years. I am also able to help my students better than ever, many of which have ADHD as well. God bless Huberman and other great researchers like him who share their wealth of information.

I like the panoramic focusing idea. I tried just doing that while sitting at my desk and it really helped me to let go of some tension. I will be doing the 17 min technique when I get home. Thank you for sharing this.

He said he wasnt going to tell us to meditate and then told us to meditate

I will try this method. Thank You Professor Huberman 👍

I have been trying something new that seems to be working. I have constant intrusive thoughts when I am trying to perform a task. I found and old Sanskrit saying that seems to give me more focus. It goes; "Are these thoughts useful? How do they behave?" Saying this in my head immediately brings me back to the present and helps me focus on the task at hand.

I am puzzled that a serious scientist makes claims that 17 mins of this practice ONCE might solve focus attention problems. I do not have his degrees (it's winter in New Zealand) to counter argue with him, but I do have the experience of 30 years of doing meditation twice a week. I still have the same focus blinks but I enjoy the journey of trying and more importantly believing that it worksbca.

He said no it’s not meditation….then it was meditation. Haha I love it. I also wholeheartedly agree with this. It works. Love Andrew

The panoramic vision concept was really interesting ,cuz as a martial artist we are asked to use our peripherals by using panoramic vision to focus on our opponents to counter any incoming strikes For eg ,focusing on just the legs would lead us to not being able to defend punches And similarly looking at the hands would make us miss the incoming leg kicks Thus we need to use use the peripherals to hv an entire look just like when we drive

You started talking about panoramic gaze, then mentioned an eyes-closed practice to improve attention (video’s purpose), and finally you concluded with how beneficial panoramic gaze can be. I don’t know if this is a test to see if we were paying attention, but if it is, then thanks for the challenge

So, I play the Frequency game where I pick a phrase such as, "Every Day Things Just Keep Getting Better and Better and Better". All day I think or say this phrase. It produces a feeling of well being, calm, flow, etc. While in this elevated state of consciousness, I have what you call Panoramic Vision, maybe I am in the Gamma Brain Wave, I don't really know. Thank you for the information you share. Our bodies are indeed magnificent machines.

From your description, “Panoramic Vision” (when you are “mindful” to everything surrounding you) differs from typical definition of “Meditation”, when you “anchor” your attention to (for example) breathing. You have “attention blinks”, you “register” it, and you catch your attention and move it back to “anchor”. So, I feel that “Panoramic Vision” differs from “Meditation”. But there is another term, in the middle, “mindfulness”, which you can also practice everywhere: when you eat strawberry, for example, don’t watch TV, focus on its’ taste, colour, etc. I think Eckhart Tolle’s philosophy is “panoramic view”. When I was teenager, I was doing “deep relaxation” instead of so called meditation, by trying to focus on heartbeat feeling in fingers, toes, feeling warmth in body, then counting from 10 to 0, then repeating some auto-suggestions, then falling into semi-sleep for 5-15 minutes naturally with zero thoughts, and “coming back” naturally, counting from 1 to 10. Maybe that’s why I was top student at high school. I think deep relaxation and focusing on whole body (muscles, skin, organs) is more “panoramic view” than “meditation”. However, all meditations start from such deep relaxation, it is "warm-up" part of meditation (I think...)

As a youth coach, I have my kids spend 1min every session to focus on their Breath, Sensations, Objects, etc... I've seen dramatic changes in their focus and ability to grasp new concepts. It WORKS!

I had a season where I got deep into searching “Focus” , doctors have me Ritalin when I was a child my parents stopped it a month later , no special school and bullshit… I’m crazy in a good way, my mind got everything right away , but at the same time I can go everywhere in a blink . Started meditating, already done exercise so the complement was perfect. And as everything is energy, like a synodal wave , we go up and down, we stop doing things, but we know that they are a great benefit for us . Try it , just start closing your eyes 10 min , even if your mind goes everywhere, closing your eyes consciously makes a big difference. So my tip … -Stretch those muscle in the morning - Think about what you have done yesterday and plan milestone goals for today - close eyes for 17 min ? Sure - and smile , it’s free .

ADHD :: People may experience: Behavioural: aggression, excitability, fidgeting, hyperactivity, impulsivity, irritability, lack of restraint, or persistent repetition of words or actions Cognitive: absent-mindedness, difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, problem paying attention, or short attention span Mood: anger, anxiety, boredom, excitement, or mood swings Also common: depression or learning disability

The way of meditation mentioned here is called ‘vipassana’ passed on by buddha and taught for Free. You just have to leave your phone and go on a 10-15 day program. I practice this everyday.

Panoramic view is exactly what is done in anti trauma exercises, and consciously steer the eyes to the right and left, and of course focusing on breathing and your internal body.

Thanks for being a winner and helping us all to win, too. 👌

Any Indian here..!

I meditate, it has helped me so much!! I totally recommend it heartily.

Thankz Andrew for sharing❤

So this paying attention to your internal state and observing your interior is especially easier when you have pain. It’s bringing your awareness to different parts of your body, noticing the rate of your breath, your heart, your body temperature, the inner happenings. It’s active observation.

I’m experiencing age related cognitive decline and I’m the same age as Dr. Huberman!

I wonder if interoception would help with focus during an athletic movement or even engagement with the athletic part of the brain as a golfer moves from pre-shot routine through the finish of the swing? Further, would panoramic view help with other parts of the sport, like reading a green or planning the shot in wind conditions, sensing all the relevant factors? I'm going to give it a try (I need help!).

Appreciation and blessings from Sydney Australia.

OMG !!! Thank you Hubernan I've been saying this my whole life..... I finally realized it. When a boss tell me I did something wrong or a teacher from that point on I can't focus on what he is saying to me (how to correct myself ) cause I'm so over focused on I see your doing this incorrectly and that's why your end results look like this! So I'm hearing nothing at all but in my head I focus on the negatives and I am in need of this EXCERSIZE So I hope you linked the full podcast here . I want to be free of over foc using on what my 5 the grade teacher andy first boss in CA and on an on. It's taken so much out of me, and I want to learn not to over focus on all my negatives .

What you describe is exactly what meditation is. In yoga, this is the most frequently used centering technique in the start of practice. Focus on the breath, maintain connection with the breath as you explore the sensations of the body, stay rooted in the now.

“I’m not going to convince you to meditate” - then he proceeds to describe an exercise that embodies what meditation is all about… That is meditation and is better if you do it more than once

Alhamdulillah it's amazing ! This is exactly what we do as Muslims in our 5 daily prayers (Salat) Subhan Allah

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like the panoramic view helps put yourself or be more open to being in a Flow State? Certainly agree and have noticed similar findings in my own exercises, thinking, and experiences. Cool video def will have to chew on this

Andrew Huberman, Namaste Form Bharat. The meditation technique i.e. Vipassana you were talking about is one the ancient techniques of meditation still followed in Bharat through various centers across the whole country and It focuses on exploring innerself as you had talked in the video. I have taken the 10 days Vipassana training. Happy to know the scientific side of the whole process.. Thanks for the valuable information.

"I'm not going to try to talk you into meditating." *proceeds to try to talk you into meditating

Thank you. Blessed

Great video. I really get tired of the "new vocabulary" that psychologists have to come up with for obvious behaviors, but overall, this video is helpful to me. Thanks!

I came to know Christ in jail in 2013 by reading a book, "Overcoming spiritual blindness" by James P. Gills MD. The veil was taken off my eyes. Heaven came through for me in my finances too, getting $25,000 monthly. I can support God's work and give back to my community. God is absolutely more than enough!

I wasn't financial free until my 40’s and I’m still in my 40’s, bought my third house already, earn on a monthly through passive income, and got 4 out of 5 goals, just hope it encourages someone's that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any of them right now, you can start TODAY regardless your age INVEST and change your future! Investing in the financial market is a grand choice I made.

All I would like to say is a simple - Thank you. ❤

Thankyou i learned so much and especially from the comments of other.. This will definitely help me. As i try to focus

I’m 73 and through an autoimmune disorder I have very dry eyes! Because of this I blink more often! Plus I have ADHD! I do meditate but usually it’s for only 9 minutes daily! Which has been beneficial--but I still blink often because of my dry eyes! Interesting!

All these words for saying : meditate

That's a nice advice and technique to give a try. Thanks for sharing such knowledge!

Wow wow wow wow!!!!!!! 🤯🤩🥳🥰 this human is a genius totally resonated with my soul and my adhd mind lol & I love understanding what is happening. Thank you to whoever is behind this! Amazing video 🫡👏🏽😂🎉