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Have you experienced a stretch when you were so focused that you got more done in a few hours than you typically do in days? Wouldn’t it be nice to tap into that flow more consistently? One way of achieving this is to optimize the production and release of a pair of powerhouse neurochemicals.

Also known as adrenaline, epinephrine is a neurotransmitter that controls alertness. The old saying is, “No alertness, no focus”, which is obvious when you think about it. (Who is able to focus when they are tired?) But in fact, this is something I see frequently in entrepreneurs who deal with burnout: their brain struggles to maintain alertness due to imbalances within the hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis. The goal is to optimize epinephrine balance and so produce alertness with minimal caffeine and other stimulants, and there are a few techniques I’ve found that help:

A neurotransmitter that controls sensory input — which means it helps us focus senses like sight and smell — acetylcholine is a component of the parasympathetic nervous system. One way of understanding its function is to consider the difference between predators and prey. Most predators have eyes towards the front of their heads so they can focus on stalking, whereas prey have them towards the sides so they can look out for predators. In essence, we want to be akin to predators… eyes focused straight ahead, and this in part achieved by improving acetylcholine activity in the brain.

Source: Entrepreneur

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