After two years and over 2 million impressions, I had to ask myself…
Do I actually still follow the habits I picked up from Andrew Huberman a few years ago and are they still worth it?
The TLDR? Yes. Every single one.
Not only do I still do them, but they’ve become part of how I operate as a founder and I’ve added even more on top of them over time.
I think these four are still the foundation because they aren’t trendy and obscure but simple, free, and they actually work.
Why I Started Caring About This in the First Place
I’ve been a fitness and health junkie for over a decade, but a couple of years ago, I hit a wall.
I was burned out, tired all the time, groggy and just not operating at the level I knew I should be—both in my work and in my personal life.
If you’re a founder, you get this.
Entrepreneurs are notoriously bad at taking care of themselves. We push through, we ignore recovery, we sacrifice sleep, and we convince ourselves it’s just “part of the deal.”
Until it’s not sustainable anymore.
That’s what led me down the path of trying some of these protocols. Honestly, they’ve made a bigger difference than I expected.
1. Cold Exposure (but really just doing something hard on purpose)
We’ll start with the one nobody wants to do. 🙃
Deliberate cold exposure.
For me, this looks like ending my shower with 60 seconds of cold water after a few minutes of heat. That’s it.
You can go way more extreme if you want (cold plunges, ice baths, etc.), but you don’t need to.
What actually hooked me on this wasn’t even the physical benefits at first, but the mental side.
There’s this part of the brain called the anterior midcingulate cortex (AMCC), which is tied to willpower, grit, and pushing through hard things.
The really cool part about it is that it can be trained. Cold exposure is one of the simplest ways to do that.
But honestly, the most noticeable benefit for me is starting my day by doing something I don’t want to do. It changes how the rest of my day feels.
Client issues? Easier to handle.
Unexpected problems? Less overwhelming.
Hard conversations? Less avoidance.
It’s like you’ve already checked the “this is uncomfortable” box early, so everything else feels more manageable.
Do I enjoy it? No. Not really. Do I still do it? Every day.
2. Morning Sunlight (the simplest habit with the biggest return)
This one almost feels too easy.
Within 30–60 minutes of waking up, go outside and get sunlight in your eyes. I was skeptical at first. It felt too simple to make a real difference. But it does.
My sleep improved, so did my mood and my energy felt more consistent throughout the day.
There’s a lot of science around circadian rhythm and how light exposure regulates your body, but from a practical standpoint, you just feel betters
Some days I’ll read while getting my sun, others I’ll just stand there and pray or just think.
It still blows my mind that something so simple has changed so much of my daily life.
3. Movement Early in the Day (move it or lose it)
I really didn’t know what I was missing before this one.
For years, my routine looked like this:
- Wake up
- Sit and work
- Work out later
- Sit more
Even though I was training consistently, I was still spending a huge chunk of my day not moving. Now, I prioritize getting movement in early (and throughout the day).
For me, that usually looks like walking while I start my day. I have a walking pad and standing desk, so I can get steps in while working.
But it could be anything:
- A short walk
- Jump rope
- Bodyweight exercises
It doesn’t have to be something specifical it’s just about moving early to flip the mental switch of being “on.”
You feel more alert, focused, and ready to go.
This matters for everyone, but especially founders because you’re not just managing tasks, but making decisions all day long.
Your energy and clarity matter more than you realize.
4. Delaying Caffeine (this one changed my afternoons completely)
Delay your caffeine for at least 60–90 minutes after waking up might seem impossible but I promise it’s not.
I heard Huberman talking about this concept over a year ago as a solve for afternoon crashing. So I gave it a try to see if it would help me.
I used to wake up and go straight for coffee and then I’d crash in the afternoon. Now I wait, usually about 90 minutes to 2 hours on weekdays.
The difference is extremely noticeable. Your energy is more stable energy, you avoid the crash and don’t have to pound more coffee to get through.
If you’re someone who feels like you need caffeine just to function by mid-afternoon, this is worth trying.
This Isn’t About Optimization, But Increasing Capacity
None of these habits are complicated and that’s kind of the point.
They’re simple, low-cost (or free), and easy to implement.
But they stack and over time, they increase your capacity.
Not just to get more done, but to handle more, think clearer, and show up better in everything you’re responsible for.
If you’re a founder, business owner or entrepreneur, I hope this inspires you to take better care of yourself and to see how simple and easy that can be.
