Protect the Asset

Your brain is your edge. So why do we let the world treat it like junk mail?

Sep 28, 2025

a close up of a human brain on a black background — Photo by Shawn Day on Unsplash

👋Hello, my friend. I’ve been thinking a lot this week about thinking… or more specifically, how to emulate some of the most successful people in the world in the habits and systems they have in place to do truly world-class work. That’s what today’s newsletter is about. Upping our games at work. How we can do it. Why we make look a little weird as we’re doing it. And why we shouldn’t care… because the quality of our work is what matters in the end.

Let’s do it.

If you really think about it, the most valuable asset most companies have isn’t their tech, their brand, or even their data.

It’s the brains of the people who work there.

So why are we constantly putting those brains in environments that make it nearly impossible to do great work?

That was the question that struck me while listening to a conversation between Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Cal Newport.

Newport argues that we’re overdue for what he calls a “cognitive revolution.” A moment when we finally start taking seriously how brains actually function — and how we can structure work around maximizing their performance.

He thinks this revolution could unlock trillions in productivity.

But here’s the thing: we don’t have to wait for that revolution.

We can start working that way now.

Even if it makes us look a little weird.

The 4-Hour Brain

Newport says he’s got about four hours a day of real, high-powered brain activity in him. Same here.

That’s when I can write, strategize, synthesize, and actually produce something valuable.

The rest of the day? I can attend meetings, respond to emails, handle logistics. But I know that’s not where I create the most value.

So a big part of my job — and maybe yours too — is to protect those four hours — even if they don’t line up sequentially.

But most people don’t. They bounce between tasks, juggle too many meetings, and stay in constant communication loops. The result? It’s hard to ever hit a real state of concentration. And sadly, the new, valuable, high-quality insights, ideas and connections — or in other words, the really valuable stuff you should actually be getting paid for — never actually happen.

Systems Over Willpower

This was a big takeaway from the Newport/Huberman conversation: focus doesn’t happen by accident.

In a world full of pings, meetings, and context switching, you need systems to make sure your attention goes where you actually want it to go.

For me, that system is my Sunday Planning Session.

Every Sunday, I sit down and:

Look at what’s coming up in the week ahead
Map out each day’s key tasks
Make decisions in advance about when I’ll do focused, creative work
Plug those blocks directly into my calendar

This creates a structure I can follow even when the week gets noisy. Even when emails are flying and meetings are stacking.

Newport talks about the idea of multi-scale planning — having a plan for the quarter, a plan for the week, and a plan for the day. That way, you’re not re-deciding what matters every time you sit down to work. You already know.

Otherwise, you’re just reacting. Letting other people’s priorities dictate how you spend your time.

That’s how you end up checking email 72 times a day and wondering where all your best energy went.

This is why I try to make those decisions ahead of time—when my mind is clear, my perspective is long, and the week hasn’t yet taken over.

Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Sometimes (maybe more often than I’d like to admit) the system wins. The emails and Teams messages overpower me.

But other times, I win. I disengage for an hour or two and come out the other end with an idea for a new piece of content or a new format or a new system that actually drives our business forward in tangible ways…. even if someone got an email response from me on a trivial matter four hours later than they might have hoped for.

Don’t Underestimate the Cost of Distraction

Here’s the part people often miss:

Distraction isn’t just about lost time. It’s about lost cognitive momentum.

Every time you switch tasks, your brain goes through a full context-switch. That takes energy. And it means that when you finally return to what you were doing, it takes time to get back to full speed.

So when you’re constantly checking email or getting pulled into chat threads, it’s not just that you’re spending time on those things. It’s that you’re never quite locked into the deep work that really moves things forward.

Solitude Isn’t Optional

One of the big ideas Newport brings up is solitude deprivation — the idea that we spend almost no time in our own heads anymore.

We’re always consuming. Podcasts while driving. Music while showering. Screens while eating. Notifications all day.

But our brains didn’t evolve for this. We evolved with long stretches of stillness, of boredom, of mental quiet.

When we remove every quiet moment from our lives, we don’t give our brains the space to process, reflect, or connect ideas.

Personally, I’ve been trying to create more space for this. Whether it’s a walk without a podcast or a treadmill session with just music, I’m realizing that these are the moments when ideas really surface. I’m seeing multiple examples per week of this currently.

It’s not about trying to “have ideas.” It’s just about letting your mind breathe. And letting things synthesize. And trusting that insights will come.

You Might Have to Work a Little Differently

If that means going for a walk mid-day to clear your head, so be it.

If that means blocking calendar time to “think,” go for it.

If that means unplugging from chat or email for a stretch of the day so you can actually get real work done, that’s okay too.

Sometimes those moves might feel unconventional. But if you know they help you do your best work, that’s all the justification you need.

This Is Bigger Than Productivity

This isn’t just about time management or hitting your deadlines.

It’s about being intentional with your most precious resource: your attention.

It’s about asking: where do I create the most value? And how can I structure my days around that?

It’s about seeing your brain not just as an extension of yourself, but as an asset that deserves care, rest, and protection.

That might mean slowing down.
That might mean saying no.
That might mean ignoring some norms.

But it’s worth it.

Because your brain is the asset.

And it deserves to be protected.

Quick Wins

Take walks or downtime without inputs. Let your thoughts catch up
Create space to just think. Literally schedule it
Push back gently on the norm of always being “available”
Build systems that align your time with what matters

The cognitive revolution might be coming.

But you don’t have to wait for it to begin acting like your brain matters today.

Experiments Update

Some personal data points and lifestyle tweaks I’m currently tracking:

🧬 VO2 Max + DEXA Scan Refresh
Got both lab-tested last week after about a year. Disappointed to see my VO2 Max dropped and my body fat % rose this time around. Likely the result of too much zone 1 movement (lots of walking), not enough HIIT, and slightly more lax diet over the last 6 months. Feeling motivated to get back on the improvement train. Re-testing before year end and think I can move the needle by then.

🥩 Keto-ish Diet
Testing out a version of the keto diet. Under 40-ish grams of carbs/day, while keeping protein steady and increasing fat. Main interests: fat loss and reduced inflammation. Early days, but so far, no major side effects thanks to a gradual ramp-up and added electrolytes.

🔬 Blood Testing + Nutritional Ketosis
Using a Keto Mojo device to track glucose and ketone levels (+ a Stelo CGM I wear daily). Currently hovering in light nutritional ketosis according to the Keto Mojo. Also had a recent lipid panel done—LDL came back at 92, which is a bit higher than I’d like, especially considering I take red yeast rice & some other supplements that I think should have that a bit lower. Planning to re-test after a few months of keto to see if it spikes given the higher fat content of the diet.

🎙️ Keto Content in the Works
Hoping to bring on a podcast guest for a “Keto for Beginners”episode soon. If you’ve heard anyone great — ideally a doctor who is really dialed in on the specifics of keto + overall metabolic health — I’d love recommendations.

Content Diet

🎧 Cal Newport on the Huberman Lab Podcast (March 2024)
This is the episode that inspired this newsletter. A deep dive into attention, productivity, deep work, and the systems required to protect your brain in a distracted world. Newport and Huberman go deep on why the modern work environment is fundamentally misaligned with how our brains work best—and what we can do about it.

🎧Spotify playlist
In case you need something to listen to when you’re thinking deep thoughts on your walk… here are a few tunes I’ve been listening to lately. Pretty much Zach Bryan with a few other things mixed in. Feel free to skewer my musical taste. 😂

That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading and see you next week!

Greg