Protocols & research

14–21 days

Sleep Reset

Improve sleep duration & quality

The protocol

• 10+ minutes of outdoor light within 60 minutes of waking
• No caffeine after 12pm
• Fixed wake time, every day (yes, weekends)
• Dim, screen-free 30 minutes before bed

Track

Sleep duration or score · Wake time consistency · Morning energy (/10)

Evidence

• Wright KP et al. — Morning light exposure and circadian phase advance, Current Biology (2013).
• Drake C et al. — Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before bed, J Clin Sleep Med (2013).
• Windred DP et al. — Regularity of sleep timing and mortality, Sleep (2024).

14 days

Focus Block

Lift sustained-attention output

The protocol

• Two 90-minute deep-work blocks daily, phone in another room
• 20-minute walk before the second block
• No social media before noon
• One protein-forward breakfast

Track

Self-rated focus (/10) · Minutes of deep work logged · Mood (/10)

Evidence

• Oppezzo M, Schwartz DL — Brief walks and creative cognition, J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn (2014).
• Ward AF et al. — Smartphone presence and cognitive capacity, J Assoc Consumer Res (2017).

28 days

Resting HR Down

Lower resting heart rate

The protocol

• 150 min/week Zone 2 cardio (nasal-breath pace)
• Two short strength sessions per week
• Alcohol cap: ≤2 standard drinks/week
• Hydrate to clear-urine by midday

Track

Morning resting HR · HRV (if you have it) · Weekly aerobic minutes

Evidence

• Reimers AK et al. — Endurance training and resting heart rate, J Clin Med (2018).
• Spaak J et al. — Alcohol's effect on heart rate variability, Alcohol Clin Exp Res (2010).

14 days

Morning Light

Anchor circadian rhythm

The protocol

• 10 minutes outside within an hour of waking (no sunglasses)
• Walk if you can; sit if you can't
• Repeat at sunset for 5 minutes

Track

Sleep onset time · Morning mood (/10) · Sleep duration

Evidence

• Blume C et al. — Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood, Somnologie (2019).

14 days

Caffeine Curfew

Test whether late caffeine is wrecking your sleep

The protocol

• Last caffeine by 12pm (week 1) then 10am (week 2)
• Keep total intake the same as your baseline
• Log every coffee, tea, pre-workout

Track

Sleep duration & score · Time to fall asleep · Afternoon energy (/10)

Evidence

• Drake C et al. — Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before bed, J Clin Sleep Med (2013).

28 days

Strength Base

Build a four-week strength foundation

The protocol

• 3 sessions/week: squat, hinge, push, pull, carry, core
• 2–3 sets of 5–8 reps per lift, add weight when easy
• 1.6–2g protein per kg bodyweight daily
• 8+ hours in bed when possible

Track

Top-set weight per lift · Bodyweight · Soreness (/10)

Evidence

• Schoenfeld BJ et al. — Dose-response of resistance training on strength and hypertrophy, J Sports Sci (2017).
• Morton RW et al. — Protein intake for muscle mass, Br J Sports Med (2018).

21 days

Heat & Cold Exposure

Test recovery and mood effects of deliberate temperature stress

The protocol

• Sauna 15–20 min, 3–4 days/week (or hot bath equivalent)
• Cold shower or plunge 1–3 min, 3 days/week
• Skip on poor-sleep days

Track

Mood (/10) · HRV · Recovery (/10)

Evidence

• Laukkanen JA et al. — Sauna use and cardiovascular outcomes, Mayo Clin Proc (2018).
• Esperland D et al. — Cold water immersion and inflammation, Int J Circumpolar Health (2022).

14 days

HRV Recovery

Raise heart-rate variability via parasympathetic load reduction

The protocol

• 5 minutes of slow nasal breathing (6 breaths/min) twice daily
• No alcohol for the full window
• Lights-out by 10:30pm
• One full rest day per week (no training)

Track

Morning HRV · Resting HR · Stress (/10)

Evidence

• Russo MA et al. — Slow breathing and vagal activity, Breathe (Sheff) (2017).
• Shaffer F, Ginsberg JP — Heart rate variability: a review, Front Public Health (2017).