The Alpha-Beta-Gamma Focus Grid
Map brain-wave states against motivation systems and deliberately spend ~25% of your year outside busy beta
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 85%
LaPointe uses brain-wave states as focus modes: alpha (daydreaming, where subconscious ideas surface), beta (busy productivity mode), and gamma (intense deep focus that builds new frameworks). Most teams live almost entirely in safety-beta and reward-beta, leaving seven of nine possible modes unused. Crossing alpha/beta/gamma with the safety/reward/purpose systems yields a 3x3 grid of nine thinking channels, and a rule of thumb: aim for ~25% of your year in gamma and alpha.
Origin
Evan LaPointe / CORE Sciences, drawing on brain-wave research (alpha/beta/gamma) and combining it with his three-systems model into a 3x3 channel grid.
Core principles
- 01Alpha is daydreaming: the brain quiets enough to 'hear the creaks in the attic,' which is why ideas come in the shower
- 02Beta is productivity mode (email, meetings, code); conscientiousness craves beta, openness craves gamma
- 03Gamma is intense focus where you break an existing framework and build a new one; it pairs with reverse engineering
- 04You will never get a gamma or alpha idea from a beta mind, so the habitat must grant permission to enter those states
How to run it
- 1
Diagnose where your time goes
Recognize that most individuals and teams run almost entirely in safety-beta (busy managing risk/optics) and reward-beta (busy chasing deals/promotions), using only two of nine channels.
Pro tip Build the 3x3 grid: safety/reward/purpose columns against alpha/beta/gamma rows, giving nine distinct thinking channels.
Watch out Heads-down conscientious beta feels responsible but leaves teams blind to market shifts and their own people problems.
- 2
Prime alpha and let ideas surface
Deliberately enter low-cognitive-load activities (shower, walk, drive, sit in a park 10-20 minutes) after priming your brain toward purpose, so breakthrough ideas can pop up.
Pro tip Alpha-purpose is where vision and possibility ideas emerge; prime the brain to be purposeful first, then daydream.
Watch out There's a habitat permission problem: many cultures implicitly forbid daydreaming as unproductive.
- 3
Schedule protected gamma on a quarterly cadence
Cluster deep-thinking gamma time at the quarter level (offsites, half-days) plus a couple of hours weekly, aiming for ~25% of the year in gamma+alpha. Use the offsite as a 'black hole' for calendar-invader distractions.
Pro tip Being far from the 25% mark (either near 0% or near 50%) is a strong signal it's time to audit your cadences.
Watch out Phrases like 'we can't talk about this for the rest of our lives' are the gamma-prevention team forcing everyone back into beta.
In the wild
LaPointe explains ideas arrive in the shower because the brain enters alpha: quiet enough to hear the 'creaks and pops in the attic' it can't hear during busy beta.
→ Understanding this lets people deliberately create low-load alpha windows to generate ideas on demand.
Lenny describes booking two 2-3 hour 'don't bother me deep work' blocks (Wednesday and Friday mornings) with a calendar note that anyone booking over them will be slapped.
→ It worked well and nobody complained, protecting his deeper-focus time.
Common mistakes
Living in two of nine channels
Running only safety-beta and reward-beta leaves teams busy but non-innovative, insensitive to market and employee changes.
Confusing 'don't bother me beta' with real deep work
Some teams call uninterrupted busywork 'deep work' when true gamma means questioning whether the architecture itself is right, not just getting more done.
Is it for you?
Best for
Leaders who want their team to innovate and reflect, not just grind through execution
Not ideal for
A short-term crunch where pure execution beta genuinely is the priority
From the transcript
“the nerdy language is alpha beta and gamma”
“Alpha is quite simply daydreaming”
“beta is productivity mode”
“gamma is your brain's intense Focus”
“if 25% of your year is spent in gamma and Alpha you're probably a lot better off than the teams who spend less than 25%…”
“you can build in your mind a 3X3 grid where we have the safety system reward and purpose system in columns we have alpha beta…”
“you will never get an alpha idea from a beta mind”
From the episode
Improve strategy, influence, and decision-making by understanding your brain
Evan LaPointe (founder of CORE Sciences)