Training Your RAS: Teaching Your Brain What to Notice
Sep 29, 2025
Every second, your brain receives over 11 million inputs—but you consciously process only about 40. The Reticular Activating System (RAS), a filter in your brainstem, decides what makes it through.
Your RAS is why you suddenly notice every red car after buying one or hear your name in a crowded room. It highlights what you’ve trained it—consciously or unconsciously—to value.
Here’s the kicker:
- Untrained RAS: amplifies distractions, self-doubt, or fatigue.
- Trained RAS: locks onto cues that keep you steady, efficient, and focused.
This isn’t about “positive thinking”—it’s about precision focus. By programming your RAS, you shift how you experience reality itself.
Simple Tools to Train Your RAS
- RAS Priming Script – Read a short focus script before training, work, or performance. Example: “Today I notice my breath, rhythm, and strength.”
- Cue Conditioning – Pick 2–3 performance cues (e.g., breath, posture) and affirm them whenever they appear.
- Distraction Filter Map – List top distractions and pair each with a redirect cue (e.g., touch wristband, say “lock in”).
- Post-Session Reflection – Journal: What did I notice most? What was my RAS filtering for?
Try It This Week
- Write and use a personal priming script before each session.
- Install one redirect cue for a common distraction.
- Journal one workout or meeting with focus reflections.
Thoughts to Consider
Your RAS is always training itself—either on distractions or on performance. When you guide it with intention, you don’t just change your focus… you change your world.
