That crazy realization I had during a 7-day Dopamine Detox

These days, it feels like everything around us is designed to grab our attention and keep us hooked.

Lately, I started feeling something weird... like an overload of content.

By the end of each day, I’d feel overwhelmed by all the stuff I’d read, watched, and listened to.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, and I couldn’t ignore how much time I was spending consuming content instead of working on my projects.

If you follow my weekly wrap-ups, you know that I don’t exactly have time to waste right now.

So, I decided to try something new: stop consuming content for a while and see what would happen.

I set myself a challenge: I would limit my non-work activities to only reading books, meditating, working out (including long walks), and completing a daily chess puzzle that takes about 10 minutes.

To keep myself fully focused, I made a few changes to how I used my phone.

I set it to automatically switch to “Do Not Disturb” mode while working, added an app that locks other apps during my work hours, and even placed it in another room to make it harder to reach.

(By the end of the week, my daily screen time had dropped to just 32 minutes.)

On day 4 of the challenge, I noticed a shift.

I wrote, “I worked well today. It’s strange, but I actually feel pleasure in working, it feels like a game, and I haven’t felt this way about work in a long time.”

The next day, I felt a similar boost in productivity and couldn’t stop working.

That's when I realized something crazy: the brain naturally gravitates toward the biggest source of dopamine.

My brain was craving work because the alternative was either staring at the wall or reading, again.

If you truly want to achieve your goals, you need to shape your environment to make those goals the most rewarding option.

For example, if you’re in a room with a Nintendo Switch and a to-do list, chances are you’ll struggle to focus on anything other than launching a video game.

But if you’re in a room with nothing but that same to-do list, after 10 minutes alone with your thoughts, you might start seeing the to-do list as the Grail you've been waiting for.

After finishing the challenge, I decided to stick with the same routine 6 days a week, reserving the 7th day to catch up on all the content I’d want to watch or read.

This way, I keep most of my week free from distractions and focused on my goals, but I still have a dedicated day to let off steam.

If you’re on the fence about trying this, just go for it.

It’s only 7 days of your life—barely anything in the big picture—and it could be life-changing.

In those 7 days, you won’t miss anything important.

On the contrary, sticking to your usual distractions could mean missing out on making real progress toward your life goals.

Don’t let another YouTube video or social media scroll replace your potential.

Choose to start now rather than putting it off until “tomorrow.”