Dopamine Detox : A Short Guide to Remove Distractions and Train Your Brain to Do Hard Things (Productivity Series Book 1)

by Thibaut Meurisse

there is a debate on the actual addictive power of sugar, it is unlikely to be as addictive as cocaine, as you might have read in some online articles.

Robert Lustig, professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco, asserts that sugar is addictive but on the same level as nicotine, not drugs like heroin.

watching motivational videos all day long won’t help you reach your goals. But, performing daily consistent actions, sustained over a long period of time will. Staying calm and focusing on the one task in front of you every day will.

Amazon, the world’s third-largest company, was created in 1994 but had to wait until 2003 to have its first profitable year. That year, it generated a net profit of $35 million after reporting a net loss of $149 million the previous year. Now, its founder, Jeff Bezos, could probably have made profits earlier, but, instead, he decided to reinvest in his business to create strong foundations that, he hoped, would enable Amazon to survive for decades. I encourage you to do the same in your personal and professional life. Build the foundations for success one brick at a time. Build them strong so that they won’t collapse at the first obstacle or setback.

if you catch yourself thinking you’re in control of your actions and can return to work whenever you want, watch out!

Once your level of stimulation reverts back to normal, ask yourself the following questions: How much did I actually benefit from watching YouTube videos, scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, or checking my emails repeatedly? In hindsight, was the time spent in a meaningful way? Did it enhance the quality of your life?

To help you do this, ask yourself the following questions: If I stopped doing only one thing, which one would increase my focus and boost my productivity the most dramatically? What other activity do I need to avoid in order to help me increase my focus most significantly?

If you spend hours watching YouTube videos, install DF Tube on your Google Chrome navigator, or find a similar app for your internet browser. This will remove all the suggestions and notifications. Then, only watch videos that serve a specific purpose.

you must guard against entering an open system—and understand the risk you take if you do so. With open systems, there is no end to reach, no point at which you can ever be finished, and an almost infinite number of ways to become distracted. As a result, you can end up wasting hours of your time each day. In short, open systems create distractions. Instead, you should strive to design closed systems.