More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
The truth is that no amount of stimulation will ever bring you the sense of fulfillment you’re seeking. Yet, many of us are constantly overstimulated, looking for the next source that could trigger a release of dopamine. It seems as though we always want more and are never satisfied. And the more we seek stimulation, the worse it becomes.
To sum up, from an evolutionary perspective, dopamine’s role is to encourage you to act to earn the anticipated reward needed for your survival or reproduction.
By continuously triggering the release of dopamine through different means—such as drug or alcohol consumption—addicts actually strengthen their tolerance to such stimulation. As a result, they need stronger and stronger stimulus to experience the same sensation of pleasure.
To conclude, humans seem to have a natural craving for sugar and fat. While we may not be addicted to them per se, it might be a good idea to reduce our intake and lower our dependence on them, especially on sugar.
The point is, to achieve long-term goals in your personal or professional life, you must regain control of your attention and rewire your brain to focus on the long term. To do so, you should start by staying away from highly stimulating activities.
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.
Remember, long-term thinking is the “secret” to achieving your goals. But it won’t happen today or tomorrow. You must develop the art of patience and consistency. To do so, eliminate the distractions that make you feel restless. Remove the external stimulations that prevent you from focusing on the long-term picture. Then, you will stand a much better chance of ending up where you want to be in the coming years.
You’re on a different stimulation wavelength, and this wavelength has no overlap with the wavelength you must be in to tackle your major tasks.
The bottom line is, once you’re overstimulated, you’ll find it difficult to go back to work. I can’t count how many times I told myself I would start writing later. It never happens.
Thus, if you “miss” a piece of news, were unable to join a particular event, or failed to watch your favorite YouTuber’s last live video, it’s okay. Sure,
Personally, I seldom read the news and never answer my phone unless I know who the caller is. And I almost never worry about missing a specific event because I know there will always be more events to enjoy in the future.
The reduction of stimulation to prevent overstimulation and put you in the proper state of mind to tackle major tasks.
Decide what time you will focus on your key tasks. Then, make sure you’re at the same place at the same time each day. Choose a specific trigger to signal the start of your morning routine. Just get started. When you work on your tasks for a few minutes, you’ll be more likely to enter the flow and keep working longer.
Eliminate any distractions (phone notifications, internet, et cetera), and Finally, work without interruption. Aim to complete forty-five minutes of uninterrupted work.
This is why 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.
Remember, what you do first thing in the morning matters far more than you think. Just one tiny decision can have a dramatic effect on your day’s productivity.
In today’s world, maintaining focus has become incredibly difficult. That’s because everybody is vying for our attention. And I’m not just talking about our family members, friends, or colleagues. I’m also talking about marketers, YouTubers, or bloggers. Nowadays more than ever, the ability to attract people’s attention is one of the biggest sources of income for many companies. In short, your focus is worth a lot of money, which is why YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram do everything they can to keep you glued to your screen.
