You're likely adept at sticking to your daily routine of playing video games or scrolling through social media. It's undeniable that you can sit in front of a screen for hours, maintaining your focus without a pause.

But imagine hitting the books for an hour... Yikes!! That sounds tough. Or putting in an hour on your side hustle... Hmm. That doesn’t seem very enticing.

Ah, perhaps you're scratching your head and thinking, "Is she some kind of contemporary witch, or did she just spend hours glued to mind-reading videos online? Is there a secret academy for telepaths that I haven't heard of?"

Well...it seems that might not be true. Or...perhaps it is 😉.

Well…that's not really how it is. Or…perhaps it actually is 😉.

Alright, let's be honest. While it's clear that activities like studying, working out, or growing a business are more beneficial in the long run, we often still choose to watch TV, play video games, and scroll through social media. [Yeah…I do the same too…Guilty as charged].

Still, some might say it’s clear why this occurs. The straightforward reason is that one activity is easy and doesn’t require much effort, while the other is difficult and requires you to apply yourself.

BUT there are individuals who genuinely enjoy consistently studying, exercising, or working on their side projects. [Wait… hold on… what?… there are people who actually like this…].

Saying that some individuals find pleasure in these activities raises an interesting question: Why do some people feel driven to take on challenging tasks? Is there a way to simplify tough tasks? Well... I know you're curious to uncover the secret behind this, so let's dive right into it.

To address this question, we need to examine the brain neurotransmitter, Dopamine. Dopamine is commonly thought of as the pleasure molecule. However, that's not entirely accurate regarding its function. So, what role does dopamine actually play? — It drives our desires.

This urge drives us to take action and accomplish things. Still, the full extent of dopamine's influence remains uncertain. However, let me describe a couple of experiments conducted by neuroscientists involving rats.

Scientists implanted electrodes into the brains of rats, positioning a lever in front of them. Each time a rat pulled the lever, the researchers stimulated the rat’s reward system. This caused the rats to develop a craving so strong that they repeatedly pulled the lever for hours on end. The rats neglected eating and sleeping, continuing to press the lever until they collapsed from exhaustion.

BUT THEN THE PROCESS WAS REVERSED. The researchers blocked the release of dopamine in the rat’s reward system. The rats became so lethargic that they didn’t even muster the energy to get up and drink some water. They neither ate, showed interest in mating, nor desired anything at all. It was observed that the rats lost their will to live. When food was placed near their mouths, they would eat it contentedly, yet didn’t have the motivation to do it themselves..

You might assume that the need to quench our thirst or satisfy our hunger drives us to eat and drink, but it turns out dopamine is a major player in this process. Although these experiments with rats are quite extreme, they highlight the similar effects that dopamine has on humans in our everyday lives.

Actually, a significant portion of how your brain sets priorities comes from anticipating the amount of dopamine it will receive.

If that specific activity releases too little dopamine, you'll experience less motivation to engage in it. However, if it releases a lot of dopamine, you'll find yourself motivated to repeat it over and over again.

When that specific activity triggers too little dopamine, your motivation to engage in it will be less. Conversely, if it produces a lot of dopamine, you'll find yourself motivated to repeat it over and over again.

So, what kind of behaviors trigger dopamine release? — Basically, any activity where you look forward to a specific reward will do it. If there's no immediate reward in sight, then your brain won’t release dopamine.

— For instance, just thinking about indulging in comfort food triggers a dopamine release in your brain since you expect it to boost your mood.

Your brain doesn't consider whether elevated dopamine levels are harmful; it simply craves more. Ex: A drug addict knows what he's doing is not good for him, but still he wants more. Additionally, using cocaine and heroin leads to excessive dopamine release.

Simply speaking, nearly everything releases dopamine

The greatest rush of dopamine hits when rewards come unexpectedly. It seems pretty clear, right? Imagine you're playing a slot machine—every time it spins, even if you don’t win, you’re hoping for a bigger prize. The anticipation is all about not knowing when that big win will occur.

In our modern digital age, we're constantly bombarding our brains with excessive dopamine, often without even realizing it. This happens when we endlessly scroll through social media or get immersed in video games. These activities make us look forward to some kind of reward.

That's why we're always glued to our phones, eagerly waiting for a text or notification, and eventually, we get one. (Just like those lab rats, we are after that dopamine boost). Now, you might think, "OH, SO WHAT, it’s not going to hurt me." But you're mistaken….

Our bodies have several biological systems, one of which is known as “homeostasis.” Homeostasis refers to our body's tendency to maintain stable internal chemical and physical conditions. When an imbalance occurs, the body adjusts to restore balance.

— For example, if the environment is cold, your body temperature goes down, so you shiver to generate heat and warm up your body. Similarly, if it’s hot outside, your body temperature goes up, so you start sweating to lose that heat. Your body tries to be at 37 degrees Celsius at all times, no matter what..

Homeostasis can also show up in the form of tolerance. For instance, a person who seldom drinks alcohol will get intoxicated quickly. In contrast, someone who drinks often will need a larger amount to feel the same effects because they’ve built up a tolerance, making them less sensitive to alcohol's impact.

IT’S NOT SO MUCH DIFFERENT WITH DOPAMINE. Your body aims to keep things in balance, so it adjusts by lowering your dopamine levels. Over time, your body adapts to the elevated dopamine, making it your new standard, and you create a tolerance to dopamine.

IT’S NOT SO MUCH DIFFERENT WITH DOPAMINE. Your body seeks to maintain balance, so it reduces your dopamine levels. Basically, your body becomes accustomed to having elevated dopamine, making it your new normal, leading to dopamine tolerance.

This becomes a significant issue because the activities that produce less dopamine no longer capture your interest, making you feel unmotivated to engage in them. As a result, you experience boredom and find less enjoyment in these tasks due to the lower dopamine release. This is the reason we prefer playing video games and scrolling through social media instead of studying or working. Video games provide a sense of freedom, satisfaction, and comfort because they trigger a higher dopamine release compared to studying or working.

This is why drug addicts struggle to lead a typical life. As they consume drugs, their bodies develop a high tolerance to dopamine, making their everyday experiences feel insufficient in comparison. They end up resembling the rats from earlier studies, losing all drive to engage in activities. High dopamine effects make it challenging for us to find joy in activities that produce lower levels of dopamine.

This raises an important question: Can anything be done to stop this? The solution is to perform a dopamine detox.

Set aside a day where you refrain from engaging in highly stimulating activities. Give your brain a break from the constant influx of high dopamine levels and allow your dopamine receptors to recover.

What you need to do is set aside a whole day dedicated to avoiding all highly stimulating activities. This means you will cease overwhelming your brain with excessive dopamine, allowing your dopamine receptors to recuperate.

For an entire day, you’ll step away from all forms of entertainment – no internet, no technology like your phone or computer, no music, and no junk food. You are going to remove all sources of external pleasure for the whole day. You will embrace boredom. And believe me, there will be plenty of it. However, you are allowed to do the following → go for a walk, meditate and be alone with your thoughts, reflect on life and your goals, and jot down any ideas you have on a physical piece of paper..

These steps may appear daunting, but if you're aiming for dramatic results quickly, you have to be ready to make bold moves.

You might be wondering, how could this be effective?

Imagine you've been dining every day at the top-rated restaurant in your town. Eventually, those gourmet dishes become your everyday standard. If someone then offers you a simple bowl of rice, you'd likely decline because it doesn’t measure up to the high-end meal you're used to.

— However, if you find yourself stuck on a deserted island, starving, that bowl of rice would suddenly become quite appealing.

That’s the gist of a dopamine detox. It deprives you of the usual pleasures, making those activities more appealing. In other words, dopamine detox is effective because it increases your sense of boredom, making mundane tasks more enjoyable.

That’s the purpose of the dopamine detox. It deprives you of the usual pleasures you enjoy, which ultimately makes those activities more appealing. To put it bluntly, dopamine detox is effective because it makes mundane tasks more enjoyable when you're bored.

If you're not keen on putting yourself through intense pressure or depriving yourself of all enjoyment, you can opt for a milder dopamine detox.

Choose a specific day of the week and make a commitment to completely avoid just one of your high dopamine activities. You’re free to engage in anything else, but the behavior you select is strictly off-limits.

You might start to feel a bit bored, and that's exactly what we're aiming for. Allow your dopamine receptors some time to reset from the high levels of stimulation. This sense of boredom will actually push you to tackle other tasks, even ones you usually avoid. Since you're feeling bored, it'll make it easier for you to take on those chores.

Steering clear of high-dopamine activities every now and then is beneficial, but it's even better to minimize these behaviors entirely, or at least as much as you can. Rather, you can enhance the dopamine levels in activities that are advantageous to you, encouraging you to engage in them more frequently and reap lasting rewards. One effective strategy is to use a high-dopamine-releasing activity as a reward after you've finished a challenging task.

Occasionally steering clear of activities that spike your dopamine is beneficial, but ideally, you should strive to eliminate these behaviors entirely or at least reduce them as much as you can.

Instead, to encourage consistent engagement in beneficial activities, you can boost dopamine levels for those tasks. This approach will lead to long-term advantages. One way to achieve this is by treating yourself to one of your favorite high-dopamine-releasing activities as a reward after finishing challenging work.

Keep a log of all low-dopamine tasks you engage in, such as cleaning, studying, or working out. After completing a fair amount of these activities, I treat myself to an equal amount of high-dopamine activities at the end of the day. Notice the keywords here; “After” and “at the end of the day.”.

If I dive into high-dopamine activities first, I won’t have any motivation left for the low-dopamine ones. I just won’t feel like doing them. So, it’s low-dopamine activities first…then the high-dopamine ones…

— For instance, after finishing an hour of low-dopamine tasks, I give myself a 15-minute break of high-dopamine activities to enjoy at the end of the day. So, if I spend 8 hours on low-dopamine work, I reward myself with approximately 2 hours of dopamine-boosting activities. Naturally, these are my personal ratios, and you can adjust them to suit your own preferences.

For instance, I balance one hour of focused, low-dopamine tasks with a 15-minute session of rewarding, high-dopamine activities at the end of the day. So, after spending a full 8 hours on low-dopamine work, I grant myself roughly 2 hours of high-dopamine enjoyment. These are the ratios that work for me, but you can certainly adjust them to fit your own preferences.

NOTE: If your high-dopamine activity involves addictive behaviors such as smoking or drinking, it’s best not to use it as a reward. Opt for a different reward that won't cause harm.

If you're curious about my guilty pleasure, it's definitely the internet. I can easily get absorbed and lose all sense of time. To manage this habit, I've set up a system to curb my addiction. However, there are still days when I decide to steer clear of any high dopamine activities altogether.

I can assuredly state that it’s absolutely worthwhile... So if you're struggling with motivation, begin a dopamine detox for your brain as soon as possible! — Distance yourself from the excessive dopamine surges. Only then will ordinary, daily activities become thrilling again, and you'll find yourself able to engage in them for extended periods.

All of us are dopamine junkies to a certain degree. This is actually a positive aspect since dopamine drives us to reach our aspirations and better ourselves.

However, the choice of where to obtain it is up to you.