There’s always something more to add to your endless to-do list.

It’s the Productivity Hydra.

Check off one box, 3 more find their way in.

Trying to catch up on the weekend? Don’t forget about the family gathering you committed to.

“Bing!” 4 notifications.

Enter, distractions.

Where did our attention go?

A lifestyle built on interruptions

We live in a hyper-stimulated society where technology has made it easier to be busy and distracted. But at what cost?

Our divided attention span.

We’ve become obsessed with stimulation.

Correct me if I’m wrong but, what’s your first reaction to seeing your overwhelming to-do list? Pick up your phone.

• Bored at work? Pick up your phone.

• Waiting in line? Pick up your phone.

• Watching TV? Pick up your phone.

We're obsessively checking our devices and pushed towards algorithmic entertainment (social media).

“But I’m bored.”

Yes, you’re bored. But is that really so terrible?

Why is the thought of 1 hour with nothing to do seem like torture?

People hate silence for some reason.

Could it be the resistance to sitting with our own thoughts? The pull of novelty that our lizard brains crave? Low resistance to picking up our phones?

I’ve been guilty of saying this: “I get bored easily” as if it’s a negative thing.

Here’s the truth:

Boredom is the key to producing good dopamine.

The Benefits of Boredom

Unpopular opinion:

If you can temporarily tolerate boredom, your mind will naturally drift toward being productive.

Boredom sparks creativity when you're not stimulated. Your mind is able to make better connections and spurs you to take action – a natural by-product.

At this moment, your mind wants novelty. It’s seeking dopamine-spiking activities and you may not even realize it.

You may have PLANNED to work on your project for 2 hours but instead, you remembered the YouTube video on “9 books every millionaire must read”.

The result?

3 hours of your life gone.

You ended up binging YouTube videos, scrolling Instagram, Twitter, or (god-forbid) TikTok.

We often categorize boredom as a negative experience, but we should shift our perspective.

First, let’s ask the question?

Why does our mind hate boredom so much?

One experiment determined that we’d rather shock ourselves, inflicting physical pain, than sit in a room alone with nothing to do.

That says a lot about our mind’s resistance to the monotony of nothingness.

Boredom is our mind’s attempt to get a hit of dopamine and avoid discomfort.

• Hungry? Uncomfortable.

• Thirsty? Uncomfortable.

• Horny? Uncomfortable.

It’s meant to spur us into action!

So what? How can we use this to our advantage? How can we HACK our psyche?

I’ll propose 2 methods: one short-term, and one long-term.

Ultra Instinct Training

The F3 Method – F*ck, Fine, Finish (short-term)

Use this method when you have a project to start but you’re procrastinating. When you feel the pull of your phone begging you to pick it up and scroll 1 of the 5 apps stacked like colors of the rainbow.

• F*ck - You set the intention to sit there for as long as it takes to feel the discomfort of boredom

• Fine - Your mind has had enough. It’s willing to do anything but just sit there and take another second of dealing with itself.

• Finish - Get back to your task and use your newly heightened state to get the momentum rolling.

Caveats:

• You need to have a good level of self-awareness for this to work, otherwise, you’ll just end up resorting to bad habits.

• Put your phone away. Do it. Don’t rely on willpower. Use this article to help make your phone unattractive.

• Take this seriously: If you’re reading this letter, you’re a smart MFer. Use affirmations, journaling, and meditation to make this system work for you.

The Quantum Habit Builder (long-term)

A series of challenges have helped me control my impulses and be more productive than ever.

Here are 3 Mindset Modeling Practices (MMPs) to help set you on the right path for boosting productivity and increasing mental clarity.

I’d start with one but you can choose many if you’ve already mastered any in your normal routine.

1. Journaling (Novice)

2. Meditation (Adept)

3. Dopamine detox (Advanced)

Perform 1-3 of MMPs in combination with a challenge level. Each level is presented as easier to get into but less impactful. There are 3 challenge levels:

1. Easy mode - Set 20-60 min per day to perform an MMP. Repeat indefinitely.

   1. Novice - Write your intentions, thoughts, and feelings for the day, first thing in the morning.

   2. Adept - Meditate first thing in the morning.

   3. Detox - Get outside, read a book, or take a walk for 60 minutes without using any type of technology.

2. Normal mode - 7-Day Challenge: Eliminate dopamine stimulation activities for a whole week.

3. Hard mode - 30-Day Challenge: Same concept but for a month.

Try stacking this 3-month plan to forge lifelong habits:

Month 1: 30-day Journaling Challenge

Month 2: 30-day Meditation Challenge (+journaling)

Month 3: (+journaling +meditation)

• 14-day Dopamine Detox

• 14-day Easy mode Detox

• Continue and adjust to your lifestyle!

Mentality Matters

Sounds cool but why should you use these Mindset Modeling practices?

Journaling helps you process emotions and gain insight into your thinking patterns, improving clarity. To avoid mental clutter and reduce overwhelm, try brain-dumping each morning to break down larger tasks into smaller, actionable steps.

Focus is like a muscle that needs to be trained. Meditation is your exercise, thoughts are resistance, and your mind is the gym. Meditation can be done for as little as five minutes a day and can help improve focus and concentration.

Last is sensory withdrawal, also known as a dopamine detox. This involves removing any distractions that release large amounts of dopamine, such as social media, video games, and other forms of entertainment. This practice helps to reset your brain’s need for stimulation.

Summary

• Being bored is the spark for creative solutions and motivation.

• Do a dopamine detox to reset your mind for slower and more fulfilling activities.

• A meditation or journaling challenge can help you build your focus muscle and gain clarity.

• You'll feel way better when you're not doom-scrolling social media - more peaceful, less angry, and less stressed.

• 3 month plan: add journaling → add meditation → add dopamine detox

As always if you got value out of this, let me know with a reply or DM on Twitter!

How else can I help you?

Want clarity on your personal or professional systems? Book a free strategy call with me!

Or check out any of the valuable resources I use below!

See you next time!

Resources:

Communities:

• Modern Mastery: Join a like-minded group of individuals committed to self-mastery, building an online business, and gaining financial freedom.

• Dad’s Online Business Toolbox: Join a community of men who are building families, online businesses, and legacies. Free modules are added every month!

Content Mastery:

• Speechify: Emails, articles, ebooks, and more are read to you at up to 4.5x speed. ($60 off link).

• 2-Hour Writer: Learn a marketable skill writing 1-2 hours per day that translates to a promotion, a business, or bringing clarity to your overactive mind.

• Content OS: Set up a content creation machine to systemize your weekly workflow.

• Hypefury: Schedule unlimited tweets and save your ideas in a clean dashboard while saving 4 hours per week.