We get dopamine hits from the worst things: checking email, binging a show, scrolling through reels. We don’t get dopamine hits from being productive, doing work, or completing passion projects.
Our brains are wired to crave the instant dopamine of easy distractions.
Are we the masters of our brains, or are they the master of us?
If you want to take charge, here are a few things you can do to rewire yourself, to get dopamine from things you want to be doing instead of things you don’t want to be doing:
Give yourself a reward for meeting work goals. The reward will give you a dopamine hit.
Give your work to someone for feedback. This interaction might be fun, and receiving notes provides a dopamine hit.
If you’re writing, make daily word-count goals. Look at the numbers when you achieve them. Seeing that progress gives you a dopamine hit.
If you perform, every laugh you get is a dopamine hit.
Instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media for empty dopamine hits, post instead. Every time you see new likes, views, or comments, that’s a dopamine hit.
Avoid time-wasting behaviors that used to give you a dopamine hit unless you’re specifically dolling them out to yourself as a reward.
Check your email only twice a day. Give yourself a half hour to respond and clear your inbox. Set a timer so email doesn’t take over your day.
Meditate. With the right technique, you’ll fire off a few dopamine hits while you do it.
Work out. Get your “runner’s high” from whatever exercise you like.
Avoid processed food. Real food gives you a dopamine hit.
If I employ these techniques, how will I become the universal grand master of Scorpion Solitaire?!?
Along the lines of giving your work some feedback, I find when I collaborate with someone that makes the project feel more like a job that I MUST do, or I will let the collaborator down. This came naturally when I was actually at a studio, or doing client work, but have to trick myself into treating my personal work as a "real" job that needs to get done. This group has helped a lot with that!
Great words Scott, I did go to 2 MAA meeting 12step s for Media, Scrolling , TV watching ever book reading .Etc. Media Anonymous (https://www.mediaaddictsanonymous.org/meetings)
Listening to people talk about this issue very powerful and speaks to my heart, has me take action in my own life. Email checking will go to 4 times a day. not 50.. on the edge