In today’s world, the most important currency for businesses is people’s attention. That’s why it’s getting harder and harder to focus on one thing that will get you ahead in life, because there’s a distraction lurking around every corner. You probably know this, you’re sitting on the toilet and just want to check Instagram for a moment, but before you know it, 30min have passed. 30min that you could have invested in reading or sports. If all this applies to you and you would like to focus more, then a dopamine detox is probably exactly what you need. Because with an ever-increasing stimulus overload through the internet/social media, it’s even more important for us to give our brains a break in the form of boredom.
But what is a dopamin detox?
In a dopamine detox, you cut out all activities that are fun, but in the end only bring disadvantages, and focus more on the things that are boring, but will bring you a real advantage over time. For example, you’ll give up video games (unless you’re a professional e-sports player and make a living at it) and Netflix movies that don’t get you anywhere. The time you save, you invest, for example, in reading, studying or meditating.
Which activities are forbidden:
- Adult movies
- Series and movies
- masturbation
- video games
- Junk food and sugar
- (music)
- Social media
- Doing without your cell phone as much as possible
→ your task now is to replace these activities with long-term positive activities
Example activities to insert:
- Reading non-fiction books and guides that really help you get ahead
- Online courses and seminars
- Meditate
- Work more/ build a business
- Playing sports
- Cooking healthy food
- Spending quality time with friends and family
However, there is another approach where you do nothing at all for a few hours to days and just get bored. Generally, dopamine detox is said to reset the dopamine receptors in the brain. Thus, we are supposed to get happiness hormones again from the smallest activities, for example, even working again.
Goal of the dopamin detox
The big goal of dopamine detox is that you get more feelings of happiness again from activities that have a positive effect on you in the long term, because after a certain time the body has developed a dopamine tolerance. You have to counteract this tolerance. This will change your life in a positive way, when you feel like doing difficult things again. You will use your time better, because instead of scrolling endlessly on social media, you will learn something new or work on your business.