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It typically starts as soon as you wake up in the morning...
You check your phone. You scroll Instagram and TikTok for a few minutes. Fifteen minutes later, you snap out of the trance. By then, you have already triggered a significant release of dopamine—dopamine you should ideally generate by working toward your goals.
You sit down at your desk, thinking you can work despite being overstimulated. But it is hard.
Deep tasks such as writing a book, preparing a report or analyzing data require a lot of concentration. The more you check YouTube, emails, and social media, the more overstimulated you become, making it harder to focus deeply. Your mind feels like a squirrel at a rave, and it’s impossible to just sit there quietly, focusing on the task at hand.
Everyone knows that avoiding distractions will help their professional lives, but it doesn’t stop there. Your personal life will improve fast if you are conscious of how you spend time online.
When you limit your consumption of cheap pleasure from TikTok, Instagram, online porn, Netflix and so on, your brain adjusts by finding more pleasure in simpler, everyday experiences.
It feels like the world opens up to you, and things that once felt dull start becoming enjoyable. Spending time with friends and family, going for a walk in nature, and reading will become fulfilling again. When you are no longer a digital zombie, you realize life is beautiful without being glued to the screen.
How dopamine works
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for motivation and drive in life. At its core, it motivates us to seek out rewards such as sexual relationships, money and status.
It is what drives you forward in life and pushes you to study for a test, work hard for a promotion, go to the gym, or strike up a conversation with someone you are interested in.
After a dopamine spike, your levels drop below baseline. The more intense the spike, the bigger the drop.
If you spike your dopamine too much with digital distractions, your baseline levels drop, leaving you less motivated and engaged in life. If you consume too much easy pleasure, you will start to take the easy way out and settle for mediocrity.
“Easy dopamine” activities cause a sharp spike in dopamine followed by a steep fall below baseline.
Healthy activities, such as running, might feel difficult initially but result in increased dopamine levels afterward. This is because our bodies naturally strive to maintain balance.
In extreme cases, like with drug addiction, people may need the drug just to feel normal again. When they aren’t high, they experience tremendous pain because their baseline has dropped so low.
The same thing happens, to a lesser extent, when we get too much “easy dopamine” online. Thankfully, this is reversible. You just need to avoid “easy dopamine” for a while, and your brain will rebalance itself. You’ll be able to work harder, and everything you do will feel better and more exciting!
Benefits of Avoiding Overstimulation
Here are some of the benefits of cutting down on distractions:
- Better focus
- More motivation
- Greater pleasure from daily activities (you’ll release more dopamine from smaller things).
- Improved relationships and social skills
- More energy
- Higher efficiency
- Increased willpower and discipline, which you can apply to other areas of life
- Better mental health
- More time to focus on meaningful pursuits
How to Overcome Distractions
Here are a few suggestions that helped me regain control:
- Turn off the internet every night at a set time. This forces you to rely on simpler activities for recreation and leisure such as reading.
- Start reading physical books. They’re less distracting than e-books or online content.
- Channel extra time into hobbies or passions. I started jiu-jitsu, going for walks, reading, writing, and pursuing business ideas in the quiet moments gained by spending less time online.
- Get a simple phone. Use it alongside your smartphone to avoid constant temptation.
- Pick easy-to-practice replacement activities. Try meditation, reading, playing an instrument, yoga, board games or similar activities. Find activities you can do at any time when you are bored at home. That way, you are building healthy non-distracting activities that will bring you enjoyment.
- Call your friends instead of texting. Voice conversations are more personal and rewarding and less distracting.
- Use FocusMe. These can block distracting websites and apps during specific times.
- Turn off notifications. I turned off non-essential notifications, and it changed everything.
Final thoughts
The more you check your phone, email, and social media, the harder it will be to stay present in your life and focus on meaningful work.
To thrive, you need to embrace the slower, subtler pace of real life. You will soon become productive, joyful, and able to dedicate your time to what truly matters. That is what happened to me, and it is the reason I started writing which has been a very meaningful quest.
It’s as though your senses shift into “high-definition mode,” and you feel more energized and motivated. Small, consistent steps toward reducing distractions will lead to a deeper and more fulfilling life. Time to put away the phone!
Frequently Asked Questions
Unplugging helps reduce stress, improve mental well-being, and enhance focus. Taking breaks from screens allows you to recharge, fostering better work-life balance and overall health.
By reducing digital distractions, you can focus better on tasks, improve efficiency, and maintain mental clarity, leading to higher productivity.
Unplugging from digital devices can lower anxiety, reduce information overload, and improve sleep quality, contributing to better emotional and psychological health.
Aim for regular digital detoxes—whether it’s a few hours daily or a full day weekly. Consistent breaks from screens promote better focus, creativity, and overall well-being.
Start by setting screen-free times, turning off notifications, enjoying outdoor activities, and practicing mindfulness. Creating tech-free zones at home also helps reduce digital reliance.
Yes, reducing screen time allows for more meaningful face-to-face interactions, fostering stronger connections with family and friends.
Unplugging can reduce eye strain, improve posture, and decrease the risk of sedentary-related health issues by encouraging physical activity.
It may feel challenging initially, but starting small—like reducing screen time during meals or before bed—makes it easier to build the habit.
Taking time away from screens allows your brain to rest, process information, and foster new ideas, leading to increased creativity and problem-solving abilities.
Yes, reducing screen time—especially before bedtime—minimises blue light exposure, which helps regulate your sleep cycle and improve overall rest.
