“The art of moderation is dramatically harder to master than the art of excess.” – Bruce Frantzis
Picking right back up where we left off yesterday…
Here’s another life optimization strategy for boosting motivation, productivity, creativity, focus, and overall quality of mind:
Take Boring Breaks
This one’s so simple that I’m almost embarrassed to admit how helpful it has been for me.
Recently, I fell into the not-optimal habit of listening to MMA Podcasts and YouTube videos during my work breaks, ’cause screw it:
Can’t be that bad.
But then I started noticing a sharp dip in my motivation to return to work — and, significantly more startup friction when I got back to it.
Finally, I realized what was happening:
I was draining dopamine (the molecule of motivation and drive) during my breaks, and returning to work in a depleted state…
…The neurochemical equivalent of working out immediately before a big game.
Basically, my breaks from work were triggering more dopamine than the work itself — so (duh) my work suffered.
As soon as I stopped, and replaced MMA media with some light movement and a short walk outside, my work took off again.
That’s what a boring break is:
A break that is more boring than your work, so that your work feels stimulating by comparison.
But before you implement boring breaks, understand upfront:
If you’re used to plugging into some sort of stimulation during the empty spaces of your day, these breaks will feel extra boring at first.
You’ll likely start to crave whatever habit you’re trying to kick, and your mind will create a long list of reasons why you shouldn’t kick it.
(not unlike an addict — let that thought sink in…)
Thankfully, that goes away quickly.
And after my initial cravings faded, I couldn’t believe how much clearer my mind felt:
Like I’d finally stopped force-feeding myself all day long, and switched to evenly-spaced meals with breaks for digestion in-between.
I also couldn’t believe how much faster my vision for our upcoming course came together…
…But more on that tomorrow 🙂
In the meantime, here’s where you can check out yesterday’s life optimization strategy, leaning into startup friction.
Let me know how it’s working for you.
- T
P.S. Two hints about the upcoming course:
- I’m aiming to release it on December 11th.
- It’s not about life optimization.
(it’s about something far more important…)
More details tomorrow.