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Every time you reach for your phone, your brain's chasing one thing: dopamine.

It’s currency nowadays.

The more dopamine something produces, the more ADDICITIVE it is.

This is why 99% of humans, myself included, couldn’t go one day without our phones.

It’s the neurotransmitter that fuels motivation, mood, and momentum—but the dopamine hits from doomscrolling aren’t real, and they come with huge crashes.

If I am being completely honest, I am writing this article for myself this week.

I have been doomscrolling all week, and after researching the content for this article, I have reminded myself of the negative effects it has on you.

(I have mentioned this book before, but if you’re interested in dopamine and how other neurotransmitters work and affect our brain, please read “Dopamine Nation” by Dr Anne Lembke.)

It’s only a tenner and it’s an unbelievable read.

Let’s talk about 2 real dopamine boosters that are simple, powerful, and actually build you up instead of draining you.

And each takes under 5 minutes!

💥 Why it works:

Effort-based rewards = long-lasting dopamine.

When you do something hard and finish it, your brain logs that challenge as earned success.

This kind of “voluntary discomfort” creates a real dopamine payoff—because it aligns with who you really want to be.

It’s hard, but the payoff is massive.

How many times have you said you’re going to do something you know you‘ll feel good after, but don’t do it?

You don’t do it, your confidence drops, and you’re back on TikTok before you know it.

Confidence comes from having an undeniable stack of proof of evidence saying you are who you say you are.

All these routines and habits become your identity.

🧠 Deep dive: The biology of effort and dopamine (Huberman Lab)

🧽 Why it works:

Your brain craves order and completion.

Tidying up gives you a quick hit of dopamine and a feeling of control.

Start with something tiny:

📚 Tiny habit that resets your brain (James Clear summary)

This may sound like common sense, but you’d be amazed at how good it makes you feel.

Making your bed is an example of a “keystone habit”, which is a small dopamine-releasing task that can initiate a chain of positive behaviors throughout the rest of the day.

I am not making this up, it’s a highly researched topic that I find fascinating.

Writing I realise how weird I sound finding it cool how the systems in your brain work after making your bed, but who cares lol.

Read the research yourself below! 👇

Complete both:

📸 Then put your phone down and notice:

If you have done this today, please reply to the email and let me know what you did!

That’s all for this week! Any questions?

I answer all DMs on my socials, or reply to this email! 📨

See you next week,

Hugo.