How To Have More Productive Days

After experiencing an unproductive week, I wanted to remind myself how to have more productive days. The outcome of my days and my productivity wasn’t what I would have liked.

As a result, I took some time to reflect on the reason why, uncovering two core areas. These work together to change the result of each day.

The outcome of my days during that week was, for the most part, altered by how I spent my mornings. The one key factor I want to look at in this post is dopamine consumption. Momentum also played a part, but I’ve discussed that in-depth in a previous post.

We know that the way we start our days can change the outcome of the day. The following concept, in combination with the post on momentum, will help to explain the reasoning behind this. In turn, this will help you to have more productive days.

Win the morning and you’ll win the day.

Dopamine Consumption

If you weren’t aware, dopamine is a chemical in our brains which tells us what feels good. Our brains like dopamine because it’s ‘rewarding’. Through this system, our brains encourage us to repeat certain behaviours. Most often, this is things we know we shouldn’t be doing.

This becomes a problem when you don’t have certain limitations or systems in place. Your brain will seek out the easiest and highest sources of dopamine.

What this means for us is that it’s easier to play video games and engage in unproductive tasks than it is to work. To be productive is to avoid unproductive tasks. Unfortunately, these are exactly the tasks that our brains want us to do. Video games provide instant hits of dopamine. Work does not.

The danger arises when we choose high-dopamine activities early in the morning. As soon as we pick up the console controller, it’s game over for our productivity. Your brain decides that it can get all the dopamine it wants from those specific activities. That was proven true as soon as you started playing. And so, your baseline level of dopamine for the day has increased.

An Example

It might help to explain this point a little further using numbers. Don’t get scared. Also, these numbers are completely made up and inaccurate, but help to explain the point.

Let’s say that work has a metaphorical dopamine factor (DF) of 10. This is how ‘rewarding’ the task is.

Playing video games has a DF of 50, many times higher than work.

Your baseline level of dopamine for the day is 5. If an activity provides more dopamine than this baseline, your brain is satisfied. It will be motivated to do that task since it will receive enough dopamine.

Once you begin engaging in tasks with a higher DF, your baseline level of dopamine increases. Your brain is no longer satisfied with low-dopamine tasks. It knows it can get the pleasurable dopamine elsewhere. When compared with high-DF activities, low-DF tasks are simply less appealing.

Playing video games may increase your dopamine baseline to, say, 25. That is now higher than the DF of work (10). At this point, your motivation to work will decrease. Your brain knows that 10 is less than 25, so why would it work? The increased threshold cannot be met.

But, video games will meet this drive and desire for dopamine. That’s now the activity you’ll gravitate towards. Other high-dopamine tasks, such as scrolling social media or watching YouTube videos, will also sate this urge.

As long as an activity has a DF of above your baseline, your brain will be happy to do it. Watching YouTube may have a DF of 35; scrolling social media a DF of 30. Both are enough. These tasks also have more of an appeal as a result. They will prove more difficult to resist.

The Issue

This concept only becomes a real problem when you don’t get enough work done. The earlier in the day you begin engaging in high-DF activities, the sooner your baseline will increase. So, the earlier you engage in high-DF activities, the faster you’ll lose motivation to work. Before you know it, days are spent on pointless activities that you couldn’t resist.

We shouldn’t limit this concept to video games either. ‘Harmless’ activities like checking your phone or eating sugary foods can destroy productivity. Often without you even knowing!

These activities provide short and fast hits of dopamine, which is just a little more rewarding than work. Ever noticed why, after checking your phone at work, you’re more inclined to check it again? And again after that? There’s your answer.

Now, I’m not saying to go monk mode and quit dopamine all together. A dopamine fast would be useful, but isn’t essential to have more productive days.

Instead, try and become more conscious of what you’re consuming and when. Specifically, notice what you do in the mornings. Is the first thing you do upon waking up check your phone? Or play video games for 15 minutes?

Allow yourself to engage in as many high-DF activities you want after completing work for the day.

It’s about balance. Allow yourself to engage in high-dopamine activities once you’ve done what needs to be done.

Wrapping Up

By avoiding high-dopamine activities in the morning, work activities become more appealing. The earlier we engage in high dopamine activities, the less motivated we are to work. Our brains know that they can get dopamine from other sources, so work is less appealing.

Your days might not be as productive as you like because you aren’t considering this concept. Or, you’re not thinking about building momentum. Through awareness of how you spend time in the morning, you’ll be able to have more productive days. You’ll learn which activities are beneficial and which cause you harm.

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