this DOPAMINE based routine got me EASILY ADDICTED to studying

Kai Notebook

976,129 views • 25 days ago

Video Summary

This routine focuses on leveraging dopamine levels to enhance productivity and enjoyment of studying. It contrasts the detrimental effects of early morning dopamine spikes from activities like social media with the benefits of a stable dopamine baseline. By avoiding immediate digital engagement upon waking, one can make subsequent tasks, particularly studying, feel more enjoyable and less like a chore. The core strategy involves clearing the mind through meditation to prime the brain for learning, thereby fostering intrinsic motivation and a more consistent study habit.

A key takeaway is the importance of removing activities that diminish productivity rather than solely focusing on adding productive ones. This approach aims to create an environment where studying becomes the most appealing option, leading to a 10 times increase in productivity and an average of 98% grades, with one individual achieving straight A's

Short Highlights

Avoid immediate phone use upon waking to prevent early dopamine spikes.
Meditation is crucial for clearing the mind and stabilizing dopamine levels.
Top students manage dopamine to make tasks like studying enjoyable.
Removing non-productive activities creates a void that naturally leads to studying.
The routine aims for an average of 98% grades and straight A'

Key Details

Understanding Dopamine and Its Impact on Productivity [00:41]

The speaker introduces dopamine as a key factor in motivation and enjoyment.
A visual representation shows daily dopamine levels, with a baseline and potential spikes and drops.
Waking up and immediately engaging in high-dopamine activities like social media or pornography causes an early, significant dopamine spike.
This spike is followed by a compensatory drop, leading to a low dopamine state for the rest of the morning.
During this low dopamine period, all other activities, including studying, feel like a chore and are unenjoyable.
This cycle often leads individuals to seek further dopamine-inducing activities, creating a messy and unfocused day.

The problem with huge spikes of dopamine in the morning is that it will create a huge drop to compensate for the huge huge dopamine spike.

The Top Student's Dopamine Strategy [02:23]

Top students manage their dopamine by maintaining a stable baseline in the morning.
They avoid using their phones or engaging in other high-dopamine activities immediately after waking.
This stable baseline makes tasks like work or studying inherently more enjoyable.
Natural sources of dopamine, such as studying, outdoor activities, and exercise, are preferred.
The video references Matthew Smith's work on dopamine loading.

Implementing the Dopamine-Balancing Morning Routine [03:21]

The first action upon waking is not to check the phone, even if it's on silent.
The immediate next step is to meditate for a few minutes.
Meditation serves two primary purposes: clearing the mind and stabilizing dopamine to maintain the baseline.
This process helps flush away distracting thoughts, reducing cognitive load and improving focus for studying.
Meditation also primes the individual for the day by aligning them with their goals and the mindset required to achieve them.

I'm not only clearing my mind, but I'm also trying to align myself.

Prioritizing Studying and Minimizing Distractions [06:40]

Immediately after meditating, the speaker goes straight to studying without washing their face, eating, or preparing their day.
The mind is already primed and at a dopamine baseline, allowing for immediate engagement with studies.
The study environment is kept minimal, with only a laptop on the desk, requiring no further preparation.
Showering and breakfast are scheduled for later, emphasizing the immediate focus on study.
Waking up early, such as at 5:00 a.m., provides uninterrupted time for studying, as fewer people are awake, minimizing distractions.
Classes then serve as a secondary review because the material has already been learned.

The Core Principle: Removing Non-Productive Activities [07:41]

The most critical aspect of the routine is not adding productive tasks but removing non-productive ones.
The goal is to clear the morning so thoroughly that studying becomes the most appealing option.
This removes the temptation to check phones or engage in other distracting activities, naturally gravitating towards studying.
The primary recommendation is to avoid opening your phone or engaging in any dopamine-spiking activities first thing in the morning.
Activities like social media, chatting, or even pornography, if done first thing, lead to dopamine spikes and subsequent lows, making everything else unenjoyable.

You need to clear your morning so much that the only thing you feel like doing is studying.

Balancing Dopamine for Long-Term Enjoyment [08:33]

The key takeaway is to balance dopamine levels throughout the day.
It is acceptable to use your phone or engage in enjoyable activities, but these should be regulated and not initiated first thing in the morning.
Enjoyment of these activities can happen later in the day.
The first hour of the day is crucial for setting the tone and momentum for the rest of the day.
To make studying intrinsically fun, external sources of dopamine must be cut out so that studying itself provides fulfillment.
Layering dopamine over studying (e.g., watching videos while studying) is counterproductive.
The video concludes by encouraging viewers to avoid gadgets and social media in the morning, focusing instead on what's important, and to keep their dopamine levels balanced.