There are dangerous chemicals in your home that can affect your productivity. 😲
If you’re wondering:
- How can I improve my productivity?
- How can I get work done while working from home?
- How do you deal with unexpected interruptions?
This article is for you.
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We’ll tell you what this little-discussed chemical is and how it’s quietly destroying your productivity (and yes, it’s in your room right now).
I’ll also share my unconventional ways to deal with this chemical, as well as hacks and tips to get more done in your day and maximize your productivity potential.
The last hack is extreme, but it works.
who am i?
My name is Lester, but you can call me Les. 🤓
I am the founder and chairman of DTC Brand Group.
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I spend my days managing a relatively large team, talking to customers, and steering the vision for marketing and strategy.
Oh, and somewhere in there, I make time for family and friends. ❤️
Trust me, I know how hard it is to stay productive, especially when you feel like you’re going in circles and never getting anywhere.
Invisible chemicals that take away your concentration
I hope you are ready…
The sneaky culprits in your home that are quietly ruining your productivity are…
Dopamine! 💉
It’s delivered through every screen in your home and weaponized by big tech to keep you hooked. 😡
The urge to check social media or messages…it’s your body craving that sweet sweet dopamine once again.
Even if you’re not familiar with dopamine, you probably know the feeling you get when you find money in your pocket. It’s dopamine.
In one word: addictive!
Here’s why it’s so dangerous not only for productivity but also for your health.
you are always chasing the next height
Dopamine makes us addicted to immediate rewards like checking our phones, scrolling through socials, and chasing likes. Our brains race from one shiny thing to the next, making it impossible to focus and concentrate on anything meaningful.
your focus is toast
of The average person can only stay trapped for 40 seconds before something catches their attention. That’s barely enough time to read this sentence. If you’ve ever paused while reading or thought about checking your phone, it’s not hard to understand how addictive this chemical is.
stuck in a loop
Here’s the kicker. Dopamine rewards what triggers it, so you keep coming back for more. More scrolling, clicking, and swiping promotes the cycle.
Meanwhile, things that really matter, like long-term goals, get sidelined. Because you don’t feel good enough to get dopamine.
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This endless loop keeps us prioritizing instant gratification over actual progress toward long-term goals. That’s why we spend our days feeling busy, only to wonder what we’ve actually accomplished.
You may be wondering why I’m sharing all this.
I share it because understanding what was happening to me was my first breakthrough. Please join us. This is important.
How productivity improved
My journey to control my concentration probably started just like yours…
Search on Google or watch videos on YouTube.
But for some reason, most of the suggestions either wasted more time or were just things that needed to be managed.
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One day during a flight, my cell phone didn’t work and I wasn’t willing to pay an exorbitant fee to stay connected. 😤
I realized how productive I was without phone service.
For some reason, the sound of that plane calmed me down.
That’s when I realized I should fly more to be more productive.
I quickly realized how unsustainable that was (laughs). So I thought this noise must be on YouTube.
What I discovered next shocked me. I found some videos with millions of views. This turned out to be real, and I found a mate!
This video is my favorite.
(Spoilers ahead, I’m listening to this right now.)
Pro tip: Use an ad blocker or YouTube Premium to prevent ads.
The hack that took me to the next level
I quickly realized that my cell phone was unreliable. Therefore, it is best not to carry your cell phone with you.
To stay locked in, I leave my phone in the car. The idea is simple. There’s no need to walk all the way back to get it.
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If you live in a city or area where your car is likely to be broken into, try leaving it in a separate room.
Here are some other things I’m doing.
1. My secret weapon!
I purchased Digital kitchen timer available on Amazonand let me tell you, this little device is a clutch 🏆. It became an important part of my daily routine.
What I like most is that you can use it as a countdown timer and track how long it takes to complete a task.
My usage is as follows. Set a timer for 30 minutes to an hour (depending on what you’re doing) and play the game during that time. If you deviate from your mission, you lose.
That’s right, I replaced one dopamine hit with another…I’m a genius! 😏
Honestly, the clock is important, but what really makes this work is the psychological game I play.
2.Specific to-do list
All I can say about me is that I love pen and paper. For me, writing things down just makes them feel different. Sometimes “getting it down on paper” feels better than using a digital Kanban board.
So every night I block out time to reflect and plan what I’m going to do the next day. It usually looks like this:
- 9:00 – 11:00: Write an article about productivity 📝
- 11:15 – 12:00: Create LinkedIn post 💼
I always put a little buffer between tasks.
Pro tip: It’s easy to overestimate what you can accomplish in a day. I always do that. To fix this, create a list with up to 5 tasks. The first few focus on increasing revenue, while the last two are typically administrative tasks. A mentor once told me, “Do what makes the most money first.”
3. The only app you need to stay focused
The only app I use doesn’t allow me to use any other apps.
Trust me, the irony is not lost on me. 🤦♂️
let me tell you about opal. This is a screen time management app that helps people like you and me reduce distractions and increase focus.
Block access to selected apps and websites.
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I like to call it Notification Prison because, as I’ve already established, I don’t leave anything to chance.
Here’s how Opal works: Select the apps you don’t want access to and set up sessions for when they can be accessed. 🚫📲
I’m on a paid plan that doesn’t allow cancellation while a session is in progress, and honestly, this works for me.
By the way, if you think your productivity app is better, or have tips you’d like to share? Connect with me on LinkedIn.
my final thoughts
Experts often paint productivity as an incredible utopia where you crush every second of every day, but that’s not the case.
Dopamine is a hell of a drug and there are good days and bad days.
Managing distractions is not about perfection. It’s about becoming a better version of yourself.
Simply put, it’s the journey, not the destination. 📌
Find what works for you. Because that’s the only way to keep it going.
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Set realistic goals, don’t be too hard on yourself, and focus on the basics. 🫶
- Have a clean workspace
- prioritize what really needs to be done
- please get enough sleep
- create a routine
- Practice saying no and protecting your time.
And yes, I know I’m being a little dramatic, but believe me on this. If left unchecked, chasing dopamine can quietly steal away your time and future.
😇 I hope this helps. I’m rooting for you.
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