You aren’t lazy.
You’re just over-stimulated.
Ever find yourself scrolling TikTok while a movie is playing, while you're also checking your emails? That’s not a "multitasking" skill. It's a dopamine crisis.
In 2025, every app on your phone is a slot machine. They are designed by scientists to keep your brain "leaking" dopamine until you feel numb, tired, and unable to focus on a single page of a book.
The Science of "Brain Fog"
Your brain has a baseline for pleasure. When you hit it with "cheap" dopamine (scrolling, sugar, notifications) all day, your baseline rises.
Suddenly, the "hard" things—like writing a report or planning a business—don't give you enough dopamine to feel good. So, you procrastinate.
The good news? You can reset the baseline in 48 hours.
The 48-Hour Protocol
Think of this as a "factory reset" for your mind. It’s not about suffering; it’s about silence.
To get your edge back, you have to starve the distractions so the meaningful work becomes exciting again.
Step 1: The Digital Fast From Friday night to Sunday night, no "algorithm" feeds. No social media, no YouTube, no Netflix. If it has a "scroll" feature, it’s banned.
Step 2: Low-Stimulus Inputs You don't have to sit in a dark room. You can read a physical book, walk outside (without a podcast), or cook a meal.
The goal is to let your brain be bored. Boredom is the birthplace of genius.
Step 3: The "Deep Work" Morning On Monday, do not touch your phone for the first 90 minutes. Go straight to your hardest task. You’ll be shocked at how "easy" it feels when your brain isn't already exhausted from 1,000 notifications.
Six resources. One skill you'll use forever
Smart Brevity is the methodology behind Axios — designed to make every message memorable, clear, and impossible to ignore. Our free toolkit includes the checklist, workbooks, and frameworks to start using it today.
