How I Did a Dopamine Fast in 30 Minutes

A couple of weeks ago, I got sick.

Laid up for a week, body aching, head fogged, and time dragging like a flat-footed soldier. So I did what anyone would: reached for comfort. YouTube. Movies. Nothing major, just a little hit to pass the time. A numbing kind of mercy.

But when the fever left and strength came back, I didn’t have the motivation to focus on work.

I couldn’t focus.
The things I used to do—build, write, work—felt distant. Muted.

My brain had rewired itself in a week. It stopped chasing meaning and started begging for more dopamine. More ease. More noise. More... nothing.

And the scariest part?
It felt good.
It felt easier to stay there.
Not because it was better, but because it was louder.

So I had to choose: let the fog thicken and settle... or fight my way back.

But not with a heroic speech.
Not with a 10-hour productivity sprint.
Not even with prayer alone.

No. The rescue was quieter than that.
And much, much smaller.

I needed a dopamine fast.
But I didn’t have an entire day.
The pile of tasks needed to be tackled

With the help of AI, I found a plan for a dopamine fast possible to do under an hour.

Here’s how it went.

I gave myself half an hour.

Step 1: Clean the clutter (10 minutes)

I cleaned my desk. Not for perfection—just to take control back. I put away the loose bits of paper, books, and washed an embarrassing collection of cups.

The visible change in the work environment brought a sense of peace and order.

When the 10-minute alarm sounded, I wanted to continue changing the world I could control, but the priority wasn’t a tidy home, but a crossed-out to-do list.

Step 2: Do one small task (5 minutes)

I picked one, tiny task. Just five minutes. One tweet to schedule. To easy to put it off. I didn’t wait to feel inspired.

And guess what?
It worked.

I just did it, like lighting a candle in a cave.
Not like a thunderclap. Like a whisper that grows.

Step 3: Do nothing (15 minutes)

I detoxed. No screens. No noise. Just silence. I sat on my couch, embracing boredom. I let my thoughts wander, like sheep without a shepherd, until they started to settle. Until stillness, clarity and contentment entered my heart.

My brain wanted to do something. Anything.

This time, I didn’t give it another YouTube video.
I gave it the to-do list.

Checkmate.

Don’t ever underestimate the power of a good choice.
One after another, I finished my to-do list. It felt 100 times more satisfying than finding an interesting video to watch.

The answer to great achievements is a small beginning. Small is manageable.

If you’re fighting pornography addiction, make one small step: take your journal and do self-reflection for 10 minutes (although, if you grab on to something and want to continue, nothing is stopping you).

Here’s a question to get you started:
What does pornography offer me that I feel I can’t get anywhere else?

The answer will be a step towards victory.

For more reflective questions and daydreaming prompts to increase your desire to live a pure life, check out a free 30-day mind renewal guide.