DAY 2 - Dopamine Fasting & Gray Scale Mode

What to Try:
Take 10-20 minutes to step away from your phone and social media. This is a form of dopamine fasting, which helps break the cycle of instant gratification. During this time, focus on something that doesn’t involve screens, like reading a blog article, playing with your pet, cookings or taking a short walk.

Additionally, enable gray scale mode on your phone to make it less visually stimulating and addictive.

Grey scale mode removes the vibrant colours, making it less tempting to check. The idea is to make your phone less fun to use. Instagram becomes a river of drab greyness, web articles are bland to the point of boring, and games lose all their visual appeal.

About the  GREY SCALE MODE. 

It's a simple trick, but one that works on our brains, which are attracted to anything bright and shiny. According to former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris, who has founded the Center for Humane Technology, going grayscale removes positive reinforcements and dampens that urge to keep loading up social media feeds or mobile games.

How to set up the Grayscale on your iPhone:

If you're using an iPhone as your daily handset of choice, open up the Settings app, then choose Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters. Turn the Color Filters toggle switch on, and Grayscale appears as the top option. Presto! All color has drained from your iPhone's screen, until you toggle the switch off again.

***EXTRA TIP: you can set it shortcut -> tripple click on a side buttton will switch on and off the gray scale mode.

Check how to set up GREY SCALE mode on your phone (iPhone, Android, Pixel, Samsung)

https://www.wired.com/story/grayscale-ios-android-smartphone-addiction/

How to Implement It:

• Turn off your phone’s notifications and set it to “Do Not Disturb” for 10-20 minutes.

• Open your phone’s settings and enable Gray Scale Mode to make the screen less engaging.

• Step away from your phone or computer, engaging in a non-digital activity like stretching, reading, or going for a walk.

Why It Works:
Our brains are wired to seek quick rewards—like the instant pleasure we get from social media or checking notifications. This "dopamine loop" makes it harder to stay focused. By taking a short break from these distractions, you allow your brain to reset and reduce the addictive cycle. Dopamine fasting helps replenish your dopamine levels, making it easier to focus on tasks that require sustained effort. Grey scale mode reduces visual stimuli and lowers your phone’s addictive pull, while the nature wallpaper creates a more calming, non-distracting environment, which has been shown to improve cognitive function and reduce stress.

Give it a chance, try it and I will see you tomorrow for the next practice :)

Beata