I didn’t plan this experiment to be inspirational. It started as frustration, the quiet kind that builds when you’re “working all day” but somehow ending weeks with nothing meaningful to show for it. My to-do list kept growing, my focus kept shrinking, and my income felt stuck in neutral.
So I did something slightly uncomfortable and very unglamorous. I removed the three things that filled my day the most without officially being “work”: coffee, social media, and Netflix. No tapering, no excuses, no productivity hacks layered on top.
What happened over the next seven days surprised me more than any tool, course, or optimization trick ever has.
Why I Decided to Run This 7-Day Experiment
This wasn’t about discipline or dopamine detox trends. It was about testing a suspicion I’d ignored for years. I felt productive, but deep down, I knew most of my energy went toward stimulation instead of creation.
Coffee made me feel alert, social media made me feel connected, and Netflix made me feel relaxed. None of them actually moved my work forward. That gap between feeling busy and being effective became impossible to ignore.
Most people don’t realize how much mental energy leaks through tiny habits. It’s not the big distractions that hurt you; it’s the constant low-level noise that never lets your brain fully engage with anything important.
By framing it as a seven-day experiment instead of a lifestyle change, I removed the pressure. I wasn’t trying to become a monk. I just wanted data.
