When something is scarce, our brain perceives it as valuable. When it’s abundant, our brain expects it and calibrates back to our previous baseline level of happiness, a phenomenon called hedonic adaptation.

What provides immediate gratification may release more dopamine. But when a stimulus is not immediate, it’s more satisfying and releases a more balanced set of neurochemicals that allow us to ease more deeply into our life over time.

(chapter 7). What stimulates you does not necessarily make you happy.

I view productivity as simply accomplishing what we set out to do—whether our intention is to clear all the emails from our inbox, decide between a few candidates to hire onto our team at work, or relax on a beach while drinking two piña coladas (one for each hand). In my eyes, when we set out to do something, and then do it, we’re perfectly produc

the digital world is valuable only so far as it supports us in what we intend to accomplish. Remember: at its best, productivity is about intention.

We typically feel guilty when we relax, but this feeling of guilt is often just what we label the discomfort we experience when we adjust to a new, lower level of mental stimulation.

“as a general rule, the more immediate pleasure you get from an action, the more strongly you should question whether it aligns with your long-term goals.”

Because problem distractions take advantage of our neurological wiring, we need to tend to distractions that grow back. The key, as always, is awareness: check up often on whether stimulating distractions find their way back into your life, and when they do, set aside a month, or a few weeks if that’s what you can spare, to step away from them once

We tell ourselves that we have very little free time—but we have far more of it than we think. Our distraction time is sprinkled throughout our day between our more meaningful experiences, but all that time really does add up.