7 hours back every dayThe time you need is hiding in your phone.
A student cut his screen time from 7 hours 38 minutes to 56 minutes a day in 2 weeks. That freed more hours a week than a full-time job, and you can measure the same change on your own phone.
Before and after
Screen time is the number your phone shows for how long you were on it each day. This student’s, before the change: 7 hours and 38 minutes in a single day. Instagram alone took 3 hours and 47 minutes, and YouTube another 1 hour and 39 minutes. That is a full working day spent on fast dopamine, the instant, no-effort reward your brain gets from every swipe.
2 weeks later, the same screen showed 56 minutes. That is 6 hours and 42 minutes back every day, or about 47 hours a week, and the only major thing he had changed was how much he used his phone.
What the hours are worth
For a trader, about 47 hours a week is more than a full-time job, all of it free for reading, analysing and practising, as long as you use it wisely. The routine from the lesson on the 2-hour trading day, with the session recaps and your alerts, would fit into the time he got back more than 3 times over, every day.
It was not only about time. He also felt better, from that single change. The next steps build on it: healthy, balanced food, exercise and more long-term dopamine, the kind of reward you earn through effort.
60 days of Nightmare Mode
The easiest way to start is 60 days of Nightmare Mode. It is a dopamine detox: 60 days in which you say no to fast dopamine on purpose. Little to no social media, little alcohol and little artificial sugar, good routines and healthy food.
The rules are the same simple life as in the previous lesson. What Nightmare Mode adds is a fixed length, with a start and an end you can measure.
Your screen time before you start, with your top apps.
Halfway: the same screen, the same apps.
The end: compare all 3, and note what you did with the time.
Measure it instead of guessing
Before you start, take a screenshot of your screen time. Take another halfway through, and a final one at the end. The numbers will show you what changed better than any feeling will.
It is the same idea as your trading journal: a record beats a memory. Decide in advance what the freed hours are for, such as the session recaps, your weekly outlook and your journal reviews, so the time does not drift back into the phone.
In short
- A student cut his screen time from 7 hours 38 minutes to 56 minutes a day in 2 weeks, mainly by using his phone less.
- That freed 6 hours 42 minutes a day, more than a full-time job every week, for reading, analysing and practising.
- Start with 60 days of Nightmare Mode, a dopamine detox, and screenshot your screen time at the start, halfway and at the end.
Key terms
- Dopamine
- A brain chemical linked to reward and anticipation. Quick hits such as feeds and notifications train the brain to seek more of them.
- Fast and long-term dopamine
- Fast dopamine is an instant reward that takes no effort, like scrolling or sugary snacks. Long-term dopamine is the reward you earn through effort, like finishing hard analysis.
- Dopamine detox
- A set period, such as 60 days, when you say no to fast dopamine on purpose: little to no social media, little alcohol and sugar, and good routines.
Private mentoring is the next step after the course: 1-on-1 with a professional trader.