The Art of Mindful Disconnect: A System for Reclaiming Your Time & Energy

Let’s play a quick game of How Addicted Are You to Your Phone?

Do you check your phone before you even get out of bed?
Do you grab your phone to “check something real quick” and suddenly 45 minutes have vanished?
Have you ever watched Netflix while scrolling TikTok while responding to texts?
Do you sometimes forget why you even picked up your phone in the first place?

If you said yes to any (or all) of these, congratulations! You’re human. And also, your brain is drowning in digital clutter.

We live in an era where distraction isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s a lifestyle. If you don’t control your inputs, they will control you.

Today, we’re fixing that.

Why Your Brain Feels Like a Browser With 57 Tabs Open

1. Your Phone is a Dopamine Slot Machine

Every time you check your notifications, your brain gets a tiny dopamine hit. Dopamine is the chemical that makes you feel pleasure and motivation, but the problem is that your brain doesn’t distinguish between a meaningful reward and a pointless one.

When you check your phone, you’re getting dopamine spikes from low value rewards (likes, notifications, quick entertainment). Over time, this weakens your ability to focus on high value rewards (deep work, creativity, long-term goals).

The result? You start craving short bursts of stimulation instead of engaging in deep, meaningful work.

2. Multitasking is Melting Your Focus

You think you’re multitasking. What your brain is actually doing is task switching, rapidly jumping from one thing to another. And every time you switch, your brain has to “reset” itself, which eats up mental energy.

Research from Stanford University found that heavy multitaskers perform worse on memory, attention, and task-switching than those who focus on one thing at a time.

That means double screening is frying your brain like an overworked processor. You’re not actually “relaxing” when you scroll your phone while watching TV, you’re just making your brain work harder for less benefit.

3. The More You Consume, the Less You Create

There’s a reason why after a long day of scrolling, you feel drained instead of inspired.

Consumption takes up mental energy. Every piece of content you read, every TikTok you watch, every post you scroll through is taking up space in your brain. If you’re constantly consuming, you’re not leaving room for deep thinking, problem-solving, and actual creativity.

The Mindful Disconnect System: Take Back Control

If you want to reclaim your time, energy, and sanity, try this three-step system:

1. The 30-30 Rule: Start and End Your Day Without Screens

Your brain needs a buffer period before diving into the digital world. Give it 30 minutes of screen free time in the morning and 30 minutes before bed.

Why it works:

• In the morning, it prevents you from starting your day in a reactive mode (emails, news, social media).

• At night, it improves sleep quality by reducing blue light exposure and mental stimulation.

What to do instead:

• Morning: Stretch, journal, plan your day, sit in silence, literally anything else than picking up your phone.

• Night: Read a physical book, reflect, meditate, or have an actual conversation with a human being.

2. The “One Screen at a Time” Rule

Multitasking is a productivity killer. If you’re watching a show, just watch the show. If you’re eating, just eat. Give your brain permission to focus on one thing at a time.

Why it works:

• It retrains your brain to focus for longer periods.

• It increases actual relaxation (instead of your brain being pulled in different directions).

• It makes everything feel more intentional and enjoyable.

3. The Deep Work Sprint: 90 Minutes of Undistracted Focus

Every day, set aside one 90-minute block where you eliminate all distractions and do meaningful work.

Why 90 minutes?

• Research shows that the brain works best in ultradian rhythms, 90-minute cycles of deep focus before needing a break.

• It’s long enough to make real progress but short enough to avoid burnout.

How to do it:

• Put your phone in another room. If it’s near you, you’ll check it.

• Close all unnecessary tabs. Your email will survive without you.

• Use a timer. Work for 90 minutes, then take a break.

You’ll get more done in those 90 minutes than in an entire distracted workday.

Your Challenge: Take Back Your Attention This Week

1. Try the 30-30 Rule—start and end your day screen-free.

2. Quit double-screening—one screen at a time.

3. Do one Deep Work Sprint—90 minutes of pure focus.

Hit reply & tell me: What’s the hardest part about unplugging for you?

Let’s make this real.

Until next time,
Ned

P.S. Know someone whose brain feels like a browser with too many tabs? Forward this email. They’ll thank you later… I’ll thank you immediately.