Welcome to The New Mind Studio — your weekly space to reflect, connect and grow.
Most days aren't hard because the work itself is impossible.
They're hard because you're constantly switching contexts, and your nervous system never fully lands.
Today, we're building a tiny system (a Dopamine Menu) for your predictable low points, so you don’t have to make the right decisions when you can’t.
I am excited about this one, let's dive in:
CONNECT
Last week, I caught myself opening Instagram between two back-to-back calls.
I didn't even want to scroll. My thumb just... moved.
That's when I saw it: my brain was screaming for quick dopamine in that tiny gap between tasks. And this wasn't the first time.
I noticed a pattern:
The more tired I am, the more my brain craves quick rewards.
The easier the reward (scrolling, sugar), the worse I feel by day's end.
My brain needs to regulate between shifts, but I'd only given it bad options.
So I made a dopamine menu.
I pre-decide what I'll do in my 3-6 predictable low points each day. That way, doomscrolling doesn't become automatic.
Just like in a restaurant, the menu guides your choice.
Think McDonald's versus a salad bar.
Why it works:
When you're tired, you pick what's easiest. The menu makes that choice better.
You decide ahead, so you don't argue with yourself later. You just pick and go.
You choose things that help, not quick fixes that make you feel worse.
REFLECT
Think of this as a small restaurant for your future self.
When your brain starts yelling "Quick dopamine, please," you don't decide. You just order.
Step 1: Choose your "reservation times"
When does your brain usually show up hungry?
Pick 3-6 moments where you reliably dip:
Morning start
Post-lunch slump
Mid-afternoon
End of work to home transition
After kid bedtime
Late evening
Write them down.
Create options for different levels of time and energy.
Appetizers (2-10 min)
Fast resets. The "you can start this even when you're cooked" category.
Tea ritual (smell first, then sip)
Step outside and look at the sky
One song stretch break
Mains (10-30 min)
Deeper recharge. Not a life overhaul, just enough to shift your state.
20-min walk
Long shower reset
One chapter of a book
Desserts (intentional)
High-dopamine stuff. Allowed. But labeled so it stays your choice, not your default.
Netflix
Gaming
Scrolling (yes, even this)
Specials (occasional big joy)
Bigger treats you plan on purpose.
Concert or trip
Spa day
Themed "mini-festival at home" with a friend
Sides (pair with chores)
Small upgrades you attach to boring tasks so they feel more doable.
Podcast while cleaning
Music while doing inbox
Special tea while tackling a hard thing
Step 3: Pick your defaults
Next to each item, add:
Mood lift (1-5): how good you feel after
Energy needed (1-5): how much energy it takes you to start
Now circle one default for each energy level:
When your energy is 1-2, your default is: ____
When your energy is 3, your default is: ____
When your energy is 4-5, your default is: ____
So in the slump, you don't browse the menu. You just run the script:
Energy check, default, done.
Don't feel like the default? Pick the next easiest option in the same band.
I made a short template to help you build your own dopamine menu, and I added mine at the end as inspiration.
GROW
With a plan, transitions start to feel... lighter.
And the reward goes deeper than I expected: Life stops feeling like something happening to you. You feel like you're steering again.
So make it visible. Put your menu where future-you will actually see it.
Because when you're hungry, you'll order what's easiest.
Design the default.
Let’s carry the change,
Nadia
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