entertainment weight watchers
a diet for your brain
you are what you eat, cupcake
the quality and consistency of your diet directly impacts how you look, how you perform, and how you feel.
if you didn't know that, congratulations on finally emerging from your cave, troglodyte.
skip breakfast, grab five guys for lunch, then wonder why you're face down on your desk by 3pm?
"i'm so tired."
no shit.
you wouldn't dump low grade fuel into a formula 1 car, so why treat your body any different?
when was the last time you planned a meal for yourself, as opposed to grabbing what was convenient?
convenience is the modern killer of robust health.
there's no free lunch. your choices have consequences.
time to wake up.
the bigger fish to fry
yes, what you eat is important. what you consume, literally, matters.
but you already know this.
what's not talked about, is the quality of what your brain consumes.
your entertainment diet. what you feed your mind.
"digital fat, sugar, and salt."
— dan koe
the quality of your output equals the quality of your inputs, just like with your physical health and performance.
what you think about, you bring about.
the current menu
convenient entertainment. fast entertainment (coined).
those 2 second reels are empty, quick bites of nonsense that you never actually implement.
snapchats are hollow substitutes for what face to face conversations are supposed to be.
you fantasize over gta vi because you can't possibly comprehend actually having money and cool cars in real life (i'm dreaming too).
you watch tiktoks about meals you never make.
youtube videos about how to get in shape without actually doing the work.
you consume, consume, consume. unrestricted. you're a zombie. no creation.
your consumption habits turn your brain off, not on.
unshackle your mind
"at the core of the idea of self-mastery is an instinctive reaction against anything that masters us. we have to drop bad habits. we have to quit being a slave—to cigarettes or soda, to likes on social media, to work, or your lust for power."
— ryan holiday, discipline is destiny
stop being a slave to the finger swipe. stop being a slave to whatever algorithm puts on your plate.
you are in a caloric surplus with the nastiest digital food on the planet: streaming, social media, and gaming.
just like fast food, this digital junk makes you sluggish, unfocused, and craving more empty calories. your attention span shrinks. your ability to think deeply atrophies. your creativity gets buried.
it creates chaos in your mind. addiction. instant gratification.
you can't string together ideas to work towards a greater goal. a grander vision. a one piece.
you are suffocating your brain with food that tastes good now, but makes you fat later.
the great pivot
most of the time, try to consume content that actually adds value to your life.
long form content that grows your attention span. that really nails a specific idea into your head.
the 5 second tiktok on how to become a better cook is great—for 5 seconds. it's falsely making you think you're a better cook.
but spending 4 hours on a podcast with bobby flay? that's probably much, much better. hours of information and dialogue, hammering an idea into your head. a world is built in your imagination. hundreds of hands pawing and clawing at one grand idea.
much more memorable, much more actionable, far less stimulating and far less shallow.
that's what long form content offers your brain. the ability to follow someone's thoughts, their ideas, their train of thinking. how they got from point a to point b. how they actually changed their lives with one idea, practice, or habit.
swap tiktok for long form youtube videos or podcasts.
trade instagram for books, newsletters, or articles.
exchange mindless scrolling for intentional research.
even consuming long form entertainment is better for your brain. watch movies. read fantasy books.
you’re not dumb. you can see and feel the quality of a good movie. of a good book.
you can feel your brain resisting these things too.
you can't read more than a few pages.
you can't watch a movie without checking your phone.
but, I guarantee you can feel what it's like to walk out of a theater after 3 hours of a good flick.
you really feel like you got something out of it.
that's what this is about.
controlling the quality of your inputs. the quality of your thoughts.
in time, you’ll be as grossed out with reels as you are with the big mac.
your balance is trash and needs work
you’re a human. these vices are fun. but you’ve lost control.
control is key. balance.
i enjoy pizza. i enjoy pasta. i enjoy doughnuts. i'm still in good shape.
this applies to the brain as well. you can still enjoy the digital junk.
it's just important to be mindful of what you're consuming.
50/50 rule, or 80/20 rule, or whatever works.
consume things that help you work towards your goals, not distract you from them.
leverage the world of resources that's at your fingertips.
you can learn from the brain of some of the most successful and impressive humans on the planet, and you choose to watch a 2 second reel from little johnny about how he can consume 4 hot dogs in 3 seconds.
i'd watch this too.
the message is to be mindful. be thoughtful. be intentional. don't be neurotic. don't try to be perfect. just be better.
control yourself cowboy/girl.
you have one brain. one shot. one opportunity. to sei-
sorry
every piece of content you consume is either making you smart or dumb. sharp or dull. more human or more lizard.
your entertainment diet shapes your thoughts. your thoughts shape your actions. your actions shape your future.
stop letting the chum algorithm decide who you become.
start feeding your brain proper fuel, and watch what happens to your life.
thank you for reading. as always, godspeed nerds.
— dante