* youtube/netflix
* social media
* news
* sugar
* video games
These are the things your brain goes towards automatically as an easier "win" than in facing the harder problem. Cutting them out will leave room for you to face harder challenges.
This completely changes my perspectives as to why I get up from my desk to go grab a snack, look at my phone, etc. Thank you
For example, on a ketogenic diet (no sugar and limited carbs) your brain produces ketones and many people report far less lethargy.
Sugar helps in the short-term, but if you get past the keto-flu, you no longer become glycogen dependent. Long-term ketogenic diets are now finally being studied, with many people reporting tremendous success.
Psychiatrists love giving you sugar and drugs though. Any drugs, any sugar!
I just ask because its the standard response along with sleep and exercise, and I cant help wonder if it "works" because people without real underlying issues get some marginal benefit, or if it actually works for people with issues.
As for the other stuff, if I cut those out I get miserable and more easily bored. Better to use them as carrots; "if I do 45 minutes of coding I can play 1 game of Rocket League."
In my experience this is temporary. It takes about 1-2 weeks for my brain to adjust to the "new normal" of not playing video games or binging youtube. These 1-2 weeks are quite boring, but after that I am able to find things I would normally be bored by interesting. It's as if there is a "boredness set point", and once you cut out the most stimulating activities, less stimulating things like coding or reading will become more interesting to you.
That said, I like video games and youtube videos, so I often go for a middle-ground approach like you.
Work time is for work, and after work I can game. If I need a break during work I'd rather just read hackernews for a bit. Less addictive :P