It's time you got bored

A week-long digital detox may not have made me more productive, but cutting out fake dopamine is definitely my latest tool for creativity.

- Hunar Bhatia; Illustrations by Tanya Chaturvedi

For the past few months, my relationship with Instagram has hit a rut. I wake up and the monotonous clockwork begins. My hand invariably reaches out for my phone, I scroll for my five minutes of morning news, and the day unfolds in a litany of swipes. It’s fake dopamine, fleeting satisfaction, and a brain on autopilot. Clearly it’s time for a shake-up.

Fuelled by the want for satisfaction and a pinch of curiosity, I decided to try a digital detox. Categorised under “excessive Internet usage and gaming”, it’s one of six compulsive behaviours tackled by dopamine fasting. Originally a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) technique by Californian psychiatrist Dr Cameron Sepah, the phenomenon quickly proliferated as a pop culture trend, thanks to its catchy name and the promise of a transformation.

The concept? Breaking free from the unending loop of instant gratification by limiting the impact of barraging stimuli. As the Harvard Medical School explains, dopamine is a neurotransmitter tied to reward, motivation, learning, and pleasure. This detox isn’t about achieving a reset—it’s about reclaiming control, breaking habits, and maybe finding a little more meaning in the mundane. What’s the worst that could happen?

DAY 1: INITIATION DAY

It’s 10:30am on December 28, a Saturday, and I’ve indulged in three glorious extra hours of weekend sleep. As I groggily recall that today’s initiation day, I find myself feeling oddly smug. After all, casually dropping, “Oh, I haven’t been checking any stories, I’m on a dopamine fast for my next article” might gather some impressive nods. The day passes with ease as I dive into my self-proclaimed “hectic” schedule, slipping the phrase into at least three conversations. After dinner, though, things take a turn. My family retreats into their rooms, my weekly bestie call is done, and I’m left feeling incomplete, like I’m missing something. Productive? Sure.