Let me preface this with: there's a bit of bro-science in this, but it seems to work for me.

I think the main component is that after I wake up, I have a normal warm shower, and after I rinse myself. However, then I turn to cold water. There's some research[^1] that shows that this creates an effect of slow dopamine release.

Next thing to do is be mindful about what gives you dopamine spikes, and how to not have them too often, since if you do it too much your body becomes "used" too too much dopamine. Basically, biology likes homeostasis, so it will find a way to achieve it.

This includes not drinking coffee too early too, but around midday/noon, and trying to couple coffee with activities you _want_ to enjoy, but not necessarily do, because coffee increases dopamine levels[^2], so it's "hacking" your brain to consider this reward-seeking behaviour by pairing the artificical dopamine increase with something you would like to enjoy (like say exercise, or learning a new skill, or work). There's other obvious benefits of caffeine like improved focus and concentration.

Now, all this might sound like "too much dopamine," since it's very "do this that gives you dopamine, do that that give you dopamine", but it's not that you're getting spikes in dopamine like you get from sex (or masturbation, or cocaine, etc), it's small releases that you strategically pair with activities that are good for you. Over time as they become habits you won't have to consume willpower for them, and you won't have to constantly be so intentional about what you do.

There's also the other side of the coin, like "reducing" dopamine. Doing stuff that you don't enjoy can suck, but sometimes that stuff is good for you. This is where the psychological component comes in. Thank yourself (think of yourself as your future self thanking your past/current self) for engaging in these activities after you do them. Gratitude releases dopamine, too[^3]. So the brain then associates this as reward seeking behaviour, and it becomes less hard in the future. It's not surprise that drug addicts will go to incredible lengths (I was a drug addict myself, so talking first-hand here) to get their substance of choice even if it's a giant chore and not enjoyable. Why? Reward-seeking behaviour; the reward is the dopamine, the behaviour is getting and consuming the drug. One could say they're incredibly disciplined to get that high (it's a weird way of putting it, but alas).

I've also—somewhat unsuccessfully due to the childhood trauma mentioned earlier—tried to pick up mediation. It's helped me initially with focus and mindfulness, but caused some emotional problems. They are always there, but for a lack of better word, my chaotic mind was probably somewhat of a "defence" mechanism to mitigate CPTSD[^4]. This is a home-brewed theory me and my therapist came to. Going through the stages of grief for my "lost childhood" and my therapist's open-mindedness to psilocybin-aided therapy helped resolve this. I've done Psilocybin later on my own as well, and I've managed to make a lot of progress even on my own (but I have to thank my therapist and myself for developing the mental tools to explore those in a productive way). I wouldn't blanket recommend psychedelics since I've had bad trips too, but they've helped me immensely.

Anyway, I've went a bit on a tangent here. Back to dopamine control. I can luckily now safely meditate without "relapsing", and that's helped a lot with focus, energy and overall willpower. It helps because I can choose what to focus on, and my mind is less ADHD-y. So this means you have to spend less "willpower points" on returning your mind to what matters to your "conscious self" (or ego). I don't know if I have ADHD or not, maybe; but it's likely related to the stuff I talked about earlier.

Meditation isn't very enjoyable for me, but as I started pairing it with gratitude and started seeing incredible benefits in my daily focus after only just about a week or so of daily 10-minute meditations, it's started to become enjoyable... Interesting even.[^5]

Listening to music releases dopamine too, but be careful you don't do too much of "dopamine layering" since the activity might be less enjoyable in the future without all these "helpers", or it can offset your baseline too much. So, if you're at the gym for example, listen to music some days, but do a few days where you are doing it without the music. Try (it isn't always easy) to enjoy the atmosphere of the environment too.

Always remember to be grateful to yourself after these activities, too. Progress is sometimes too slow to see, and for progress-minded people, it can be a bit discouraging. But the progress is there, even though you might not realise it immediately. Trust yourself you're doing the right thing if you know it to be right.

Also, another big component in this whole thing is energy. So make sure your body is treated well in a holistic matter, not just your brain. The body and the brain are a unit, and we often forget that in our day-to-day-lives, I think. So, make sure you get enough sleep, eat healthy. It helps to take probiotics, especially with modern diets; I take mine daily, but you don't have to be as rigid with it as I am (but I also have digestive issues and my GP suggested probiotics and multivitamins; it helps a lot for me). Drink water, but depending on where you live don't drink tap water; buy a Brita water jug (or whatever the equivalent is in your region). It's easier to make tough decisions when you're not exhausted, and that means you expend much less willpower points when you do make them.

It's late and I might've forgotten some stuff. I won't write much more so I don't risk you or someone else tl-dr-ing this (as I genuinely believe it's all good advice) but feel free to ask any follow-up questions if you're interested.

[^1]: Nicely summarised by Dr Huberman here https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-and-use-of-cold-exposure...

[^2]: This is well researched I think; just google "coffee dopamine" and take your pick

[^3]: This is more nuanced. You really need to do this with your full intent behind it. Murmuring a throwaway "thanks buddy" won't have the same effect. I combined this with journaling. I like to think __why_ was this good for me. Why do I think it helped me, how could it improve my life. Another big component with me is how I can improve the lives of people around me, since I'm a bit of a people pleaser. So, I like to muse on that too. If my life is good, I'm in a position to help others improve their lives, etc.

[^4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_post-traumatic_stress_...

[^5]: I recommend reading The Mind Illuminated book. Here's an Amazon UK link: https://amzn.eu/d/6wZtqQb