Brain calories
Not all hours are equal. An hour reading and an hour of youtube shorts both cost 60min, but one leaves you sharper and the other hollow.
I’ve made a simple table that helps me score activities.
I kept it broad on purpose. Some of the the activity categories are: books, podcasts, youtube, etc. Of course it’s possible to rate a more specific activity: taking a walk through a forest while listening to a podcast, or taking a walk while speaking on the phone, going to the gym while watching Shrek…
Parameters are also very broad, therefore the table will most likely grow and change. Nonetheless, it’s valuable to see what activates contribute to your life. Also, you will notice what just makes you feel productive and what actual does.
You can add parameters. Remove ones that don’t matter. Add activates. Make it yours.
The common rules are:
If it’s easy to reach, hard to stop, and leaves you empty - it’s taking from you.
If it’s hard to start, easy to stop, and leaves you full - it’s giving to you.
If it’s hard to find, hard to stop, and leaves you full - that’s flow.
Addiction is hard to stop because it’s pulling you. Flow is hard to stop because you’re pushing.
Parameter
What it means
Books
Podcasts
YouTube
Short-form
Conversations
Writing
Gym
Speed
How fast info comes at you
Slow
Medium to fast
Fast
Instant
Real-time
You control
N/A
Density
How much substance per minute
Mostly high
Mostly medium
Low
Minimal
High
You create it
N/A
Effort
How hard you have to focus
High
Low
Low
None
High
Very high
Medium
Retention
How much you remember tomorrow
High
Medium
Low
Almost none
High
Very high
N/A
Half-life
How long until it’s useless to you
Years
Days
Hours
Minutes
Years
Permanent
N/A
Distraction cascade
Does it lead you somewhere worse?
No
Rarely
Often
Always
No
No
No
Escape difficulty
How hard to stop once you start
Easy
Easy
Hard
Very hard
Easy
Easy
Medium
Regret after 1 hour
How you feel when you look back
None
Low
Medium
High
None
None
None
Illusion of learning
Feels productive but isn’t
Low
Medium
Very high
N/A
Low
None
N/A
Loneliness factor
What it does to your social soul
Neutral
Isolating
Isolating
Very isolating
Connecting
Neutral
Neutral
Skill building
Are you getting better at anything?
Yes
Passive
Sometimes
No
Yes
Very high
Yes
Action trigger
Does it make you DO something?
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Often
It IS action
It IS action
Fun
How entertaining is it?
Medium
Medium
Very high
Very high
High
Mostly low
Medium
Total value
10/10
6/10
4/10
0/10
8/10
10/10
8/10