when was the last time you did… absolutely nothing?
no phone. no music. no podcast. no book. no scrolling. no "productive meditation." just you, a room, and your own thoughts.
I tried one hour today.
sixty minutes of nothing.
it was harder than the ice baths.
your brain does not want to be alone with itself.
dopamine all the time nowadays.
and that's exactly why I'm doing it.
this week's challenge: the nothing test
every day this week I'm adding one hour of total silence and stillness. no phone. no screen. no input. just me and whatever my brain decides to throw at me.
monday: 1 hour (done. survived. video proof at the bottom)
tuesday: 2 hours
wednesday: 3 hours
thursday: 4 hours
friday: 5 hours
saturday: 6 hours
sunday: 7 hours
by sunday I'll have spent 28 total hours alone with my own mind this week. that's more than most people do in a year.
why would you do this?
because I think boredom is a skill we've completely lost. and it might be the most important one in the entire 53 skills project.
here's what the research says: your brain needs unstructured downtime to consolidate everything it learns. creativity, problem-solving, memory formation. all of it happens when you stop feeding your brain input.
every skill I've learned in the past 7 weeks gets stronger if my brain has space to process it. cold exposure, language, coding, music. none of it sticks if I never stop scrolling long enough for my neurons to do their job.
boredom isn't the opposite of productivity. it's the foundation of it.
your challenge (pick your level)
I'm not asking you to do 7 hours. I'm asking you to test yourself honestly.
level 1: 7 minutes. no phone. no noise. just sit there. sounds easy. try it.
level 2: 70 minutes. over an hour of nothing. this is where your brain starts negotiating with you. "check the phone just once." don't.
level 3: 7 hours. the full test. you and I both know you probably won't do this. but if you do, something changes. I don't know what yet. I'll tell you Sunday.
reply to this email with which level you're attempting. I want to know.
sunday: the 7-hour livestream?
I'm thinking of going live on Sunday for the full 7 hours. you can join, watch, sit in silence with me, or just check in to see if I've lost my mind by hour 5.
details coming later this week. but mark it: Sunday is the day we find out what happens when a human has absolutely nowhere to hide from their own head.
this might be the most boring content I've ever made. or the most important. probably both.
PROOF:
If you missed week 7, HERE is the free guide to learn 10x faster or click the image:
Reply to this email with all your questions, comments, or tips, I will answer.
Or share with friends who want to join and grow.
- Alex
