I just sat in a room for 7 hours and did EXTREME nothing.
no phone. no music. no books. no screens. no sleeping. just a bottle of water, one snack, and whatever my brain decided to throw at me. 4 walls.
to reset my brain. You probably need this too. I’ll share 2 lessons and some unusual observations today.
I thought I knew what to expect. after building up all week, doing 1 hour, then 2, then 3, I figured 7 would just be more of the same.
longer boredom. more restlessness. nothing I couldn't handle.
I was wrong…
the first few hours: easy
this part I was ready for. the restlessness came and went. my brain tried its usual tricks. "this is pointless." "you should be doing something productive."
by hour 2, I actually felt good. light. pleasant. like my brain had accepted the situation and settled in. I remember thinking: "this isn't so bad. I can do this."
that was the easy part.
somewhere around hour 3 or 4: it turned
I wasn't tracking time, so I can't tell you exactly when it shifted. but at some point, the silence stopped being boring and started being something else entirely.
unusual emotions I didn't ask for
I thought about my family and felt this sharp sense of missing that came out of nowhere.
my mind pulled me back 10 years and made me sit with who I was then versus who I am now. anger showed up for no apparent reason.
not at anything specific.I’m not sure.
I didn't expect any of this.
this is the part where I almost quit.
because what was coming up was genuinely uncomfortable.
but I promised I would finish. so I stayed.
the last stretch
I can't tell you exactly when it shifted again. but at some point the intensity passed. like a storm that just runs out of energy.
the final part of the 7 hours felt like nothing I've experienced in recent memory. light. peaceful. my mind was just clean. not numb. not tired. actually calm.
like everything that had been sitting in the background for months, maybe years, had finally been processed.
I'm writing this now, a few hours later, and the feeling is still here. ready to handle anything. no rush. no anxiety. just present.
AND I called my mom and told her I miss her
she started crying because I don’t remeber the last time I told her that…
When is the last time you told YOUR mom that you miss her?
disclaimer about this challenge
at the start of this week I told you everyone should try this. Now I’m not sure.
one hour of silence yes. everyone should try that.
it's uncomfortable but manageable, and you'll feel better after.
but 7 hours goes somewhere I didn't anticipate. your brain uses that much uninterrupted time to surface things you've been suppressing. emotions, memories, unresolved stuff.
that can be powerful. it was for me. but it can also be overwhelming if you're not ready for it.
so here's my honest recommendation:
2 things this week taught me that you can actually use
1. start with one hour a week. not seven.
the biggest change I felt all week wasn't Sunday.
it was Wednesday, after just 3 hours, when I felt calm and balanced for the rest of the day. you don't need 7 hours to get the benefit.
one hour of silence with zero input, once a week, would put you ahead of almost everyone you know in terms of mental clarity. your brain needs processing time. we just never give it any. even one hour changes that.
try it this week. one hour. no phone in the room. no music. no "background noise." sit with it. notice what comes up. you'll probably feel restless for the first 20 minutes and lighter by the end.
2. your phone is not a habit. it might be a shield.
this is the thing I couldn't unsee after this week. we don't scroll because we're bored. sometimes we scroll because silence is where the uncomfortable stuff lives.
every time you reach for your phone in a quiet moment, you're dodging something your brain is trying to process.
I'm not saying delete your apps or go off the grid. I'm saying: the next time you catch yourself reaching for your phone for no reason, pause for 30 seconds instead. just 30 seconds of nothing.
notice what feeling you were about to avoid.
that tiny practice, repeated daily, is worth more than any productivity hack I've come across in 8 weeks of this project.
the full video
I recorded the entire 7 hours, 50 GB of footage, so it's going to take me a while to edit
I'll share the link when it's ready on Youtube.
PROOF:
next week, challenge 9 of 53: camera confidence
week 9 is about getting comfortable on camera. I'm going to create 7 long-form videos documenting the previous weeks of challenges and the lessons from each one.
why? because putting yourself on camera and expressing who you are and what you think is one of the scariest and most life-changing skills that exists.
agree? a different kind of discomfort.
If you missed week 7 of 53, 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
