Most people don’t lack discipline - they have a dopamine issue. How I broke the loop (with salam)

As-salamu alaykum - For a long time I honestly thought I just had no discipline. I’d plan out my days, set routines, write long to-do lists. Tell myself this week will be different. Then I’d watch myself ignore it all. Not in some dramatic way, just sitting there knowing what I should do and not doing it. I used to call it laziness or weak will. But once I paid attention I saw something else: my brain was already worn out before I even started the important stuff. Not from actual work, but from tiny constant distractions. Checking my phone “for a second.” Opening apps without thinking. Scrolling while waiting for something. Snacking when I wasn’t even hungry. Keeping the TV or music on just to avoid quiet. None of those felt like a big deal in the moment. But by the time I tried to focus, my mind was already overloaded. What helped wasn’t being harder on myself. It was treating this like an attention problem, not a character flaw. A few simple changes actually moved the needle: - I stopped starting the day with instant rewards. - I made distractions a little harder to reach instead of pretending I’d just resist them. - I focused on finishing small tasks rather than waiting for motivation. Nothing magical changed overnight. I still slip up, I still waste time. But things feel quieter now, and when my head is quieter, following through isn’t impossible. If you feel like you’re always “working on yourself” but not going anywhere, maybe it’s not effort you’re missing. Maybe your attention is being pulled before you even start. If anyone else had a similar moment or a different trick that finally clicked, I’d love to hear it. Edit: JazakAllah khair for the advice in comments and messages. One person suggested adding friction - don’t make distractions too easy; adding a pause works surprisingly well. Another recommended scheduling short blocks deliberately in the calendar, which made tasks less avoidable for me too. What surprised me most was adding a strict screen-time blocker during those blocks - it’s like having a stern older sibling in your phone. Try to open Instagram, and a lock screen asks “Are you sure?” - annoying but it works. Combining those two has made my day feel clearer.