Happy Sunday Everyone! On average, we engage with our phones every five minutes when awake, and the average user taps, swipes, or clicks their phone 2,617 times per day.

Scroll down to learn about Why You Can’t Focus, new Self-Driving Trucks, and why you Should Stretch After Brushing Your Teeth.

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1 THING IN…

Mindset

Why You Can't Focus

At some point, I stopped doing things.

I’m not talking about getting by, answering emails, or food shopping; the things that made me feel like I was moving forward.

I had goals. I had plans. I just couldn’t follow through.

For months, I felt lost. I knew I could do more, but I wasn't. I tried the usual fixes: to-do apps, productivity books, endless YouTube videos. Nothing worked. I was just stuck.

I thought I had no discipline. Or that I was lazy. I found myself Googling ADHD symptoms.

Then I learnt about dopamine.

Dopamine is the chemical in your brain that drives you to seek things out. Your brain releases it as a reward to make you repeat an action, like when you get a text or win a game, and it heavily controls what we do.

The problem was, my phone was giving my brain these little rewards all day for doing nothing.

What comes up, must come down.

When you elevate your dopamine levels, your body fights to bring it into a typical range, and, in the extreme, your body adapts, and high-dopamine activities just make you feel normal.

This wasn't a discipline problem.

The easy rewards from my phone made real-life rewards feel dull. Good things that take actual effort can’t compete with quick dopamine.

So I tried something drastic.

I limited my screentime across time-wasting apps to 30 minutes a day, and cut my screen time from 4 hours a day to one.

It wasn’t easy, but the impact is significant.

No phone before bed meant I started sleeping better. Boredom drove me to want to move my body. I cooked meals instead of ordering food.

But I didn’t want to be a person trying to quit my phone, I wanted to be a person who doesn’t need it. And in time, I wasn't fighting an urge anymore. The urge was just gone.

This won’t look the same for everyone. Some people put down their phone and just pick up something else to escape into. But the problem stays the same.

Your brain is used to too much. You have to bring it back to normal.

If you want to try this, I recommend the Roots app on IOS/Android. We have no affiliation, but this helped me get started.

So that's how I started doing things again.

I didn't become a new person. I just got quiet enough to hear what I wanted.

3 THINGS IN…

Positivity

Great News You Missed:

#1 Self-Driving Truck Startup Goes Public in $1.2B Deal

• Plus Automation is going public via a SPAC deal, raising $300M to scale autonomous truck rollout.

• The company aims to launch driverless trucks by 2027 to solve labour shortages in freight.

• U.S. and California regulations are easing to support commercial AV deployment.

#2 UK Pledges £86 Billion to Turbocharge Tech

• The UK announced £86B in tech R&D funding over 4 years to strengthen AI, biotech, and clean tech.

• £500M will go toward regional innovation hubs beyond London.

• It’s expected to boost semiconductors, life sciences, and defence across the UK.

#3 “Scaleup Europe” Fund Aims to Create More EU Unicorns

• The EU is launching a €10B+ fund to support late-stage tech companies and reduce brain drain.

• It’s structured to attract private capital and simplify scale-up regulations.

• The goal is to keep top-tier tech startups in Europe and compete with U.S./China.

News you’re not getting—until now.

Join 4M+ professionals who start their day with Morning Brew—the free newsletter that makes business news quick, clear, and actually enjoyable.

Each morning, it breaks down the biggest stories in business, tech, and finance with a touch of wit to keep things smart and interesting.

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3 THINGS IN…

Habits

#1 Sun Before Screens

Starting your day by walking outside kickstarts your circadian rhythm and helps regulate sleep, mood, and hunger throughout the day.

Without that biochemical cue, melatonin continues to be released, making you feel groggier.

Walk around the block, balcony, or back garden. Even cloudy light helps. Do it before checking your phone or sipping your first coffee.

#2 The No-Scroll Hour

Cut off screen time at least one hour before bed.

Instead, you can try stretching, reading, meditating, or anything that doesn’t involve dopamine spikes or blue light.

Set a “screens off” alarm. Keep your phone outside your bedroom. Use a physical book, warm lighting, and let your brain power down naturally.

#3 Stretch After Brushing

Give habit stacking a try by pairing your nightly tooth brushing with a 2-minute stretch.

Without daily mobility work, tension builds. Your body stiffens, recovery slows, and joint health declines—especially with age or intense training.

Focus on your hamstrings, back, and shoulders using a doorway, bed edge, or wall.

Keep it low-effort for the best results (to build consistency).

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