A dopamine menu template, and how to make one you'll actually use
A dopamine menu is a list of things that make you feel better, decided before you need them. The free PDF below has a blank page and an example to steal from.
A dopamine menu is a short list of activities that reliably lift your mood or energy, sorted like a menu: starters take five minutes, mains take half an hour or more, sides pair with a boring task, and desserts are enjoyable but easy to overdo. You write it on a good day so that on a stuck day the choice is already made.
Download the free template
Two pages: a blank menu, and the same menu filled in with the 24 ideas below. Print the blank one, or keep the example open while you write your own.
Dopamine menu, Letter (PDF) Dopamine menu, A4 (PDF)
The four courses
| Course | What it's for | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|
| Starters | A quick lift when you're stuck between tasks | Five minutes or less, no setup, free |
| Mains | Real recharging on a day off or after a long day | Thirty minutes plus; worth putting in the calendar |
| Sides | Making a dull task bearable | Can run at the same time as the task, not instead of it |
| Desserts | Things that feel great and then eat the evening | Keep them, but write the limit next to each one |
24 dopamine menu ideas
Starters (five minutes)
- One song, loud
- Step outside for two minutes
- A cold glass of water
- Stretch against a wall
- Text someone a photo
- Make a coffee or tea
Mains (thirty minutes plus)
- A walk with a podcast
- Cook something new
- Gym, swim or a class
- Build, paint or fix a thing
- Call a friend properly
- An hour on a hobby
Sides (alongside a boring task)
- A playlist you only use for chores
- Body doubling on a video call
- A fidget or chewing gum
- Work from a café
- A timer and a race against it
- A good snack within reach
Desserts (with a limit)
- Scrolling, 15 minutes, timer on
- One episode, not three
- A game, one round
- News, once, at lunch
- Online shopping, cart only, no checkout
- YouTube, until the timer goes
Make yours in ten minutes
- List what you already do when you avoid things (three minutes). Be honest. Those are your desserts, and they go on the menu with a limit rather than off it.
- List what made you feel better last week (three minutes). Not what should; what did. Sort each into a starter or a main by how long it takes.
- Add three sides (two minutes). Think of the task you put off most and what would make it 20% less dull.
- Put it where you get stuck (two minutes). On the fridge, by the desk, or as a page in your planner. A menu you have to look for doesn't get used.
Using it when you're stuck
Stuck between tasks: pick a starter, then go back. Bored by a task: add a side and keep going. End of a long day: have a main. Reaching for a dessert: fine, set the limit first. The menu isn't a reward system and nothing has to be earned. It just removes the decision.
The digital version
The Three Things 2027 planner has the dopamine menu as a page in GoodNotes or Notability, next to the habit tracker and project chunker, so it's in the same place as your day.
Want the free 2027 calendars and brain-dump sheet too?