The Energy Opportunist

Protocol

The Energy Opportunist

Master your biological state, not your calendar. A high-performance operating system for the neurodivergent professional.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Chronological Inconsistency: Forcing 9-to-5 rigidity leads to cognitive deficit spending and burnout.
  • Waiting Mode Paralysis: A single future obligation freezes your entire day because of working memory load.
  • The Shame Spiral: Each missed deadline adds a brick to your 'Wall of Awful,' making future starts harder.
Old Way
  • Time-Blocking & Rigid Schedules
  • Importance-Based Prioritization
  • Pushing Through Fatigue
  • Holding Tasks in Working Memory
New Way
  • Energy-Matched Task Selection
  • Interest/Dopamine-Based Triggering
  • Regulated Biological Recovery
  • Aggressive Cognitive Offloading

Mechanism

The Neuro-Adaptive Engine

Click a system to explore its habits

Internal Weather Monitoring

Internal Weather Monitoring

Anchor productivity to interoceptive data rather than the clock.

Energy-Matched Task Selection

Energy-Matched Task Selection

Match high-demand work with biological prime times and dopamine peaks.

Impulse Capture Architecture

Impulse Capture Architecture

Externalize executive function to preserve limited 'neural RAM'.

Regulated Recovery Intervals

Regulated Recovery Intervals

Aggressively reset the nervous system using biological 'brakes'.

The Neuro-Adaptive Operating Rhythm

  • Internal Weather Scan

    08:00

    Identify Red/Yellow/Green baseline before checking notifications.

  • Momentum Building

    09:30

    Execute 'Side Dish' items from the Dopamine Menu to overcome morning inertia.

  • Green Light Sprint

    11:00

    Deploy Hyperfocus on high-complexity 'Entrée' tasks during peak dopamine.

  • NSDR Reboot

    13:00

    Execute a 20-minute nervous system reset to clear working memory cache.

  • Diagnostic Triage

    15:00

    Capture new inputs and filter for 'Must vs Should' to prevent mid-day overwhelm.

  • Decompression Audit

    17:30

    Close the loops, purge the tabs, and shake off professional residue.

The Protocol Sprint: 30 Days to Resilience

Step01

Week 1: Stabilize the Baseline

Focus exclusively on interoception and morning battery scans to stop overcommitting.

Step02

Week 2: Deploy the Recovery Brake

Implement NSDR and Somatic Shaking to recover faster from focus crashes.

Step03

Phase 3: The Emergency Reset

Master the protocols for recovery from brain fog and sudden dysregulation.

Step04

Phase 4: Optimization

Refine your Dopamine Menu and capture architecture for sustained high performance.

Step05

Full System Access

Review the complete architecture of the Energy Opportunist.

Glossary

01

Interoception

The sense of the internal state of the body, acting as an operational dashboard.

02

Ultradian Rhythm

90-minute biological cycles that dictate focus peaks and recovery troughs.

03

NSDR

Non-Sleep Deep Rest; protocols to reset striatal dopamine without sleep inertia.

04

Somatic Markers

Bodily sensations that influence decision-making and cause task resistance.

05

Wall of Awful

The emotional barrier of shame and past failure attached to mundane tasks.

Progression

Habit Tiers

Tier 1

Foundation

Interoception baseline and immediate impulse capture.

Tier 2

Growth

External scaffolding (body doubling) and pattern recognition.

Tier 3

Mastery

Strategic capacity forecasting and auditory gating.

Tier 4Peak

Titan

Dysregulation detection and hyperfocus maintenance.

Protocol Playbooks

Curated sequences of habits designed to be practiced together. Click a playbook to see its cards in the deck below.

Morning Initialization
3 cards

Morning Initialization

Anchor your day to biological data to prevent early burnout.

Scan Internal Battery
Ground with Sensory Cube
Dump Brain Morning
Hyperfocus Sprint
3 cards

Hyperfocus Sprint

Capitalize on high-dopamine states without crushing your system.

Pick Menu Entrée
Activate Body Double
Set Hyperfocus Alarm
Emergency Reset
3 cards

Emergency Reset

Protocols for when the brain fog hits or shutdown begins.

Loop Physiological Sigh
Trigger Dive Reflex
Complete Floor Reset
Weekly Calibration
3 cards

Weekly Calibration

Proactive capacity management for the week ahead.

Forecast Capacity Weekly
Perform Weekly Sweep
Capture Voice Prompt

Quests

Challenges to accelerate your transformation. Click a quest to see its target cards.

Initiation

The Signal Acquisition

Establish baseline biological awareness and capture raw data before the system redlines using core telemetry habits.

"Stop guessing. Start measuring. The first step to hacking your biology is knowing the machine's current state."

FOUNDATION tier streak for 7 days
7 cards
View Quest Cards
System Mastery

The Biometric Nexus

Master internal telemetry to predict and prevent executive function brownouts using the full Internal Weather Monitoring stack.

"The Linear Grind ignores the gauges until the engine explodes. You will learn to read the heat before the smoke."

Complete Internal Weather Monitoring system
10 cards
View Quest Cards
Titan Trial

The Executive Override

Neutralize cognitive distortions regarding memory and install external biological maintenance cues during deep focus states.

"Your brain is a brilliant liar. It promises recall it can't deliver. It's time to install the hardware bypass."

2 TITAN tier habits
2 cards
View Quest Cards

The Full Deck

40 habits across 4 core systems

Systems:
Playbooks:
Scan Internal Batteryfoundation

Scan Internal Battery

Visualize your energy as a battery and label it Red, Yellow, or Green.
⏱ 30s⚡ low
Internal Weather Monitoring
Ground with Sensory Cubefoundation

Ground with Sensory Cube

Name 3 sounds, 2 sights, and 1 physical sensation to anchor your nervous system.
⏱ 1m⚡ low
Internal Weather Monitoring
Perform H.A.L.T. Auditfoundation

Perform H.A.L.T. Audit

Check if you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired before seeking dopamine.
⏱ 30s⚡ low
Internal Weather Monitoring
Execute Micro-Auditfoundation

Execute Micro-Audit

Rate your mental clarity and physical agitation on a 1-10 scale.
⏱ 1m⚡ low
Internal Weather Monitoring
Pick Menu Entréefoundation

Pick Menu Entrée

Select one high-focus item from your pre-decided Dopamine Menu immediately.
⏱ 2m⚡ low
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Commit to 5-Minute Launchfoundation

Commit to 5-Minute Launch

Set a timer for five minutes and commit only to that duration of work.
⏱ 5m⚡ low
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Pick Momentum Side Dishfoundation

Pick Momentum Side Dish

Select a task requiring physical movement but low cognitive load to build momentum.
⏱ 10m⚡ low
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Complete Floor Resetfoundation

Complete Floor Reset

Lie on the floor or perform a physical shake to disrupt brain fog.
⏱ 5m⚡ low
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Capture Voice Promptfoundation

Capture Voice Prompt

Record unexpected thoughts into a voice memo immediately to clear working memory.
⏱ 30s⚡ low
Impulse Capture Architecture
Park Flow Interruptersfoundation

Park Flow Interrupters

Write distracting ideas on a physical 'Parking Lot' note to preserve focus.
⏱ 10s⚡ low
Impulse Capture Architecture
Triage Slack Itemsfoundation

Triage Slack Items

Apply the 'Touch It Once' rule to all notifications and incoming requests.
⏱ 2m⚡ low
Impulse Capture Architecture
Dump Brain Morningfoundation

Dump Brain Morning

Write down every internal worry or task to exteriorize morning anxiety.
⏱ 5m⚡ low
Impulse Capture Architecture
Loop Physiological Sighfoundation

Loop Physiological Sigh

Perform a double-inhale and long-exhale to mechanically reset your heart rate.
⏱ 30s⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals
Shift Panoramic Visionfoundation

Shift Panoramic Vision

Look at the horizon and soften your gaze to disengage the stress system.
⏱ 1m⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals
Discharge Somatic Tensionfoundation

Discharge Somatic Tension

Shake your limbs vigorously to mimic the natural animal response to stress.
⏱ 2m⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals
Reboot NSDR Sequencefoundation

Reboot NSDR Sequence

Listen to a Non-Sleep Deep Rest script to replenish your striatal dopamine.
⏱ 15m⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals
Log Mid-Day Energygrowth

Log Mid-Day Energy

Record your current energy level in a tracker to identify individual biological prime times.
⏱ 5m⚡ low
Internal Weather Monitoring
Label Specific Sensationsgrowth

Label Specific Sensations

Describe the physical sensation of fatigue instead of using vague labels.
⏱ 1m⚡ low
Internal Weather Monitoring
Assess Masking Costgrowth

Assess Masking Cost

Quantify the energy used to maintain a social or professional persona.
⏱ 1m⚡ low
Internal Weather Monitoring
Activate Body Doublegrowth

Activate Body Double

Work in the virtual or physical presence of others to anchor your attention.
⏱ N/A⚡ medium
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Prime Tactile Anchorgrowth

Prime Tactile Anchor

Hold a sensory object to ground the impulse to flee during complex tasks.
⏱ N/A⚡ low
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Gamify Mundane Tasksgrowth

Gamify Mundane Tasks

Set a time trial to beat the clock by 10% on boring administrative work.
⏱ N/A⚡ medium
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Filter Must vs Shouldgrowth

Filter Must vs Should

Select maximum 3 'Must' items from your captured tasks to reduce fatigue.
⏱ 5m⚡ medium
Impulse Capture Architecture
Exteriorize Emotional Wallgrowth

Exteriorize Emotional Wall

Write down the specific reason a task feels 'awful' to dismantle shame.
⏱ 5m⚡ medium
Impulse Capture Architecture
Record Wet Awarenessgrowth

Record Wet Awareness

Use voice assistants or waterproof pads to capture insights in transient environments.
⏱ 1m⚡ low
Impulse Capture Architecture
Walk Green Gapsgrowth

Walk Green Gaps

Step outside or look at greenery to replenish directed attention fatigue.
⏱ 10m⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals
Lower Sensory Baselinegrowth

Lower Sensory Baseline

Use noise-canceling headphones and an eye mask to reset from overload.
⏱ 5m⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals
Trigger Dive Reflexgrowth

Trigger Dive Reflex

Splash cold water on your face to instantly activate the vagus nerve.
⏱ 1m⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals
Review Daily Spoonsmastery

Review Daily Spoons

Identify which tasks drained the most energy to optimize future loads.
⏱ 2m⚡ low
Internal Weather Monitoring
Forecast Capacity Weeklymastery

Forecast Capacity Weekly

Predict likely Red energy days based on your meeting load and rhythms.
⏱ 10m⚡ medium
Internal Weather Monitoring
Shift Physical Contextmastery

Shift Physical Context

Move to a different chair or room to reset your attentional spotlight.
⏱ 2m⚡ low
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Gate Auditory Inputmastery

Gate Auditory Input

Use Brown or Pink noise to mask distractions and signal work mode.
⏱ N/A⚡ low
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Perform Weekly Sweepmastery

Perform Weekly Sweep

Sort all captured notes into your secondary memory system to maintain trust.
⏱ 20m⚡ high
Impulse Capture Architecture
Declare Tab Bankruptcymastery

Declare Tab Bankruptcy

Collapse all open browser tabs into a list to clear visual clutter.
⏱ 2m⚡ low
Impulse Capture Architecture
Alarm Cozy Timemastery

Alarm Cozy Time

Set an alarm for starting your evening comfort ritual to prevent procrastination.
⏱ 2m⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals
Rhythm Box Breathingmastery

Rhythm Box Breathing

Execute a 4-4-4-4 breathing cycle to regulate your autonomic nervous system.
⏱ 2m⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals
Detect Dysregulation Alertstitan

Detect Dysregulation Alerts

Identify physical signs of overwhelm immediately to stop the shame spiral.
⏱ Immediate⚡ low
Internal Weather Monitoring
Set Hyperfocus Alarmtitan

Set Hyperfocus Alarm

Establish external biological maintenance cues during prolonged deep work sessions.
⏱ N/A⚡ medium
Energy-Matched Task Selection
Label Memory Liestitan

Label Memory Lies

Recognize the thought 'I will remember that' as a lie and capture it.
⏱ 5s⚡ low
Impulse Capture Architecture
Execute 20-20-20 Ruletitan

Execute 20-20-20 Rule

Every 20 minutes look 20 feet away for 20 seconds to relax your eyes.
⏱ 20s⚡ low
Regulated Recovery Intervals

Sources & References

External reading that informed this stack.

4 links

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