The Denominator

Mind Bullet Monday: The Denominator » The Habit Mastery Workshop

“The pleasure isn’t from the activity—it’s from your brain’s calculation of how much more there is to do.” ~Dr. K

Ever feel like no matter how much you accomplish, it’s never enough?

You’re not lazy or broken.

You’re probably caught up in the mathematics of misery.

We’re calling this episode The Denominator for a reason.

Recently, YouTube neuroscientist and psychiatrist Dr. K (from the HealthyGamer channel) addressed one of the most misunderstood emotional conditions today—anhedonia: the inability to feel joy in life.

His insight, after reviewing a recent study on his YouTube channel?

It’s not just about what you’re doing—it’s what you think remains undone.

In short, the denominator is your mental chatter—story—about everything that remains unfinished.

It’s the looming, pending, unresolved business that intensifies overwhelm and, in the process, diminishes your ability to feel good.

And when nothing feels good, people begin to shut down—motivation disappears.

This maps eerily well to a core concept within The Pressure Paradox™, where pressure—in the psychological sense—is often referenced as Force divided by Area.

That’s right. It’s the same as the physics formula for pressure:

P = F / A

By the way: you’re not alone if you’re thinking, “Slow down MG, we shouldn’t be conflating physics and psychology!”

DeepSeek AI said the same thing to me.

Until it (he? she?) did.

(See the bottom.)

In The Pressure Paradox™, the denominator—Area—represents one’s available resources: skills, time, energy, capacity, money, etc.

The smaller the denominator, the greater the pressure. The larger it is, the more the force is diffused—and thus, the pressure is mitigated.

When anyone is short on time, energy—even emotional bandwidth—and staring down a mountain of unmet goals—pressure spikes.

Their story? One of insufficiency.

Anhedonia and the Hidden Math of Misery:

Since we think predominantly in terms of stories (see EVERYTHING), our brains script everything in real-time—call it “Thought 2.0.”

According to the study Dr. K references, dopamine release is based on this calculation:

Progress ÷ Perceived Total Work

Perceived being the operative word.

If you believe you have 30 units to address and you’ve only made 1 unit of progress, his point is clear:The dopamine release is marginal—1/30.

The larger the denominator—the imagined, storied workload—the flatter and more joyless the experience becomes.

And, here’s where things get interesting.

Dichotomy Collapse

(Bridging Present & Future)

How often do we talk about dichotomous thinking on this show?

Almost as much as we talk about P.A.R.R.

It turns out, P.A.R.R. addresses this precise phenomenon:The tension between being present and active (low denominator) and planning for a future goal (big denominator).

Dr. K shows how an oversized denominator—thinking in massive time scales like years or decades, paired with big goals—kills dopamine release and leaves us feeling numb.

P.A.R.R. breaks this dilemma down.

It shifts that “unsurmountable” thinking from impossible to simply directional—that’s the destination.

Today, we made progress.

When following P.A.R.R., the denominator becomes just the “Target Day.”And that’s it.

P.A.R.R. encourages you to hold a long-term vision and stay grounded in today’s focused action.

By checking off our habits in the present, we feel good, stay present, and still move toward long-term goals.

The denominator is reduced to that day—while we hold on to the long-term vision.Nothing is surrendered.

For 15+ years, P.A.R.R. has been bridging this gap—and, according to science, addressing this denominator unknowingly.

P.A.R.R. — The Method

Plan: Identify a meaningful habit—or three—aligned with your goal. Set your target days and minimum success criteria (MSC).

Act: Execute in small, manageable steps.

Record: Track it daily, using binary metrics (1 or 0), and take brief notes.

Reassess: Review after 28 days.

P.A.R.R. helps people feel great—by shrinking the denominator.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe