Dopamine, Money, and Value

Sunday Ideas — Edition #1

Welcome to the first edition of Sunday Ideas, a new format I’m trying out during the month of March.

Every Sunday, I’ll share three ideas related to the core topics we discuss in this newsletter so you can start your week aiming to become an even smarter engineer.

Here are the ones for this week:

1. Understanding dopamine as a tool for achieving your goals.

2. Non-conventional ways to make money as a software engineer.

3. How to market yourself for the value you provide instead of the time you invest.

Let’s dive in!

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1) The Dopamine Success Formula

Believe it or not, your brain is wired to reward progress, not just big wins.

And in a world of instant gratification, it’s easy to sabotage your motivation without realizing it.

That’s why so many people feel stuck, unmotivated, or constantly distracted.

Luckily, you can train your brain to stay motivated—without relying on willpower.

Here are 3 tips to stay motivated and achieve your goals:

1. To stay motivated, track small wins every day, because dopamine rewards progress, not just big achievements.

2. To avoid motivation crashes, cut social media and notifications since they drain your brain’s ability to focus on real work.

3. To make deep work easier, use small rewards like a walk or coffee afterward to train your brain to crave effort.

You can go deeper into all the exact strategies, benefits, and mistakes people make in this previous article 👇

The Dopamine Success Formula: 3 Tips to Stay Motivated in a Distracting World

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2) Non-Conventional Ways to Make Money as an Engineer

I can only list out the ones I’ve tried and have worked for me:

1. Starting a tech Substack newsletter even if you have no prior experience as a writer.

2. Get paid to write LinkedIn posts for your company even if you don’t have a degree in marketing and sales.

3. Get referral bonuses for recommending friends for positions you (absolutely) know they will get.

More on why these work and my own experiences on this previous post 👇

3 Non-Conventional Ways to Make Money as a Programmer (That Actually Work) 💰

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3) Marketing Yourself for the Value You Provide

Most people think their salary is based on skills or experience—but in reality, it’s based on how well they communicate their value.

If you want to 2x your salary, you need to tell a better story about what you bring to the table.

Here’s how to do it in 5 simple steps.

1. First, you need to be clear about the biggest impact you’ve made in your role.

2. Second, you have to stop describing what you do and start explaining why it matters.

3. Third, you have to create a short, powerful statement that sells your value.

4. Fourth, you should make your impact visible before it’s time to negotiate.

5. Finally, you must negotiate based on your results, not just the time you spent.

If you don’t position yourself as a high-value asset, your salary won’t reflect your true worth.

You can go down the rabbit hole on this previous post 👇

Your Salary is a Reflection of the Story You Tell About Your Value

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And that’s it for today!

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Have a great day,

Alberto