AlexTheGrape

Attempt II Day 31 I just realised that I am more than 1/3 through the detox! Yay! Today has been another emotionally varying day for me, but only in small ways, being ok overall. I didn't get much work done, as I didn't use trello properly. I got my morning run done and daily guitar practice done, which is a plus. Even though I exercised twice today, I didn't feel much better after each one. I think perhaps I should chase the next runner I meet and see if we can pair up to run! I think the dull mood I had throughout the day was mainly because of lack of social interaction and staying inside. I got enough sleep though, which should have made it better... Tomorrow I'll just have to work outside or something to keep happier. What am I grateful for today? I am grateful to have nice scenery to run by during my runs and walks I am grateful to have the option and opportunity to improve my skills, such as learning to play a musical instrument. I am grateful to have the option to choose what job I'd like to have. What could I have done to make my day better? I could have stayed outside for longer to be happier throughout the day. One amazing thing that happened today: When I played guitar not long ago, I thought to myself 'practice makes perfect', so I just kept practicing a short song, 'Amazing Grace' until I was much more proficient at it. It was very satisfying to become better at playing something to become better at it whilst being able to notice my progress. I am using a lesson book I used to think that would not be sufficient for me, but it contains very useful material, so I hope to do some new pages of it every day! What I will do differently tomorrow: I will work outside and do home activities outside whenever I can to have a happier mood in general.

Congrats for finishing the Slight Edge! I am now reading The Power of Habit, which was one of the recommended books within the book I believe. It flows in nicely from the Slight Edge because you are introduced to how to make good habits stick, which relates perfectly with the other book as The Slight Edge is about making positive choices consistently. I have some classical music of my own, I find that it helps me think inquisitively and helps my thoughts flow better. Good to see you're benefiting from it. I'm glad to see you're doing well in the long run!

Attempt II Day 30 Today has been a mixed bag, but I am satisfied with my work and was able to resolve the issues that came my way. I can't recommend Trello enough. I wrote about it on Florian's journal. Thanks @Tom for suggesting to use Trello, I tried it out today and it worked like a dream! I especially enjoyed working in this format because I could picture it as an efficient conveyor belt type of production line, where the things that I got done were filtered, processed, and 'produced' by being completed. Today I got everything I wanted done, including submitting a job application, finishing my vision board, organising my volunteer work at school for the week, and planning out goals and milestones that I want to meet throughout the holidays. Please tell me if the @Tom link worked, I'm not sure how text links work on the forum. I forgot to thank you Elegwa for reminding me about photography earlier, so I'd like to take the time to thank you now. I'm glad you remembered to remind me, I would not have been able to do such a thing! I find the pairing up idea to be a really great one, I have read that adding the social element makes sure that both people stay committed for many reasons; one of them being not wanting to let the other one down by slipping up, and another being a competitive side to do better in the activity you are doing in common. In this case by pairing up game quitters, they may be further inclined to take more measures such as being more intentional with new activities, to make sure they have a stronger standing in quitting games. I unfortunately didn't get up to do my morning run, and instead just got up to turn off my alarm and flopped back into bed. I didn't get any more sleep, so was a waste of my time. I know that this was a bad decision in the end because I felt down for most of the day because I hadn't exercised and the lack of motivation that I derive from running resulted in me getting ready for the day at a snail pace. I will endeavor to do better tomorrow! What am I grateful today? I am grateful to have an abundance of spare time. I am grateful to live in a spacious property. I am grateful to have a consistent flow of support and advice from the Game Quitters community. What could I have done to make my day better? I could have gotten to bed earlier and had a run in the morning, this would have provided my with more energy to tackle the day and have more motivation. One amazing thing that happened today: I made up for not having my morning run by having a long one in the afternoon. I didn't expect to get a little sunburnt, but otherwise cheered me up for the remainder of the day; I had been feeling glum likely due to being inside all day. I jumped into the pool to finish off my run and was a great way to cool off and relax. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will go to bed earlier (for real this time!) and make sure to have a morning run, preparing the gear I need the day before to avoid laziness and ultimately to help avoid me not having the run.

Great to see you're back on track Joe! How you've dealt with your circumstances is just one of the hidden or unforeseen benefits of good habits. Your post was a timely reminder for me that developing good habits helps you in many more ways than the simple habit itself!

Thanks Florian, it is especially important to have something accomplished every day, I have felt guilty in previous holidays when I have gotten nothing done during the day, so I need to celebrate these small wins! I am trying out Tom's method of using Trello to compile all of the work I need to do and focus on what is necessary, and so far it is working well! This was I have identified the 5 most important things that I need to do today and have set out to accomplish them. One of those was completing my vision board, so I'll post it here. I'm just about to plan out what I want to do these holidays, looking at how much time I have during the holidays and to set out some goals in that way. Thanks for the motivation to get it started! Edit: I know my vision board lacks the depth of content you'd usually see, but I wanted to represent me at the moment and the path I wish to take at the moment, so I won't overwhelm myself with too much content on the vision board.

Here is my post for yesterday: Attempt II Day 29 Today I got a lot of work done in terms of finding a job, and has occupied most of my day. I didn't get round to playing guitar, and I don't have any excuses for that other than 'I was doing something productive'. I got a long morning run done, which was a big help starting my day well. I still need to devise a planning and visualisation tool. I have used Trello before for work documentation, but I don't think I would be using my computer enough to use it for to do lists. I will give it a go nonetheless, thank you Tom for your suggestion. I still have some gaming nostalgia, and would like to fill my time with the EU4 video game, but at the same time I don't wish to waste so much time during my holidays. As a self reflection I must keep intentional with my activities. I'll continue tomorrow with the same tasks: finding a job, cracking down on my to do list and working on building habits.`

Hi Tom, Nice to see you're doing well without games! It humbling to know that you still look at the positive side of things even when you have a frustrating or otherwise troublesome day. I'd like to know more about your pen pal. I remember having a pen pal when I was about 10, but I was incredibly lazy at the time and only did what I was obligated to because it was school homework. Is there a website I need to use or something? Is this one right? http://www.penpalworld.com/

Attempt II Day 28 Today has been rather uneventful, but is a good day nonetheless as nothing has offset my mood today. I got my guitar practice and some exercise in, which means I am making progress. I started to get to work on my website again by emailing my client with a barrage of queries. It's 10:55 PM so I'll have to cut it short now. I'll write out in my notepad the following things I'd like to get done tomorrow: -Devise and implement a planning and visualisation tool for compiling all of my 'projects', "to do's", goals, tasks, and any other form of long term thinking I have started within my time quitting games -Crunch down on my to do list -Get further towards finding a job. A small effort at least.

Attempt II Day 27 My story from yesterday: Today was the planned day to play Risk with a group of friends. It was a great time and I got to exercise my strategic mind that was craving such games (due to lack of video games to satisfy it). I dominated the game first, but was backstabbed a total of 3 times before coming to the eventual realisation that I shouldn't trust anyone. I barely survived but ended up winning at the end. With 5 players it was a very interesting game! Being the same people that I used to play Civilisation 5 with (video game), I was of course encouraged to play the game later on, and I am faced with the prospect of doing that again. I am wary of undermining the 90 day detox, but it might be a possibility to use somebody else's steam account to play just the one night, and then not use the account again (as they would only let me use it for that event). Any suggestions in regards to this? I got my guitar practice and run done, but didn't do the programming I was supposed to so I need to make sure that I do that tomorrow! I have gotten some photography done actually! I took many photos at and around the Auckland museum when I went earlier this week. What am I grateful today? I am grateful for the friends I have that I can talk to any time. I am grateful for receiving my Christmas present early so that I could play Risk with my friends. I am grateful to have money to spare from my own savings. What could I have done to make my day better? I could have done my run earlier in the morning so that I didn't have to do it late and compromise my sleep time. One amazing thing that happened today (in detail): The most exhilarating feeling I had today was when I conquered Europe on my first turn of Risk, and managed to defend it against other players by making alliances, peaces and threats to the other players individually so that they left me alone. I was at a huge advantage by having a large continent bonus, and had a great time playing the board game. This was a great moment for me because I was rewarded in a small way for organising the gathering and delaying gratification by not playing strategy video games. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will do a longer run to make sure I get the exercise I need.

Attempt II Day 26 I have well and truly surpassed my last 'high score' of staying away from games, and I am well on the way to finishing the 90 day detox. Here is my entry for yesterday: Today I played some Halo Risk with my brother after much convincing, and we found it quite fun. It was the first relaxing day I have had in a while, and spent a few hours adventuring around with my brother and two school friends. We went to the nearby beach, had dinner, then did our own bush walk (no track, just adventure!). Was a great time catching up with those guys. I played a good 20 minutes or so of guitar, and had done my morning run so did most of my daily 100 club obligation (I didn't make the time to do a full 15 minutes of python programming). Tomorrow my friends will be over for risk, which will be fun!

Attempt II Day 25 Cam, I don't really have any questions about not gaming in my holiday break (it's summer here in the southern hemisphere!) as I already know that I just need to keep myself occupied with other activities. I suppose I would like to know some good ways of finding a job (which is not very related to your question), but from what I hear, just going to places and asking is the best method. Today I went to the Auckland Museum to do something engaging that would kick off my holidays. It went very well, I learnt more about the history of New Zealand and got to see some very interesting exhibitions, two of which used virtual reality screening! (Using Oculus Rift of better quality headpieces). One of them was the battlefields of Gallipoli and others in World War II, built in Minecraft! I only stayed for a couple of minutes, but even so it felt lonely and reminded me of why I quit gaming in the first place, which is great for a recovering game addict like myself. I will write a plan for these holidays, detailing what I want to get done and by when. This way there will be less possibility of me procrastinating and less time to procrastinate. Before I went into the museum I made a friend named Zarek, who had just finished his music degree and was playing the guitar. He showed me a few tricks and we talked about ourselves, our future careers, and the big questions in life. He was doing a tour in parts of New Zealand, and he inspired me more to pursue my old skill of playing guitar. I realised a while ago that a lot of the new members that introduce themselves and start a journal never seem to post again, usually after a few days. I think this is likely to be due to relapse, and is sad to know that many aren't making it. That being said, I am grateful for this community being here. I was supposed to start my 100 club challenge today, but I didn't do much after I got home. I'll start tomorrow, punch me if I forget. What am I grateful for today? I am grateful for the opportunity to go to the museum I am grateful for having my own room I am grateful for having quality time to spend with my Dad during the day What could I have done to my day better? Getting better sleep, I just need to set more alarms on my phone and obey them. Three amazing things that happened today: I met and became a friend with Zarek, he might become real famous one day! I was able to experience virtual reality twice in one day! I wouldn't have thought that any museum would have contained such technology for constant public use. I spent lunch time with my Dad at an Indian restaurant, it was nice to spend quality time with him and try new tastes, even though I'd normally just get butter chicken. What I will do differently tomorrow: I will make sure to get the three activities I have chosen for the 100 club. I will write a plan to plan out these holidays

Here is my post for yesterday: Attempt II Day 22 I realised that I had done two Day 20s in a row so I am actually on day 22 now! Today was a productive day, I studied the last revision material for my organic chemistry paper I will need to take tomorrow along with another 2 chemistry papers. And another for today: Attempt II Day 23 I have now finished my exams for the year and school for me is now officially over! Now would be the time I'd usually jump onto my computer and become a couch potato for the rest of the holidays, but not this time! I have a list of things I'd like to do and need to get done, so I won't be able to say "I'm bored" for a while yet. I plan to go to the museum tomorrow and do a bit of exploring around the city. This is a sure fire way for me to get the engagement I need and the adventure side of it will enable me to experience the real world in ways much better than I would in the virtual gaming world. I am building a better foundation for quitting games forever this way, being more intentional with my activities like I failed to do last attempt. Once I get home tomorrow I will need to tackle the list of things I'd like to get done. Thanks Tom for the suggestions, I hadn't really thought about the specific types of songs to start leaning towards and playing styles to learn so it is good to get a good idea of what I'm actually working towards. I've heard that youtube is a good resource for learning, so I'll give it a go! Thanks Cam for the link, it looks like a good resource to get started with! I'll probably add some goals in the morning if I make the time for it (I am getting into the habit of replacing 'don't have the time' with 'haven't made the time' deliberately) as I need to get into bed now.

Attempt II Day 20 Today was an averagely productive day, but was great overall because I got 2 runs in and did better than normal for a study day at home. I tried a new method for studying: wear my bucket hat so that my field of vision is restricted mainly to my desk. I have found this is a sure method of focusing my attention to be where I needed, and not get distracted by looking out my window or at things in my room. I have focused on the good points in running, and I believe I am finding it faster to run in the morning, hopefully this will become a habit in the near future! It will be a keystone habit from where I can improve other areas of my life. I didn't achieve my goals done, I simply forgot about them! Again, I will need to be intentional with how I am setting and striving towards my goals, and to keep them a little more realistic if I know I will be at home for most of the day. Three things that made my day amazing: - Having a run by myself in the morning was a great way to energise myself. -Meditating in the morning helped me to clear my head, and seems to work really well for getting rid of drowsiness. -My Dad being around the house for most of the day. He is often very busy so even if he is being a couch potato at home it makes home more homely by having more people in it Something that I could have done to make the day better: I could have waited in bed for less before getting up, it really doesn't do any good to procrastinate. Goals for tomorrow: -Get at least 6 x 50 mins of study done, for real this time: -Write out my day plan whilst eating breakfast -Lights out by 8:50

It looks like you're well on track to creating the lifestyle you want! You've reminded me I need to get my vision board done. Its great to see that you're looking at every day in a very positive light, I need to do that with my own posts for the positive lifestyle i want. I find homeless people sometimes when I go to Auckland city, and I have conflicted feelings about homeless people. I feel empathetic for them but also am wary of them for fear of them. I also tend to be stingy with money, which is something I will need to change about myself in the long run. Just hearing of your experience puts my prejudices to rest because nobody deserves to be homeless, and they will likely have gone through hell to get there. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Attempt II Day 20 Today was an average day, but even so I feel relaxed which is a plus. I didn't go to school for revision today because of lack of transport and needing to bring loads of stuff to my mother's place. That being said, I am making my journal entry earlier than usual so I still have time to turn my lack of work done around, which I will continue with after this post. If anybody feels they need some more attention for their posts and is reading this, please let me know as I will be willing to provide support. The problem is I don't know who needs it most so I tend to just comment on somebody's journal that I am familiar with or somebody new. I brought over my guitar to my Dad's place, so I am prepared to start learning guitar again after my chemistry exam. Anybody know some good, free online resources for learning the guitar? I am thinking of ways to track my progress similar to that of a game to be more encouraging. Perhaps draw a house of 'my comfort zone', and as I learn new skills I will add more to the 'mind map' to show I am extending myself. If anybody has some ideas on this, I would be glad to hear of them! I realised that for the 90 day detox, I will not be able to play any games until once school starts next year, around the start of February. I normally played a lot of games during these holidays, so it will be similar to a culture shock for me to do absolutely none. I have some cravings to play my favourite games Civ 5 and EU4 but luckily I have been able to obsess over the Risk board game instead as I will be able to play it with my friends in less than a week. Hopefully this will satisfy my cravings for stategy games, but I know I still want to play 'just one last game' of Civ 5 with my old gamer friends that live nearby and I will want to just do a proper game of EU4 to completion as the Inca empire. I am getting some ideas about playing in moderation whilst improving myself through habits, but obviously this would a breach of the 90 day detox and I shall be trying to focus my attention away from such thoughts. I know that I can be a competitive and successful person, I just need to get myself out there so that I have competition and productive things to focus on. Goals for tomorrow: -Incorporate all my goals into my daily plan -Do at least 6 x 50 minutes of studying in the library at the bay. -Make two new friends, since I didn't make one on Thursday!

Attempt II Day 19 Here is my entry from yesterday: Today was a mildly productive day: I went to school to get study done, and study I did. I am becoming increasingly familiar with the concept that without planning, my work will be sub-par. I pretty much met my goal for work done. I didn't pack my p.e. gear in time so didn't do a workout. Due to the inconsistency at which I am working out, I think I should just focus on my other habits and do workouts whenever I need more exercise but have already done a run. I didn't meet my goal for making a new friend, so I need to be more intentional with my goals. I am in the process of reading The Power of Habit because I got bored of re-reading The Slight Edge (I will get back to reading it a second time later). Currently it is a very interesting read! I have also noticed that with my morning runs I have the urge to make new habits, which is mentioned in the book.

Hi Joe, I haven't lost a loved one before, but I have experienced close to it so I feel for you man. I reckon you should congratulate yourself with your ability to be so open with your mistakes and feelings, it takes courage to admit fault in ourselves. I wish to become a trustworthy and honest person, and surely identifying such things set you up for future improvements and success. I hope your week gets better for you, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, but be careful if it is a train you might be driving into this time haha. All the best for your days to come

Hi Jay, I'm sad to hear of your relapse, you were the one who gave me the most inspiration along my journey. Strangely you relapsed just a couple of days before I did, but at least you let the community know as soon as it happened. I still have cravings, but I know I will feel guilty if I give in to gaming, much like you may feel now. I'd recommend you take not of how you feel before, during, and after gaming to get a better idea of what you're getting yourself into. Don't give up in quitting games altogether! Resolving to "I'm not worried about it. Sooner or later I'l recommit to gaming." just leaves the door open to future procrastination, game addiction, and guilt. If you feel at all inclined to quit again, just do it. Even if you're just doing it to ameliorate your guilt. I hope the best for you and that you can just control the amount of time you spend gaming. The least you could do is spend 5 minutes on making a post here daily on how you're doing so that you can mentally check in with yourself on if things are going for the better or worse, and perhaps it could motivate you to do something better with your time.

Attempt II Day 18 I'm just a few days out from when I relapsed last attempt, now I need to smash my high score for quitting games! Today was unproductive in general, I wasn't able to go to school to study due to lack of transport so I just slacked off in general. I got about 2 hours of study done, which isn't the worst but I need a serious improvement tomorrow. I will make an effort to work out at the school gym tomorrow if it is open, and perhaps have a run around the school. I have been thinking of changing my diet, I would like to be eating healthier foods and have been more guilty about overeating, eating junk food, eating mostly meats and sugary foods. Does anybody have any diet recommendations? Didn't do any python programming today, despite having time by not doing work. I need to make sure that I crack down on putting in the effort after my final exam, and I am committed to doing this in the 100 club. Goals for tomorrow: -Get at least 20 minutes of working out done -Get 6 x 50 mins of study done -Make one new friend

Hi Torc, welcome to the community! I hope the best for you on your path to success!

Attempt II Day 17 I did really well in the physics exam today, I can now relax as I have only one exam to go. I have been ignoring the pain in my leg the past few days as I thought it would heal, but after my run this morning it felt like I have a joint problem. For now I'll just have to suck it up and pause my morning runs. I won Settlers Of Catan today, which was a plus. Now that I have more time, I will put extra effort into achieving my goals, meditating and other habits such as a gratitude journal. I'm thinking of putting up a chart where I can measure how well I am achieving my goals. I am grateful for my exam being a breeze today I am grateful for having only one exam left I am grateful for not having many chores or work that I need to do, I probably have too much leisure time without games taking it all up. I am grateful for always having a filling lunch. I know there are many out there in the world that don't have such luxuries. Missions for tomorrow: Do 10 minutes of meditation before school (on bus), 10 minutes in the middle of the day, and 10 minutes on the way home. Make at least one new friend Get at least 6 x 50 minutes of studying done Do lots of python programming, not so much lazing around at home!

Attempt II Day 16 Today was a good day because nothing bad happened. I believe I did rather well in my biology exam, and managed to get in some physics revision afterwards. I didn't get much revision done once I got home, but that's tolerable because I had a 3 hour exam. I have physics tomorrow so hopefully I will have fun with that. Thanks Tom for the suggestions, they really help! I actually played Settlers of Catan just an hour ago! We must have quite similar board game preferences. I will heed your advice in volunteering, I didn't think to check them out before offering my time, so I'll make sure to do that. I need to go to bed now so I'm keeping this entry short. I will have much more time for these and helping other game quitters after exams!

Attempt II Day 15 Today was not so fun, but a more productive day than yesterday. I found that a reason why I was finding revision so difficult was because I knew most of the content already! I have my biology exam tomorrow, so I'll give it my all. @Cam how much would you recommend the 30 day challenge from a non marketing perspective? I am on the right track, but perhaps getting myself a little more committed would help me stay on track. I organised for myself and 5 other friends to play some Risk in the holidays, which should be great! It will be a great alternative to playing Civ, and be much more interactive. I am also planning on purchasing the Game of Thrones edition for something new, the current Risk game I have is about 50 years old! I didn't achieve my goals today, they were a little unrealistic, and I didn't write them down. I have written down the following though, I have much more chance of remembering these now! Goals for tomorrow: -Do 2 x 50 mins of physics revision done -Do 20 mins of python programming -Make my 'dream board' that I still haven't done from respawn.

I have found that getting to bed earlier is much better for getting to sleep. Not only does it allow you to get more sleep time, but it won't disturb your 'body clock' like getting up later would. Getting up later can be a nasty cycle: get up later to get more sleep, go to be later because you're not tired. Get up even later, go to sleep even later. Get the picture? I'm wanting to do volunteering too! I'll sign up for an event on about the 26th. If you don't see it in my journal tomorrow, give me a swift kick and reminder! Since you're reading, I'd assume that you read in bed already. If not, reading in bed can help you get sleepier before falling to sleep, so it might be a good idea to allocate some time for that if you would like better sleep and aren't doing this already. Congrats on getting more than 1/6 of the way! I believe I'm on day 15 now.

Attempt II Day 14 Today was a lazy day on my part. Not good during exams! I didn't set an alarm for the morning or go to bed at the right time yesterday, which resulted in me getting up late, not having a run, and generally getting ready for the day slowly. I will need to make sure I don't do this on Fridays, where I am most susceptible to staying up late. I'll give it 110% for studying for exams tomorrow to make up for today. I forgot to mention a while ago that I signed up for the 100 club - I will be doing exercising, programming, and guitar playing for at least 15 minutes each, every day for 100 days. I'm starting on the 24th of November which is after my last exam, I hope this goes well! I have resolved my invitation issue: I have decided not to go to the Civ night and will arrange a time to play the Risk board game instead. I am interested in doing volunteering in my community, does anybody have any experience they'd like to share? Goals for tomorrow (I will write these down on easily accessible paper to remember): - Program python in the online competition (finishing the week!) - Start studying by 7:20 tomorrow - Get 9 x 50 minutes of revision done - Do a morning run for at least 20 minutes.