B1ggl3fty

New goal. 30 days without youtube, reddit, porn, and alcohol. Have already gone 14 days or so without porn, but I'm not here just for numbers, im here for results so ill count it as a lump and see what happens. Also, I don't care if this journal is just me, it helps to be accountable to something. Day 116 without games by the way. Win.

Day 98) GOAL! I made it to 90 days. I feel minimal urges to game. On to new goals!

3/31/18 Day 80) Still off of games, drinking less alcohol, and working hard on reducing media consumption/controlling it. Starting to get excited I'm finally making it.

3/11/18 Day 60) Games are still easy to stay off of. I'm doubling down starting now to stay off of porn and youtube, because it sucks up so much of my free time. Its not like I don't have other activities in place, I do. So its just about staying off that information stream.

1/25/18 Day 47) Still no video games. Chugging along. Like Cam has said, its not a magic fix, and you have to fill your life with useful and meaningful alternatives. Working on that part.

1/11/18 Day 33) Still no video games. Still working on task prioritization and transitions. It takes a while for these things to sink in with me. Trying to reign in the alcohol and sleep a bit. Been really outgoing. Started therapy.

1/3/18 Day 25) Getting better at task prioritization (basically, school stuff for tomorrow, and the near future before anything besides health) and transitions (speed between changes of settings and tasks). Long way to go there, but feeling more useful and productive.

1/29/17 Day 20) Status Quo. No games, but not very productive. Trying to make time for sleep and respawn, seeking friend and professional counseling. Things are ok, but want them to be good.

1/23/17 Day 14) Still able to find ways to procrastinate without youtube, games, porn, etc. Going to try to augment my to do list by ranking and organizing them and only allowing myself to do my daily tasks in the order i assign them. I tend to eat around the center task, instead of taking it out head on and then cleaning up the small, less important tasks. Swallow the frog, as they say.

1/18/18 Day 9) Games, still not playing them. Noticing still that my media consumption is focused around video games. I'll watch game comedy channels a lot. Its clearly a bigger part of my life than I used to think. I'm still pretty sure I want to eliminate that. At the very least to prove that I can, and I've never done that. School starting to ramp up, hopefully that helps me buckle down and kick some bad watching habits.

1/14/18 Day 5) friend wants to watch gaming related videos, and I realize that even my media consumption is geared towards video games. My deeper knowledge of history of an area is in video games. I need to relinquish this and start exploring new "areas" of interest and expertise. Quitting video games going ok so far. Trying to be productive now, successful to some degree. Working slowly through respawn.

1/11/18 Day 2) having mild urges to find a new game to play that "would be different" and that I would "be able to control" but I know thats not reasonable, and I only ever get any real fulfillment from playing with real friends, and usually in person. Not even online do I get the fulfillment I get from being in person with them, just watching them game. I have to conclude that I really want human contact, and the games have simply been an ineffective medium. I have a decent social life, but I have this ingrained pattern left over. Youtube urges strong, able to resist. Going to go to bed fairly early tonight, recovering from an illness.

I could be embarrassed to be back yet a third time, but I'm not going to let that stop me from trying again. Here we go. This time I went ahead and purchased Respawn, I have already sold all gaming systems and this computer can barely run any reasonable game if it wanted to. I'm lumping in youtube with my gaming challenge, because unlike netflix or hulu it gives you constant variety and quick spikes at a high speed. Going to focus on consistency of this journal, and completing Respawn.

I've been doing pretty well actually. I think what I'm leaning towards naturally is stepping away from the forum and internet answers searching in general for a while and focusing on what I know. I know quite a bit about what I need to do, I don't need any more help from the internet right now. I will definitely post updates from time to time, but I'm no longer going to feel bad that the posts aren't regular. Hopefully I can go out and find some insight to share with people starting their journey.

Do any of you all struggle with the FOMO (fear of missing out)? I am so used to being connected that I'm torn in two. A huge part of me wants to be on facebook, text people for no reason, watch youtube videos, play games, watch all the sporting events, just so I wont miss anything that I could relate with to other people. Another part of me realizes that non of that matters, consuming content for the sake of content is pointless, and I should be proactive and choose what I want to include in my life, nothing more than what I need and a few things I want because I genuinely enjoy them. I've certainly been texting less, and calling more. I've been off facebook. Youtube use way down. Gaming solo hasnt happened in about 2 weeks. Its like a battle of logical freedom and the matrix of content. My brain feels like a tug-o-war chain.

I appreciate the responses guys. We have gone on walks in the past and I like them. I think we will start utilizing the porch more often, just sitting outside with maybe a glass of wine and talking. Chris I definitely understand what you are saying about codependency, I have been working on that big time myself. I really like the book no more mr. nice guy. Its basis is a little bit too psychoanalytical for my tastes, but the practical advice stands very true to me. Being a strong individual with boundaries who puts his needs first is something I strive too. I currently am not making very much money, so going out very often is semi limited, but there are public spaces, and Once a week won't break the bank. I'll start trying some of these ideas. Thanks guys!

Day 9) Still going along, not gaming seems easier each day, and consuming content in general is the overall goal. Tomorrow I have a half day. I have a test to take, but I'll likely finish up by 530, with 5 hours or so to go. I could immediately start work on my essays, but I have a feeling I will want a break. I am good during the day with working out and being outside, but the evening is where I lack activities. Especially with my girlfriend. We really fell into the habit most couples do where we just turn on the TV when we unwind. Thoughts?

Definitely agree with Thomas. Establishing new habits and activities is crucial. I would also add that being able to be bored, and be tired and be ok with that is something you should become comfortable with. Notice your impulse to game whenever you feel bored or under-stimulated. Always remember, you came all the way to this forum, it wasn't a short mental journey to get here. If you need help to stop gaming, thats a good sign you should stop gaming.

keep up the good work. Establishing those new habits are key!

For me, it got much more concrete than that. Just like with gaming, I realized that even though I wanted to stop, I was unable to. So I had to change my environment to make it easier to stop. I found that uninstalling games was too much, because I would just reinstall them. Or blocking websites all together made me just delete the content blocker. But, when I added a password to the content blocker so I could use youtube, but had to enter a password (gamequitters) into the site each time i wanted it to load, I severely cut down on wasted time. Same with the one game I was trying to get over, rocket league. I would uninstall steam, but then just reinstall it. However, now my friend and girlfriend know the password to my steam account. So if I want to play a game with one of them, they have to enter the account password. For me, that's what worked. I also changed where my desk was, where I read, and where i spent time when i was trying to be productive. Establishing new patterns and habits is what has really helped so far, nothing to do with motivation or drive. Just something to think about trying!

Good luck to you buddy. Doesn't matter if it takes one try or ten tries, or if it sticks or just opens your eyes, 90 days will be worth it!

Day 3) Had a few instances when Cam's advice in the many videos I've seen came in useful. First of all the concept of stopping consuming content has been hugely eye opening, and I realize not just how much I have NEEDED gaming, but how much my body NEEDED stimulation via surfing, netflix, facebook, reddit, youtube, porn, etc... its a cycle of hyperstimulation that kept my brain in a constant fog, unable to hear myself think. I'm serious, I was amazed to feel my brain being bored and forming coherent thoughts in english, not just general emotions. Secondly, I took from what to do after the detox ( I know I havent completed it yet) is that when I was feeling at the end of saturday that I had done a lot and deserved a game break, I was reminded that A) I dont want to feel that way and B) I only got so much done because I avoided those things, and I know the habit loop that that will lead to. Basically, I'm feeling a lot more prepare for success this time around. Here's to a week at a time getting better and better.

The habit loop Charles Duhigg is a great alternative way of approaching self discipline and motivation. It shows how slight modifications in your immediate environment can be used to influence your own behavior, making you do what you want yourself to do!

Hey all, I'm back. I don't really want to dive into why I failed or what I can do going forward. I'm trying to stay off the grid as much as possible. But I think this site can still help me, and I'm really expanding my stop gaming journey to include youtube, netflix, browsing, and content consumption in general. Some positives since i left. I've been porn free for 120+ days now. My sex drive has normalized, I'm not constantly thinking about it but I'm more easily aroused by real world interactions with my girlfriend, or seeing a pretty lady etc. I've also lost 26 lbs since January, I'm down to 214 and hope to hit around 205-210, whatever ends up being a healthy low weight for me. I'm giving this a go again, because I really believe in my potential for exceptional productivity, achievement and social connection if I am able to cut out these mindless content consumption habits. Also, I am making a big push for this for my brain health, as I still have lingering symptoms from 2 concussions I suffered 2 years ago, and am hoping less screen time, more sleep, and a healthier lifestyle will help me get back to things I love like basketball and other sports. Here's to getting up and trying again.

I really loved this video Cam. I really have to hand it to you, your video making skills and your insight in those videos has definitely sharpened over time. I can tell you have been working hard at them. This video is spot on, I did this for years now. I my knowledge base is clearly sufficient to complete the task, but I find myself still searching for new information. In summary, great stuff man!