SlackRamen

@Parkreiner I totally understand this! I find that by the time it's 10am it almost feels like it should be dinner time. I've just got that much done in the 4 hours I've been awake. I don't think you're messing up at all. As long as you're not playing games, you've won the day right? Incrementally that 1% improvement adds up big. If you're starting where you are (100% of your current you) and you improve by 1% every day, after a year you'll be 3778.34% of what you currently are. Although it's impossible to give yourself a total value, I find it inspiring to think about. Just focus on today's 1% today, and tomorrow's 1% tomorrow.

@zeke365 I ended up watching What's Your Passion, which was what I was referring to when asking whether you voice acted for it. You did a really good job with it. I would've believed you if you said you paid a professional to voice it. "Is this something I want to see?" I think that's such an important question to be asking, and I'm sure if you put your mind to it, work that you enjoy will come to you. I'm open to and respecting of all faiths. It's great that you've got something to lean on when things get tough, and to inspire you. Faith is a powerful thing. 21 days and the habit is broken! That's one step closer! What better way to celebrate than with new shoes? Keep it up!

Great to have you here @Bujo!

After watching Module 6 I've been eliminating triggers around anything game-related. However, I got stuck removing triggers in relation to mobile gaming. I have an iPhone and a big problem for me was downloading an onslaught of games from the App Store. Is anyone familiar with ways in which I can remove this trigger? The problem is I can't delete the App Store from my phone. Even if I could, I would occasionally need to download an app for everyday use, such as Google Calendar which I downloaded yesterday. On opening the store, there are advertisements for games everywhere. I'm curious as to whether this is similar to YouTube's related content, where if I delete my download history they will stop targeting me with games. A quick search online has provided me with an option to set a restrictions passcode, mainly aimed at parents preventing their children from downloading content. This is a feasible option, where I could enlist my family or girlfriend to keep the passcode confidential, meaning I would need to go through them in order to download anything. They would have to be there in person to enter the code in so it doesn't go through me however. That's why an accountability partner wouldn't work. There's no way I know of to limit the passcode for only certain purchases. Searching also led me to another, slightly more bizarre workaround. I'm experimenting with putting my phone in black and white to reduce my addiction to it. Here's a quick video about it. So far so good. My phone is seriously boring now. Instagram, the App Store, even just the home screen have become boring. Does anyone have any tips? Has anyone battled with mobile gaming addiction and won? Edit/ I just updated to ios 11, and now it's even worse. There's a dedicated tab for games alongside apps, rather than hiding them away in categories. Is Apple trying to get us all addicted?

@thehondasc00py Firstly can I say, I'm loving the intensity! I'm totally feeling it smack me right in the face through the computer screen. WHAM. Reading through your first week, we're connecting on a lot of levels here - personal development, keto diet, Asia gap year, falling on Netflix when trying to stop gaming, chocolate binges... You're not alone. I'm going to be following your progress with the X Effect excitedly. I've never heard of it before, but it sounds and looks promising. If it works out I'll need to give it a go myself. In other news, curiosity has taken hold. You mentioned you acquired two pieces of art from Ebay. Do you collect art? I've just never heard of anybody buying art from Ebay. Hey WIP, this really stuck out for me, I'd love some more elaboration on this. Planning to for when things inevitably get hard sounds smart. How would you go about doing this? Do you sit down and focus on coming up with some backup plans, similar to Cam telling us to have a backup activity for each category? Are you trying to anticipate for failure that may arise or are there any tools you use in the process? I have no idea how to be one of those, but so long as it doesn't require too much time, I'm in.

Day 2 Quote I’m pondering: “You don’t decide on your future, you decide on your habits, and your habits decide on your future” - Charles Poliquin Three things I’m grateful for: I’m grateful for the opportunity to call my girlfriend, who’s in Denmark right now.I’m grateful for my local library and the services and space it provides for me to use.I’m grateful for the community here on Game Quitters. Today was the first day I really had a chance to look around the forums, and I loved everything I found. Three amazing things that happened today: I decided to go to my local library for the first time in about 15 years. I got the idea while working through module 4 where Cam’s example for a change in environment is to go to the library. It got me thinking. I have a local library where I can go to write and read and do focused work, and I’ve never taken advantage of that. In fact, I’ve often searched the house for rooms that I can move my work to just to stop always being in my room. How have I not done this sooner. It was a great decision. Thanks Cam.I downloaded Google Calendar on my iPhone. Yes, I’m counting that as an amazing thing. Module 5 was all about time management, my nightmare. I was tempted to skip the action steps for this one. I watched the video and agreed with what was being said, but my body wanted to do anything but what was being asked of me. After a bit of fighting I decided to give it a shot. My calendar is a work in progress, but I found a few events to add to it related to my activities I came up with during earlier modules. I think that’s pretty amazing.I head to the park straight from the library to do a workout, and got all the way through it. Arriving home, I jumped into a cold shower and felt AMAZING.One way I could have made today better: I could have made today better by trusting more in my instincts and getting out of my room sooner. I really wrestled with the idea of going to the library for what could have been an hour. My gut said yes, but I was trying to rationalise how my laptop is just as good in my room, and I wouldn’t need to leave to be able to do any work. I ended up showering, debating some more, snacking (which seems to be a backup tool against stress when gaming doesn’t work) and then finally got some lunch together and set off. I’m more than happy with the outcome, but next time I’ll be more trusting so I can get there sooner. Notes: I’m happy with how the day went, and I feel like I got a lot done. I’m considering whether I’ll track my morning routine in each of these journals as well, to see how I can add to it and improve it over time, and in case anybody is interested. Also, I’m going to be changing up the format of these journal entries at times depending on what I think is working/not working. Each part is there for a reason, based on what I think has worked for others. If there’s anything people would like me to be reporting on in particular let me know and I’ll add it in. Here’s a quick rundown of each part in case you’re interested: Quote I’m pondering - The idea came to me as I reading an email I received today with the quote from Poliquin. I thought the quote was really relevant to not only where my thoughts are at the moment, but also to Game Quitters in general. I thought those of you reading might enjoy some of the ideas I come across.Three things I’m grateful for and amazing things - I took both of these from the 5 Minute Journal. I find it much more beneficial to be specific with this. Rather than writing what I’m grateful for each day (which allows me to cop out and only think of one thing) I decide to write exactly three. This also works the other way around, preventing me from being intimidated with having to write everything down if I’m grateful for 100 things on a particular day.One way I could have made today better - This was actually also adapted from the 5 Minute Journal, but I decided to be specific and limit myself to a single improvement. The idea is to prevent me from going off on all the negative aspects of a day. I’m forced to consider not necessarily the worst thing that happened, but the most actionable thing for me to work on immediately improving.

I know right! I'm really feeling blessed the opportunity arose. It kick started my momentum tenfold. The forum is such a great resource, you've done well to cultivate it into what it is. Nature will be where I retreat to when I need some time out. It always seems to help. The Blue Mountains are great! I hadn't heard of the Ultra Trail before, so I did a quick search. Entries open in 6 days! But wow, I'm impressed. Are you planning on running the 100km? As for good spots, I don't know if I have any notes. Yesterday I was dropped off at Springwood, so I did a small hike there down past Perch Ponds. I'm not too familiar with Springwood, as I would normally explore around Katoomba, Blackheath or Mount Victoria.

Thanks for the kind words @dahankus. I believe we can both make it to where we want to be, one step at a time.

I was just thinking how perfect the Sydney weather was myself! How great that there are at least two of us here representing Sydney. Reading your last few posts inspires me to run a marathon myself! I've tried an obstacle course race in the past and loved it. Even if you didn't hit your target time goal this time, think of it as a stepping stone. After a few more marathons you'll probably be aiming for a goal much much faster. I'm confident you'll get there. Also, I'm a big fan of your countdown timers for various events. Can I ask what the red 208 days to go is for? I'm curious and don't really want to sift through 16 pages of posts to find the answer. Meanwhile, I'm geeking out over your morning routine. I've always felt better from waking up early and getting a good start to the day, even when that start was a few hours of gaming. I like that you called yourself out on prioritising small tasks and that you're planning to change that. Some tips I use for being more grateful that might help: Start by saying "I am grateful for..." out loud. I am grateful for... I am grateful for... Let it sit in the air for a moment, then repeat as many times as necessary until something follows. Don't let the idea of it being silly stop the words coming out. If you're sitting in a chair while doing the exercise, you might be grateful that you have a bum to cushion your seat, or a chair with 4 legs (wouldn't it suck to have a chair with only 3, or 2?) If you're walking, you might be grateful for the feet that carry you forward, or for the sensation of the wind against your skin.Have a few categories of things you can be grateful for, and decide that you will be grateful for a different one each time. My three categories are:People - Think of a relationship that you're grateful for. Objects - Something that is around you at the time, like a shoe or a pen.Opportunities - What did you get to do today that you enjoyed? What's coming up later today? Tomorrow? Next week?Make something up. Seriously if all else fails, just name what you see in front of you. "I'm grateful for my computer. I'm grateful for the window. I'm grateful for this pizza." The idea is to get some bad ideas out in the open to allow the good ones some space to breathe. Who knows, you may even surprise yourself and realise you actually are grateful for such an insignificant thing.

@zeke365 I watched some of your animations, they're really good! Did you record your own voice for the voice-over? Back in high school I was really into animation, so I appreciate the work that you've put into it. I like the concept of using Leech-Block to restrict your access to certain websites to weekends only. How have you found it to work for you? Would it be something you would recommend? Out of curiosity, what is the faith-based stuff that you're listening to and watching? Is there a particular video or audio track you use consistently? Reading through your journey over the first 20 days has been really cool. It's amazing to see the change, and I especially love how you're coming up with a plan, experimenting, and then reporting back with things to change. Really really great work. Your analogy of life to a game is a fun one that I like to use. It helps me have patience in my skill acquisition, and reminds me to celebrate on my achievements more. Have you heard of SuperBetter? Right now it may feel like your life is a chess game against a grandmaster, where every move you make seems to be a mistake. Don't let it paralyse you. Firstly, we aren't following the normal rules of chess. We aren't given a set number of pieces when we are born and that's it, and our pieces can't be taken and eliminated from the game. Instead, we build and improve our pieces as we go, every move strengthening our pieces in some way. Secondly, our version isn't a 1v1 game. I believe the rules of the game are more accurately aligned with filling the board up with as many cool looking pieces as possible, working together with rather than against everybody else. Just my thoughts. Anyway, thanks for sharing your journal so far with us, I look forward to reading more.

@thehondasc00py I love your track! The beginning was a little quiet - I had to make sure my sound was working. Really chill though, something I could listen to for hours. My only wish is that it was longer. It's great to read about the joys of creating, and I'm enjoying your haiku sign-offs. Keep it up! P.S. To get the tag function to work I type @ and wait about 2-3 seconds, then begin to type the first few letters of their username. A helper should pop up and from there you can select the person you want to tag. If it doesn't work, delete the @ and try again, waiting a little longer.

I got really into podcasts a few months ago and had dozens I subscribed to and tried to work my way through. My brain felt pretty all over the place as I stuffed it full of episodes to keep up with all the newly released episodes. Not something I would recommend. Now I've narrowed my list down to my top 3. The Tim Ferriss Show - I've linked to his most popular 10 episodes, which are a great place to start. Tim Ferriss brought me into the world of podcasting, and his content doesn't disappoint.London Real - I found out about London Real through his interview with Ido Portal, and have since taken a liking to it. Have It All - From the Guy behind TEDRadio (another great podcast for variety), this is all about getting to a 10 in every area of life.As for methods of digesting podcasts? Personally I've been converted to Overcast and haven't gone back. It looks great, has all the podcasts I want, and has a really clever Smart Speed functionality that I love. How does everybody else listen to their podcasts? @Andre2807 I didn't know Jocko had his own podcast! I listened to his interview with Tim Ferriss and enjoyed his book. I'm going to check this out. @thehondasc00py I've heard good things about the Joe Rogan Experience. You may have persuaded me to give it a go. @Brad_Hurst I've never heard of The Art of Charm, but you have me completely sold. It sounds bloody awesome.

40 days! Great work. It's inspiring to read your journey as someone who's just beginning.

Thanks @Andre2807! It's nice to be here.

Day 1 Time I went to bed yesterday - 9:46pm Time I woke up this morning - 6:00am Three things I’m grateful for are… I’m grateful that I could start the first day of my respawn with a lovely hike around the Blue Mountains.I’m grateful for the time I was able to spend with mum in the morning.I’m grateful I have a warm and cozy bed to curl up in tonight.Three amazing things that happened today… I decided spontaneously to join mum on her business trip, which turned out amazing!Emotions overflowed and confronted me while I was resting in nature, then they were still, and I felt at peace with them, which felt amazing!I ate an delicious breakfast at a small cafe called The Bunker. The flavours were amazing!How could I have made today better? Honestly today felt like it couldn’t have gone much better. One thing I would’ve appreciated was if I had made myself some lunch for the hike, but I didn’t have much notice so I’ll let that slide. Summary and emotions: In terms of Respawn content, I’ve slowly worked myself through to module 4. I’m very happy that I took the time to introduce myself on the forums before moving on. I had a feeling that if I powered through the course work all at once I may have not even looked at the forums. What a tragedy that would be! Being as my first day I was blessed with the opportunity to have a scheduled day away from the house and technology, I didn't have much time to actually go through the respawn course content. I'll post about my progress on the worksheets tomorrow. However, I'm happy I made it through the day free from gaming. I'll quickly add one experience that was surreal during the hike. I arrived at the destination, a small area of water with some scattered boulders, sheltered by the trees. All alone I sat there on the largest of the boulders with my journal (I had one lying around and decided to dedicate it to my respawn) and pen. I began writing, trailing off in thoughts every so often, when the emotions began to flow from nowhere. Fear, excitement, helplessness, joy. I didn't know what to do, so I just got sucked into it all. There was nowhere for me to hide, nothing for me to distract myself with. Cam said this would happen, but I didn't know it would feel this intense. Then, after god knows how long, it all faded into a sense of calm. I felt content with my emotions. I hadn't confronted them, tried to change them, or ran away. I was just with them, and it felt raw and scary, but also really amazing.

This sounds really interesting, count me in for the Sydney show!

@Cam Adair Thanks Cam! I'm from Sydney. What brings you to the land down under? @giblets Thank you for the welcome! I was actually just skimming through your journal for inspiration to start mine, so I was pleasantly surprised when you popped up here. Let's see to it that I don't waste that potential then.

Hi everyone! My name is Wayland, named after the master blacksmith of Germanic mythology. I'm currently 21 years old and living in Australia. My relationship with gaming over the past few years has become what I see as an unhealthy binge-diet cycle. I'm ready to put an end on this for good and move on. A brief history until now My first contact with gaming was through watching my friend play Mario on his Game Boy Colour. I knew I had to get my hands on one, but my father was somewhat adamant.Soon after, the Game Boy Advance was released and I miraculously persuaded my parents to buy me one. I think it was for my 7th birthday. In the later years of primary school, my friends were escaping to the library whenever they had the chance to play this computer game called Age Of Empires. Everybody would compete for a turn, and having a reserved nature, I mostly just watched. Inside I was burning to play.Later that year my parents surprised me with a copy of Age Of Empires so I could play at home. They probably thought I would learn some history from playing through the campaigns. I learnt more about strategy and how to cheat.Then came Runescape, my first experience of a game with community. I loved that I could talk to people with much more ease than at school. Talking obviously wasn't the best part though, because I stayed away from messaging services. At this point I would only be able to play at my father's office because we didn't have a computer at home. Until I got hooked on something better - Kongregate. This, along with the genre of strategy MMORPG's has been my number one sticking point. The site itself was the game to me, filled with hundreds of badges that consumed me and my inner perfectionist. It reminded me of my early Pokemon days as I attempted to "catch them all." I stopped playing games for their enjoyment, and instead lost myself in crossing off achievements. The second I had that badge I was moving on to the next. In high school my best friend got me hooked on Maple Story around the same time we finally got a computer at home. Hello sleepless nights. My parents began to show their dislike for me spending so much time gaming, so I was forced to work around them and hide my habits. This continued until my computer bugged out and we replaced it with a Mac. I said goodbye to good computer games. No more Maple Story.My other friend at school was avid about strategy games like chess, and together we stumbled on Dofus. This is where I first realised a game was consuming me, about 2009. My father somehow could work out when I was gaming instead of sleeping, so I needed to change tactics. I would sleep early and wake at 4am to get a few hours of gaming in before school. Then in the evenings I would game while pretending to do school work. I remember the game routinely recommending I take a break because of the hours I spent on it.In my last year of high school I knew gaming had to go, so I tried a detox. It worked, until exam stress ate me alive and spat me out the other side with the worst gaming binge I had experienced. School was over, and for the first time, I was waking up consistently after noon. I struggled with trying to shake its grip, detoxing for a few days only to binge even harder. Luckily I had an escape locked in.In 2014 I took a giant leap and went on exchange to Japan. In doing so I gave myself an ultimatum. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to go all out. A new life, a new person. I left my laptop at home and pushed through the year game-free. Success!Obviously it doesn't end there, or I'd be in the wrong forum. Coming back from exchange I've lost almost all my friends. It's a tricky period transitioning out of high school, and I hadn't kept much contact during my gap year. No problem, I was motivated and ready to kick ass. Entering my first year of university I did just that. I kept up a long distance relationship, did well in classes, and made a lot of friends. The school year ended, and I was absolutely burnt out. Enter huge massive relapse from gaming hell. The worst part? I couldn't find a single game that would satisfy the void inside me. What was I after?I couldn't do another year of that, so I deferred my study and took the year off working. Gaming slowly slipped back into my routine as I was working from home. The flexibility that was so great ended up being a curse in disguise. I began to fall in love with mobile gaming, as I couldn't seem to get any satisfaction from computer games any more.Then we arrive at today. Things have fallen through with work just as life has dropped some pretty big boulders on top of me. Splat. I've observed myself slip more and more into depression, where it gets difficult to leave the house at times. I will absorb myself in a new game I find completely, until it offers me less than no satisfaction - rather disgust that I've been so consumed - so I delete the game. Rinse and repeat. Why I'm here I have become desensitised to gaming. It now feels like a perverse addiction. Today, something made me type "stop playing games" in Google. That's when I found my opportunity in what Cam described. It rang true to me, to what I've experienced when most alive and to where I want to be. I've never bought anything so fast and with so little research. I know I have to invest in myself. Ultimately that's why I'm here, to become a better person, and because I want to spend my life making other people happier, not myself more depressed. Moving forward I tend to overdo things and burn my matches from both ends, which I'm going to be cautious of while progressing with this. Slow and steady wins the race as they say. This will be my primary goal, to patiently and consistently follow through with this rather than allowing it to fall through like previous attempts. I'm going to have to trust the process. Thanks for having me here everyone, and Cam for the work you've put in to make this possible. Deep breath. Here goes nothing.