Suritus

Oh god, that is so true. You can always say "I'll stop after this one," or "I'll stop tomorrow," which I've done a LOT in the past Day 38 Not much to say, lectures, tutorials, gym. I have written a chapter for a fiction writing project, which I'm really excited about, and I'll be sending that to a friend later this week. I've also dealt with a few tasks and I'm excited for the weekend, because I'll be challenged to work on homework. I'm trying to see every day as an opportunity, instead of beating myself up for transgression. I'm also trying to be aware of my surrounding and thoughts, but this is not always easy. Tomorrow there's a party to which I'm tempted to go, but it's WAY out of my comfort zone We'll see. I've been feeling kinda empty these few days, and I'm not sure why. I suppose some days are just going to be like that. I found music to really help in those situations, especially music that inspires (for me it's Rise Against, which I might have linked before, I don't remember :D) What I've learned: Be okay with discomfort. There will always be things that won't be comfortable, and actually the more of them you experience, the better off you are. Thanks for reading Cam, can't wait to watch the new video

Days 36 and 37 I didn't post yesterday, for reasons I'll explain, so I'm doing a double post. Yesterday was an educative day. I was doing well for the most part, until I came home around 7. There was a new game that just came out, and it was on my radar for almost half a year. I didn't even think of not playing it, which was strange, but I suppose this was a while in the making. So, I downloaded it and played for 3 hours straight, from nine until midnight. I felt like crap afterwards, since I had to wake up early in the morning, but the only thing that really bothers me is the fact that I couldn't control myself. If I played until 10 and then went to bed, I would actually be okay with that, but the dopamine rewards kept coming until I REALLY had to go to bed. Oh well. I uninstalled the game in the morning, but I feel like something in me clicked again, and I was haunted the whole day today with thoughts about games. Our thoughts are really insidious, come to think of it. I was ruminating along the lines of: "You liked it so much, you can install it again. Everyone is playing games anyway. Games are exciting, you miss excitement." Good thing I was at the university, otherwise it would be a lot harder to resist. What I learned: The grass is always greener on the other side - our minds are extremely good at highlighting the things they want to see and hiding the things they don't. Today(37), was, as I mentioned, one of the worse days, but at least my lectures and tutorials were interesting. I'm going to an event later on today as well, so I won't be home and fall prey to the same thing as yesterday. I realized that as pressure builds in the university, I slowly start sliding into old habits, and I'm not sure how to deal with this. It's not all doom and gloom, and I have a lot of structure these days, to prevent me from sliding further, but I really want to solidify the habits I already have and stay on top of things. Again, easier said than done. What I learned: Writing is a good form of therapy. Also, looking for the positives. For example, the day I downloaded the game I also read a (quite boring) text for a class for an hour, exercising self control. Maybe that was one of the reasons for playing later Thanks for reading Have a good day everyone!

Awareness is the key. Sometimes we get a bit off track but it's more important how quickly we turn ourselves back around. What contributed to you starting strong and what's different now? That's where the magic happens I meant it more in a way that the first hours are easy, but then as time drags on, the resistance becomes greater and the temptations stronger I'm going to experiment with different techniques and see where I get. Day 35 This was a strange day. I started out well, gone to classes, studied in the library, went to the gym, my basic routine. Then I attended the meeting with our president, which was actually quite inspiring, as he told us how he went through some really uncomfortable times to get where he is now. After he answered a few questions, he left and me and a few friends headed into a pub for a while, which was fun. After I came from the pub, I arrived at the flat and tried to do some work, but I wasn't very successful. I should get out of the house more, although spending 20 minutes travelling each way makes me rather reluctant. I've also felt unhappy, but I'm not sure what was the reason for that. It comes and goes, I suppose. I've been having thoughts about playing games again, which I'm not happy about. At least I know the reason, and that is not enough excitement in my life. However, knowledge is one thing, application is quite another I'm going to try and come up with some ways to be excited, just so I feel better. What I've learned: Moods come and go, and although there are things that we can do to change them, some things are beyond our control. Accept the negative ones and relish the positive. Thanks for reading

Day 34 I've been mostly studying, and I don't think that's very interesting to talk about. I've started out really strong, but then kinda slid down and it took more time than it should've. It's still difficult to study for long periods of time, although I'm making progress. We had 12 degrees Celsius outside today, a nice spring weather It made me excited for spring again, since that's my favorite time of the year. It's not far away! I've also started to see more results in the gym, after a long period of stalling. The key is getting the form right, something I've always used to ignore. Not anymore! This week I have at least two events, and I'm hoping for more. It's getting slightly easier to go out, although I still have work to do What I've learned: Don't do things half-assed, don't do multiple things at once (Multitasking). By being focused on one thing at a time, you gain better results in the long term. Thanks for reading

Day 33 Not much to say about today. My life is boring No, to be honest, I've suffered from a lack of structure and didn't get much done. I finished a book for a book club, went to the book club and then did some of my homework. I struggle with procrastination, and if I'm not careful it'll get worse, because the assignments will get harder. Part of it was because the library was really cold though Next Monday there's a meeting at our school with the President of Slovakia, which I'm attending. It sounds really interesting, since I haven't followed politics much in the past few months. I hope my entries get more interesting in the following days, but I can't promise anything. What I've learned: Momentum. Once I sit down to my chair at home at night, it becomes extremely difficult to do anything else. I'll try to squeeze in a few more tasks in the evening before I unwind. Thanks for reading

Nice! We talked about this. Yeah it made me reconsider the courses I'm going to take in the future, but there's a lot of factors, so it's not easy. Here's Day 32 Another standard day. I've been at the university for most of the day, only coming home to eat and then back to the library. When I came home at 9, I turned off my brain and spent an hour browsing the internet. The struggle is real I've been daydreaming a lot in the past few days, thinking about the future and so on. I'm not sure where all of this leads, but the only thing to do is to keep thinking. As I said, my university obligations are getting more structured, and I have to focus more if I want to do well. It's way too easy to tab away from a math problem to a funny picture or a gif, but it's so important nevertheless. What I've learned: Increase the quality of your commitment, not the quantity of hours put in. An hour of focused study beats 3 of 'studying' Thanks for reading

Yeah, definitely. I'm on a really high wave right now, so the key will be showing up when I don't want to. Day 31 I'll be really quick because I have to run to a class, but yesterday (31) was almost perfect. I left the house at 10:40 and arrived around 22:20, and I spent the most of the day outside, in class, in the gym or out with friends. I was surprised to learn that an evening out was more energizing than staying at home reading, but that might be because of the greater level of stimulation I also made friends with a guy who is studying the same thing as me, only 3 years further, so I'm going to pick his brain when I get the chance I feel like I'm finally finding my tribe, and I couldn't be more excited for the future. There's a lot of schoolwork looming over the next few weeks, but that's okay. Better more than less, because I'm stretching myself and learning. I'm really grateful with how things are turning up, and this is all thanks to quitting games, taking a long, honest look inside myself, and the willingness to bear temporary discomfort. I wonder how things will be a few months down the line. What I've learned: There was a concept I read somewhere (I think it was the waitbutwhy blog), where the author argued that resources (time, money, energy) should be either invested or enjoyed. For me, this means something like work hard play hard, where time that isn't invested in studying, writing or reading or enjoyed with friends is likely not the best use of my time. Thanks for reading

Day 30 Things are looking up! I've made a couple of new friends over the past few days, and I think that kind of filled a hole in my psyche, at least a little bit. I've been feeling on top of things, and even stuff like a lot of schoolwork actually motivates me to pick up my slack and study. Wednesday is my busiest day, and even now when I'm back home at 7 40, I feel like I'm not done yet. I should be though, because my sleep schedule has not been ideal, and I've been waking up in the night here and there, which doesn't help my energy. I'm also procrastinating a lot when I'm at home, but sometimes I can't avoid being here due to food, if I don't want to be eating out all the time. So, I'm trying to strike a balance and recalibrate. I've been getting involved in one of the university societies, which is an awesome boost, and I wish I focused on it more in the past. Still, better late than never. I've been also thinking about games from time to time in the past few days. One thing I'm glad is that I don't really have the time for them right now, and won't have it until the end of March at least, so that serves as a safety net if things get bad. I don't think they will though, but who knows... What I've learned: Showing up is key. It's often the first step, and the more consistently you take the first step, the more consistently you can move on to the next steps. Thanks for reading guys

Thanks Day 29 I'm really tired, coming from the gym, so I'll keep this short again. Our university gym was PACKED today. New year, new me, I suppose I've had a standard day, going to classes, studying, reading and so on. In the evening, I met with a couple of friends and we discussed throwing a writing circle together. I haven't written anything in a while, so it might be a good idea to get back into it now. The key will be finding space for it though. I also got my phone working properly again, so I called my mom and we talked for a while. Even though I was in a good mood, talking to her made me feel even better. If you haven't talked to your parents in a few weeks, consider giving them a call I'm not very disciplined with my time at the moment, and I don't like this, but I know where the problem is, and I'm going to focus more on doing the exhaustive stuff such as studying earlier in the day. Right now, I'm giving a lot of thought into the social aspect of my life though, and from experience, I usually do better when I focus on one thing at a time. I still feel I'm moving forward, and I'm glad for that What I've learned (It's getting harder to come up with those, trust me!): Be patient. If it can wait two weeks, it can wait two weeks and one day (if it's not an essay deadline obviously :D) Thanks for reading

Day 28 Another good day. For the first time I had the experience of zoning out for a minute in a maths lecture and then wondering what the hell was going on. I caught up eventually, but this stuff is dangerous I've had the counseling session, and it was really just an introduction, but it still felt good to get a few things off my chest. The counselor gave me some worksheets and papers to get through. All and all, there's a long road ahead. I'm really glad the university has this system in place. Mondays are usually pretty chill, so I don't have much else to share. There's a lot of stuff happening under the surface though, so I might be able to share something in a few days. What I've learned: There's a tightrope between talking and listening, giving and taking, and so on. We all like to take, but we have to be ready to give back. Thanks for reading

It's a great book. Make sure you do the exercises and that will help you apply it. Thanks! I'm not at the exercises yet, but even so, the book is extremely insightful and the concepts so universal, it feels almost like a missing piece. I wish I read and understood it years ago Day 27 Today was a stock-taking day. I walked to a coffee shop to read a book for a class, and journal to get a few things out of my head. I feel like the clear sky after a violent storm, which is a really great feeling, but, unfortunately, it can't last. Even so, I feel on top of things at least for a moment. Next week is promising to be full of events, and I'm looking forward to them, as well as to the ramping up of university commitments. One of the ways to keep oneself accountable and on point is to take on what you expect to be too much, so that procrastination becomes incredibly costly. I'm going to employ myself and stay of the house more, since yesterday when I was home it was too easy to adapt a lax structure and defer things to the next day(today). What I've learned: The price to pay for security is atrophy. When you hide in a fortress, the problem becomes getting out of it again, and the longer you stay in, the harder it is to get out. But the cost of staying inside is way worse. Thanks for reading. I think I'll get back to Daring Greatly

Day 26 A pretty chill day. I woke up later than usual, but got moving and did my homework on time. I've started reading Daring Greatly, which is exactly the book I needed at this point in my life. I'm only a couple pages in, but it really resonates with my psychology. However, as usual, it is easy to read and hard to apply, but at least I'll know what to focus on. There really isn't much to say to this day. I feel bummed out about a rather lax structure, and stumbling to procrastination and messaging on Facebook. I'll focus on that tomorrow. Oh, one more thing, it actually snowed here today! It makes the city look so much prettier, and I'm really happy for that. What I've learned: When I start procrastinating, it usually means that I either don't have a clear priority or need a quick break. Both of these things can be fixed immediately. Thanks for reading

Day 25 I've been out for most of the day yesterday, so I didn't have the chance to write about it until now. To be fair, it was a standard university day, so there isn't much to be said there. I was at the birthday party yesterday, which was fun, but I didn't know many of the people, so it wasn't as good as it could be. I've been thinking about relationships a lot lately, whether romantic or friendships. One thing that's really helpful in thinking about this is this School of Life playlist , especially the video on Transference. I can't put my thoughts into words just yet, but I'll be meeting with a counselor on Monday to untie a few knots and delve a little deeper. I actually wanted to be a psychologist when I was 14 or so, and I really admire the good ones, the ones who ask the right questions and feel like an ally. I've had a lot of negative emotions lately, and I hope this means growth, at least a little bit. I feel like all the stuff caused by years of ignorance is coming to the surface and there's a lot of it, which can feel overwhelming at times. I don't want to sound too negative though, so I'll stop here. I've finished Hooked, and Asylum by William Seabrook. Asylum got really good towards the end, while Hooked left me feeling a little uneasy about the morality of the whole book. Right now I have quite a bit of schoolwork to get through, and that means less reading. What I've learned: This is really obvious, but it's impossible to undo years of behavior in a few days, so it's crucial to forgive oneself for mistakes. Thanks for reading

Day 24 I had a pretty rough day, so I'll keep this short. I realized a few things about myself which will take a while to get through, and I don't really want to talk about them in public. It's funny how the stories we tell ourselves have so much power over us, even though they might be completely false. Oh well. At least I have that birthday party coming on tomorrow, so there's something to look forward to. I'm also looking forward to studying over the weekend, however strange that might seem. The university is really good in keeping me in a structured regime, and I'm grateful for that. To be honest, today is my first really stressful day in a while, and I don't have the slightest desire to play games. I'm glad it's this way What I've learned: It's possible to be grateful for the negative things in life, because they often teach us more than the positive. Also, it's imperative to separate stories from facts, no matter how true the stories seem. Also. Games, as all escapism, can be seen like a band-aid over a festering wound. The problems are still there, but invisible, and getting worse, until one rips the band-aid away. Only then they become visible and start hurting, but only then they can be fully healed. Thanks for reading

Day 23 I overslept today and instead of my ideal two hours programming, I only managed one. I blame time zones and my phone, who switched 11PM to midnight However, after that, I got the ball rolling and spent the whole day outside. Classes, gym, a guest lecture and a movie screening, with some empty time in between. I also became a committee member of a society just by showing up, since they needed an extra pair of hands, so I said sure, why not. I'm having a hard time seeing events such as the movie screening as an opportunity to talk to people instead of wasted time. Taking the initiative and talking spontaneously doesn't come to me naturally, but I know it's a skill to be developed. I'm glad I was out of the flat though, because there wasn't much I had to do for the university and would likely just spend the time online watching Youtube or reading Facebook. I'm getting through Hooked, and despite my issues with the morality of the premise of the book, I'm starting to get swayed by the author's perspective. Rather early in the book he also explains a B = MAT behavior model, where a target behavior is caused by a Trigger, when sufficient Ability and Motivation are present. Even though I feel like I'm mostly out of the gaming loop at this point, I realize there will be stressful situations in a few weeks, which will supply the Trigger and tiredness, which will supply a Motivation. My saving grace is having low Ability and a full schedule is definitely a good psychological barrier. A friend of mine has a birthday party on Friday, so I'm excited to go there and meet some people. I'm really grateful to have these opportunities. Next week is also full of events (I know of at least three) What I've learned: Developing social skills is harder than it seems and takes time. That doesn't mean one should give up. Thanks for reading

This was exactly what I was looking for, thanks man! I'm starting to gather experience working my own small projects, so once I have something substantial I'll compose a portfolio and put it on a LinkedIn account. Also, props for the tip on being proactive, it's really relevant. Thanks Cam! I'm going to make it great! Here's day 22 I had a great day today. We have a new math teacher who isn't the greatest speaker, and the topics he goes over seem easy, but that's only one part of the course, the second is going to be a killer. However, after last semester, I think this one is going to be that much easier. We're also starting a completely new topic in computer science, and I'm really excited about it. Compared to my last year at the university I'm much more excited to go to my classes and I'm really grateful for that I've spent a lot of time today doing research on posture, after seeing a forum thread on anterior pelvic tilt. A friend of mine has done something to his back in the gym, and that made me focus more on proper posture. I'm gonna try new stuff tomorrow, so I'm excited about that too! I'm starting to get overwhelmed and it's only the second day of teaching There's books to read, stuff to take care of, assignments to start looking at, events to attend etc. At least the courses really start next Monday, so I have until then to get my stuff in order. What I've learned: There was an article I read about how the light from smartphones disturbs the secretion of melanin and makes our sleep worse. I underestimated the effects, but now I'm going to keep off the phone for an hour before bed, just to make the morning better. Oh and also the fact that posture problems are really common if one sits a lot. It doesn't take much time to check whether your posture could be improved and it saves trouble down the line. Thanks for reading

day 22 Today was a good day, compared to yesterday. Regression to the mean I suppose. I followed my daily routine from the get-go, went to the university, caught up with friends, bought some texts for a class and went to the gym. There's a lot of pretty girls around the campus, and I'm going to start going to events to meet some of them There is no homework to do yet, nothing to study for, so I arrived at the flat with a few hours to spare and nothing to do. I cooked some soup and had a skype call with a friend, but I feel like that time was a bit wasted. At least it wasn't games and my schedule will start filling up soon, so I better enjoy this first week acceleration There's a lot of things I still want to change, but I feel like I'm finally on the right path. I'm starting to like the city more, despite its quirks. The happiest students are the most connected ones, so I'm trying to live with this mantra. Tomorrow will be a lot busier, and I'm actually really looking forward for my courses. There isn't much to say just yet, but I'm sure there will be. What I've learned: I still like playing it safe and not talk much in larger groups. I hope it changes soon, but I'm not sure. Any introverts want to share their experience with groups of people? Thanks for reading

Great video man. I have APT too, and this exercise really is one of the best ones to fix it, though I don't do it enough in the gym (simply because I think of it as a 'girl' exercise...yeah). I also stretch my quads and strengthen my hamstrings to fix the issue, but it's slow going. Final tip - you can lift one of your legs to make it that much harder, if you're advanced enough

Thank you Suritus! I know stopping is not impossible; I've tried it before, yet it only works temporarily. It will happen eventually, but I want to be in a place where I'm surrounded by people who are of the same mind as I am. I'm watching everything that I can, thank you Meditating, however, is not my thing I think. However, I greatly appreciate the advice and I will give it a shot. Do you have any tips for me to get started? Okay, let's see Read up on the sunken cost fallacy, the all-or-nothing fallacy and loss aversion. These concepts are really helpful in addiction. I'm big on books, so I'd recommend you read a few of those. There's another GQ video on books, you can watch that and pick from those. Power of Habit is probably my favorite on the list, Hungry Ghosts is kinda long, but really worth the read, and Slight Edge was also good, but for some reason I didn't like it as much. I'm going through Hooked right now and can't recommend nor caution against yet. Another related book I really enjoyed was Mindset by Carol Dweck. So that's that. When it comes to games, don't only uninstall but delete what you can. Not sure about league, whether that's possible or not, but you can message the support. For Minecraft, just delete the world. Think of it as a test of your commitment. It will probably hurt like hell, which is why I did most of my deletions after a long binge when I hated myself - I just never wanted to touch a game again. This makes it harder to return. Yes, you can make new accounts, but you don't have the progress anymore and the grind isn't as enjoyable anymore. I personally use a lot of filters such as News Feed Eradicator, BlockSite and so on for social media. They are not 100% effective, but they raise the barrier, which helps with weaker cravings. With stronger cravings, it's better to be out of the house. That's what I can think of right now. Hopefully some of that is useful Oh, one last thing. Don't remove games, replace them. I use programming, some friends use going out, music or other things. If you know why you played, it's easier to know what to replace games with.

Thanks for sharing man. It might seem like stopping is impossible, but it isn't. You're in good hands here I felt the same way when I first started. The habits we've built over the years are really difficult to shed, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. A friend of mine once said: Just because you don't see a change on the outside, that doesn't mean the change isn't happening. If you really want to quit, it probably will take a while, maybe even up to a year or two, but it will happen eventually. Id like to share what I'd do if I were you: Watch this if you haven't yet. That video should get you up and running. Understand that you are not your thoughts, you are not your addiction and you are not your mood. These things all come and go. It's not you who is addicted, it is your brain. For me, this was a key breakthrough. Start meditating (if you don't already). Mindfulness is both a great habit and almost a superpower. There are more steps than this, but I think it's better to take it one step at a time. Good luck

day 21 - gonna switch to numbers as the words are getting longer Another routine day. I finally got my schedule fixed, a day before the school starts. The environment played a big part in in - it's just harder to go to bed when my childhood room influences my thinking. I did some solid programming done in the morning and then started to run some other chores such as cooking, cleaning and looking for a job. Towards the afternoon I went to the gym and now I'm looking for a job again. If I find one, it's going to be tough time-wise, but since I spent a lot of hours last semester binge-gaming, I know I have the time. Anyone have any tips for CVs/interviews? I spent a lot of the day in foul mood though. It's really cold in my flat, and the radiators don't seem to help much. I go from excitement to dread to excitement about tomorrow's start of the second semester, and then there's the expired relationship. I've read certain things my ex wrote about me - nothing bad, just super honest criticism, and it made me reconsider some of my thoughts and behavior. What I've learned: I'm not sure about everything what I've written here in the past so I might start repeating myself at one point (hopefully not too soon), but I learned that meditation is just training for real negative thoughts and emotions, and can be used to gain a new perspective. Awareness of the negative emotion is often the only step required to shift into a more constructive mindset. Thanks for reading

Definitely not out of reach man. For your European destinations, you can get something like an Eurail or Interrail pass (What I did last August) and knock a few off in a week or two. London, France and Amsterdam come to mind as the obvious trio. You won't get super in depth, true, but I think that you can see most of the interesting things in three days per city For me, the destinations are the US (again), Peru, China/Tibet and closer to home Portugal and Greece.

Yeah, they're really good, especially if you have a group which is really into it! Here are my days nineteen and twenty. I've spent a good portion of the day flying back to the UK, that's why I'm posting this late. Yesterday (19) I've did the final preparations for the flight, packing my last stuff etc. When I was done, I did some programming, went to the gym for the last time and went out with a friend who I haven't seen in ten years. It was funny to notice how he'd changed, as he said the same about me. We talked about our current lives, our plans for the future and so on. We'd promised to meet again in the summer. I've had strong cravings in the evening, combined with a "what the hell" attitude - It was the last time I had time to play games before I left for university again. After a long struggle I finally collapsed and spent some time playing. I don't feel good about it, but I don't feel shitty either, I just accept it as something that happened, and in all likelihood won't happen soon. Today(20) was just the flight and errands. I read a book about university on the plane, called How to Win at College, to get some ideas on what to do this semester. The main point point of the book could be summarized as: Do more than you think you can, study smarter and make friends. I learned some principles I'm going to apply to my life, such as structuring free time, replacing a to-do list with a blocking method and going to more events such as guest lectures. After I arrived at the flat, I had to pay utility bills, go to a store, unpack, and all those fun chores I thoroughly cleaned my part of the flat (another point in the book), and I'm glad I got to do some programming. Right now I'm really looking forward to reading the book that arrived while I was gone, and to the uni gym tomorrow. What I've learned: being physically or mentally tired doesn't get me off the hook. There are ways (exercise, cold water, fruit etc.) to recuperate physically, and small chores to take care of if I don't feel up to task mentally. Also relevant: the Do Something Principle Thank you for reading

Day eighteen Another fairly standard day. I've read Stephen King's Misery after finding out the book was about cocaine and I really liked it. Other than that, I did my usual programming, reading and writing routine. In the evening, my sister took us to an escape room. I was surprised to learn that there is around 20 of them in the city I live in, and this was supposed to be one of the best, so I was really excited. It didn't disappoint, although my sister with her friend left the room scared after a clown costume jumped at them from the ceiling In the evening, I came really close to playing games, when I mindlessly installed a game from the internet. I didn't even really want to, I just kind of did it. Thankfully I realized what was going on and uninstalled again, but it was weird to experience this. I suppose the reason is that I was on the computer late (again) What I've learned: When I get past a certain threshold, my brain commits something similar to an all-or-nothing fallacy - If I miss my bed time of 11 PM, then it's so much easier to go to bed as late as 2 AM, because it 'doesn't matter', since the threshold was broken anyway. It's easier to prevent than to cure. Thanks for reading

Day seventeen I'm packing and getting ready to leave for the university. After I've talked with Cam, I'm seeing this semester as a blank page without thinking about last year. What happened happened, and it's better to move on and focus on making the best of the situation. I'm looking forward to the university gym, to a book I ordered (Asylum by William Seabrook) and to studying, actually. I didn't do as much learning as I wanted over the holidays and I'm missing the feeling of accomplishment after a study session. I'll be saying something completely different two weeks from now, but that's just how it is After I packed most of my stuff, my dad took me out. We've talked about his university experience and how he got where he is today. When I was little, he did a lot of work with books and that meant he often had the new translated fantasy novels for me to read. I'm really grateful for this, as it helped shape me into the person I am today. It also meant he did a lot of work on a computer which led me to computer science as well. All and all, it was a nice surprise to hang out with him, even more because I'll see him again in the summer. Not being a teenager sucks! (Just kidding, I love living abroad, but it comes with drawbacks) I've watched a few movies in the past few days, which I'm not excited about, because it means I have a lot of time and not enough structure. It doesn't matter much though, because in a few days this will reverse and I'll have too much structure and not enough time. One additional thing I feel strange about is abandoning my manuscript. I just don't know what to do with it, because it's not as good as I'd like it to be, so it might be better to stash it away and move on. Oh well. What I've learned: I'm reading Thinking, Fast and Slow and one thing that resonated with me is that people overestimate the importance of what they think about. For example, when comparing two cities in terms of living conditions, if they thought about the weather, then the weather played a bigger role in their minds than it would in reality. This just goes to show how little our thoughts are actually relevant, and we shouldn't be slaves to them. Thanks for reading For those of you going back to school or university, take it as a fresh opportunity to improve!