NEW VIDEO: The EASIEST Way to Stop Gaming
Zakaex
-
Posts
135 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Zakaex
-
-
Day 16 (January 28, 2016)
Went to the gym today again for a lighter exercise routine, surprisingly, after a good night's rest, a cold shower and 5 minutes of meditation I was able to complete the same workout as yesterday without any rest. Almost felt as if my body had tune itself back when I was a month ago. Ever since going cold turkey I have also noticed that going out was a lot more fun than it used to be. Back then, whenever I head out to somewhere with my family, I would dread and be very looking forward to getting back home; visualizing how my next dungeon run would look like in World Of Warcraft or how I will dominate my next match in League Of Legends. Now, heading out to the gym or going to a bookstore, in my opinion, not only has way more value to me. But I also get a sense of accomplishment for going out, which does seem almost equivalent to winning a match in video games, the only difference is that the latter would not take me anywhere in life nor build any positive momentum.
Today, I have decided to go through one of GQ's recommended YouTube Channel, Tai Lopez. After going through a couple of his videos, it is shocking on how much insight he has on life. Not only does Tai prove his points through his personal experience (Journey from parent's couch to making eight figures a year), but they are also backed up by people who has been just as successful as he is. For sure be subscribing to his channel and continuing to double down on me through the knowledge and wisdom of the people who made it.
-
Day 15 (January 27, 2016)
The changes I have gone through in this two weeks have already been remarkable. Trying to get out of the house more, I finally revisited the gym after taking almost a months break from it. Although it pains me to know how much weight I have gained and how tiring it is now for me to play thirty minutes of basketball, I am all the more motivated through the momentum I have built for myself after quitting video games. I believe that just by the act of simply dragging my butt off the chair and into the gym, there is already some neurological rewiring going on in my brain. Since I could only workout for thirty minutes today, my goal is to increase my overall athleticism and push myself to increase that by 5 minutes each day. As Charlie Munger says, "Step by step you get ahead but not necessarily in fast spurts."
Today's GQ video is "How To Deal With Gaming Nostalgia". Again, just demonstrating how important having a gratitude journal is, simple yet effective, I personally get very motivated and driven dwelling on things that I do have as to the ones that I do not. Another practical step that got me thinking is the "Always create new experiences." one. As an introvert, I am always fearful in social situations, and if humans have a hive mind, then I will have to work on my interactions with one another slowly. Might start by reading a few books on similar topics.
-
Day 14 (January 26, 2016)
I did it! Through persistence and a little self-discipline, I finally managed to complete the entire Respawn guide. An extremely insightful crash course now archived in my library; despite hoping that I would not need to go over it again in the future, I am glad to have the program shelved at my convenience so that this valuable resource can be re-visited when a little reminder is in need for my 90-day challenge. Small achievements like these motivate me to keep on going, through a sense of accomplishment which provides momentum - not to mention I have made it two weeks clean of video games!
Today's GQ video is "NO EXCUSES: YOU HAVE TIME",simple yet important lesson. Ever since I started my detox journey, it was pretty shocking how much spare time I have throughout the day, thinking back to the past if all those hours had been invested in something else - working out, learning, socializing, how much different would I be? The very thought of it sometimes pains me, and I notice that regret is an ongoing theme here in my journal. But at the same time, I feel a sense of redemption (or in other words, 'Respawning'). As the book "The Magic of Thinking Big" by Dr. David J, Schwartz says, we should focus on the years we have ahead of us and not the ones we already went through. Having this mindset in my thinking really shines light into the future.
-
I just wanted to stop by and say that your journal is awesome! It never ceases to amaze me when I read stories like yours! As you continue to learn and grow in your journey, you'll find that other bad bad habits will start to naturally fall away, The best thing is to stay positive, do something to grow every single day (doesn't have to be a huge thing), and keep doing what you're doing!
Thank you, bro. It means a lot to me, knowing that we always have each others backs!
-
Day 13 (January 25, 2016)
One more module to go! Today's module #7 goes over tools and techniques to help us get through this 90-day detox. Like many journals in this forum, I also enjoy the idea of starting a gratitude journal, it helps to keep my mind focused on the big picture of things and not just my needs. Take for example, after class today I had big urges just to go back home and go on Netflix, but by mentally jotting down a small gratitude list of the things I have (Warm shelter, good friends, high-end laptop, etc. ), I immediately felt at ease and was less stressed.
Today's GQ video is "How to Get out of the House More Often", from an introvert to another, I find these tips very useful. Healthy habits create positive momentum, and this will eventually snowball into an incredible life. The only issue I find is that home is almost way more convenient than any other outside areas for studying (Pretty annoying to pack up all your papers just to go to use the bathroom and come back having your seat taken in the library). But thank God I don't have a gym in my house.
-
Hi Edward,
came back to your journal this morning. good to see you still going strong. I'm in the process of letting many bad habbits like porn mass browsing and procrastinating go. I never decided explicity to stop doing them( my fokus was on stop gaming and start living) but it seemed so natural, that i got them down to nothing. I just watch some series together with my wife. But i dont feel bad, because we talk over them and it is kind of a social aspect of my life i really enjoy. Seems like a good plan to reduce netflix time though. It helps me a lot that i got so much work and studying to do. Don't have to worry too much about freetime and surprisingly im not annoyed or stressed out. I really think that schedules helped me alot in this progress and im curious how your experience is with them( I found it very hard at first to make good schedules and are still improving in this aspect).
soon 2 weeks done! We rock
Nice job, Mario! It's great to see you making a small gratitude entry in every journal posts, I have recently started one as well and must say that it is by far one of the most helpful things to keep me away from the mindless activities.
As far as watching TV series goes, you really should start putting your wife down on your gratitude list every day, you lucky bastard. I wish I had someone to watch my favorite series together as well. But for now, sitting in my room spending almost half the day staring at my computer screen will not get me any closer to that goal, unfortunately. So I figured I should give that a 90-day detox as well, following the tips and tricks from the Respawn guide. Stay strong bro, we got this!
Great job Edward! Really proud of your progress. Keep going, you have many things to look forward to in the future based on the efforts you're putting in now, trust me.
Thank you, Cam. One of the reasons I chose to purchase your guide and follow your teachings was mainly due to your hard work and dedication in putting everything together in GQ, I find that very inspiring and motivating. It is a great honor to have you as one of my first (virtual) mentors! Keep it up!
-
Day 12 (January 24, 2016)
Made it all the way to second half of Module #6 in Respawn today, it just came to me that all these techniques and mindset tricks work not only for video game addiction but for any substitutive intoxicants that we have going on in our lives. What I need is not any more diversions from reality, but instead, like many others here pursue a more social and happier life. It seems to be that during this 90-day detox, not only am I battling the temptations to play video games but all the other mindless activities I have been doing up to now (Watching Netflix for 4-5 hours straight). And the methods Cam teaches in Respawn helps immensely.
Today's GQ video is "How to Stay Friends With Your Gamer Friends", Cam goes over strategies to help us cope with (some) losses we will make during our 90-day detox. Losing people in my life is probably one of the hardest phases I am going through right now during these three months, especially when almost all of my closest friends are gamers. I have never realized real loneliness until treading down this path, but nevertheless, I am thankful for this forum here and the many like-minded people who are supporting each other including me.
-
Day 11 (January 23, 2016)
Just finished Module #6 (1/2) on "How to Increase Your Energy and Improve Your Mood". Despite many activities listed in the worksheet has already been a part of my daily routine, I cannot be any more confident than I am now, knowing that these are THE scientifically proven steps to overwrite the joy and happiness that had once been replaced by gaming for me.
One thing to note, however, is that I am still experiencing trouble to rewire my brain in replacing substitutive intoxicants such as watching movies (and other similar activities) to healthier ones like reading. Perhaps I should start small again and build them up over time while limiting the time I spend on Netflix.
Today's GQ Video is "Why You Game Your Need for Accomplishment", another very insightful video. Cam talks about how video games trap us in a never ending cycle, a phenomenon which I can relate to - in many cases I played video games just to alleviate stress when in reality it doesn't do much help at all. Instead, after every gaming session, I tend to get overwhelmed by life's responsibilities and lists of to-do's that have accumulated for over a week (overdue assignments, homework due tomorrow, etc.). Which, by merely thinking about it, grows so much mental pain that I would just click on the "Rematch" button. Primarily, the key takeaway for me is to prepare for the rainy day, for it will come for every one of us. Do not procrastinate and I will start organizing my time so that any 'scary' assignments can be broken down into small, day-by-day chunks.
-
Day 10 (January 22, 2016)
Onto Module #5 on Respawn now, after completing the practical steps outlined in both the video and the worksheet, it was another one of those shocking realizations again; the hours I have spent every day on video games. If only the time were invested in other aspects of my life instead of sitting in my room facing a computer screen, how different would my life be like right now. Maybe I could have been on the varsity basketball team, learned how to win friends and influence enemies and became some top student. With that said, I try my best not be so pessimistic, as Stephen Hawking once said: "The past, like the future, is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of possibilities." I am the youngest that I will ever be now and should be focusing on the years that I have ahead instead.
Today's GQ video is "How To Improve Your Willpower", Cam provided some valuable insights onto how we can have a six pack of the brain. One of the first key steps was to "Be aware of your energy levels", it then came to me that unfortunately, unlike video games, we do not have a UI to show how much willpower we have remaining for the day (and sadly for mana too
). But that is just one of the beauties of life, technological limitations are not there to constrain us! One study has shown that "Willpower can be an unlimited resource", by believing that we have unlimited willpower we can actually extend the mental limits in our mind, which I find is amazing.
-
Hi Edward,
I just read through a lot of your journal and I just thought I'd let you know that you're doing great! I started with just a couple of habits that I would do consistently like meditation and a quick morning run, but over time the positive effects from these habits have compounded. My comfort zone has been extended vastly and now I also visualise, do a work-out run, workout in the morning, take a cold shower, am improving my guitar skills, and a few other habits I have built up. If you continue working on the small things you'll improve heaps over time.
You're definitely on the right track and I look forward to seeing where you'll end up in the future!
Thank you, Alex!
It is very encouraging and motivating to hear from another GQ war hero! I do hope I share the same work ethic as you do in the future!
-
Day 9 (January 21, 2016)
Completed Module #4 in Respawn, what I find helpful are these printable worksheets that allow me to make notes and diagrams, becoming physical with the information (I am more of a tactile learner). Just like typing journal entries online, writing them old school also helps to clarify my thought processes and help brainstorm new ideas to cope with entering a new world without gaming.
Today's Game Quitters YouTube video is "Should You Quit Games Cold Turkey", the answer for me, as shown by me starting this journal, is obviously yes. But going over the video, I came to realize something more frightening. As Cam mentioned, I am one of those individuals who have lived my entire life with games, I remembered watching old VHS tapes of my childhood (Around 5-6 years old) with my parents, and there I was holding on to my dads Gameboy Colour. It doesn't seem like there was a time where I went through a period without video games at all. Now, it is as if I am in the process of traveling from one dimension to another. It is hard to imagine what the light at the end of the tunnel holds, just the thought of it does make me nervous, yet at the same time, excited.
-
Congratz for one week! Loved the pitbull anology. Your journal is a good read btw.
Thank you, man! I try my best to document the entire process wholeheartedly by the end of the day so that I can clarify these thoughts clearly not only to myself but the community as well. As the book Social by Matt Lieberman talked about the importance of the aspect of interacting with one another.
The key to avoid binge watching movies is to be more intentional with your time. If you aren't using a calendar yet, that is exactly where you want to start. Schedule different activities in, 30-60 min blocks and it will be much easier to follow through with them.
Great advice! I just remembered using a reward system in Habitica that allows me to set customized rewards as motivating goals for accomplishing to-do list tasks. i.e. [Watching a movie for 30 minutes] for 50 Gold (I earn them through checking off my reading work, writing journal entries, etc.)
-
Day 8 (January 20, 2016)
Finally made it through one week! So far I have noticed that despite my housemates were gamer's, I managed to spend more time socializing with them unconsciously. Just when I thought we had nothing better to talk about other than games, getting to know them on a deeper level allowed me to discover that they are just like every one of us on some level, with ambitions and goals in life separate from gaming.
Also, I felt more motivated to go out now, possibly to fill this void that once belonged to video games. Despite the cold winter, I visited downtown a couple of times now to explore the wonderful city that I am in. As a student studying overseas, witnessing a different culture in comparison to my hometown felt exciting - just like discovering new maps and continents in World Of Warcraft, but twice the fun.
Alternatively, the other activity I am currently going for to fill my void is watching movies. Binging on Netflix does somehow help, but the very act of doing so does bother me - could I just be replacing a bad habit with another? To me, the whole point of the 90-day detox is to avoid upon mindless activities and start living life. So in hindsight, I would say that watching movies, just like money, is like owning a pit bull, if you are an irresponsible owner, it will bite and hurt you. On the other hand, if you take responsibility for caring the pit bull, training it day by day, it will protect you - a double-edged sword.
-
Day 7 (January 19, 2016)
(Internet was down since last night, and I couldn't go on the web, but here I am after class on the laptop again continuing documenting my process last night. One day late for this post but I was able to get through a two Respawn modules and get up to date with my commitment goals)
Today I went through possibly one of the toughest modules in Respawn, it is a rather subjective list of instructions that I had to follow but nevertheless did what I had to do. It felt like making one of those big decisions in video games like in Fallout 4 where you reached a point to make a huge decision in siding with one faction (while everyone else will turn against you for doing so).
In philosophy, there are two views on how to live your life - stoic and epicurean. The Stoic believes in sacrificing the now for a better tomorrow (or something amongst those lines), and Epicureans eat drink and party in the now for they are unsure of whether or not they will even make it tomorrow. And up until this point, I have always lived my life like an Epicurean: procrastinating to play video games, eating all the junk I see. Choosing to quit video games is somewhat like a ritual to me for converting into a Stoic, walking with blind faith hoping that one day my life will be better. But since no one can guarantee there is a tomorrow, we must play the best odds we can in life - no billionaires or famous actors in Hollywood has ever made it by playing video games day in and day out. Thus, if detaching myself from them is clearly the better choice to make, and then I am willing to make such a sacrifice.
-
I feel you man, sucks to be the odd one in the classroom when everybody else is 'seemingly' on top of things. But when you face such struggles, remember that it is those who can conquer their fears and face these adversities that separate the average and the excellent. Whenever I have to go through difficulties in life, I tell myself "The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph."
Keep up the good work and let's get through this detox journey together!
-
Day 6 (January 18, 2016)
Continued towards the next module in the Respawn series today, went over the video and wrote down on the worksheet the emotions I am currently experiencing while embarking on this long journey to personal freedom.
Usually, writing/typing my thoughts out clears out the mind and puts things into perspective. I felt regret, after quitting gaming for almost a week now opened my mind to the many missed opportunities and chances I could have had if the time given to me went onto leveling up my life instead of my World of Warcraft characters. Although looking backward, I had tremendous amounts of fun and made many friends throughout my gaming career, but when it comes to what if's I would always think back to how different my life would be if I had not discovered video games...
It is, however, not the time to be holding on to my past, on how many years I have wasted, but how many years I still have to chase my success in life.
-
First time seeing them printed!
Just following the quit-gaming bible to the letter boss
-
Thank you for sharing this man,
One of the things that I have decided to do this year was to commit fully to building healthy habits. Now that these 'brain training games' are not helping us as shown by research, I suppose exercising and getting better sleep can be way more beneficial than spending ten minutes every day staring at a computer screen, as you have mentioned.
-
Day 5 (January 17, 2016)
I did it! Laying out a step-by-step plan did help to build the little momentum for myself to keep on going forward no matter how small that step is. I think it was Bruce Lee who said: "I fear not the man who practiced 10,000 kicks in a day, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick each day for 10,000 days." By following my action-oriented goals, I was able to take action and finally, begin on the first Respawn module that I have been procrastinating to start on doing since starting my 90-day detox.
While filling out the worksheet, I have noticed that the reasons I play video games are mainly social. They provide me a common interest to be able to find friends and through that I am always challenged to try and be the most dominant player of them all, and that gives me a sense of purpose in my life. If how the people around you affects your personal success. Then as unpleasant as it sounds, I will have to move somehow slowly away from the friend group (of gamers) that I am in right now to others.
-
Good job man. A big thing we talk about around here is to allow the small habits to compound over time (this is called The Slight Edge). Although as you've identified there are things you could do better, it's important to focus on encouragement instead of discouragement. You're doing many small habits that you wouldn't have done before and these compounding over time will bring you great results. Continue to adapt and tweak your routine to be in alignment with what you truly desire.
Thank you for the advice Cam,
Hopefully, I am doing as you told, by making small milestone steps for me to hit on to build momentum (i.e. a seven-day detox achievement) I can build up that encouragement that I need (then a total of 90 days would not seem so overwhelming of a one-shot). Tweaking my alignments with little daily habits such as reading twenty minutes minimum, going over a Respawn module and one educational Game Quitters YouTube video to slowly build up The Slight Edge effect!
-
Day 4 (January 15, 2016)
Spent the day working on my daily missions (reading for twenty minutes, meditating, studying self-development video) and also getting to know me better with the Myers-Briggs test. Couldn't help but notice that I wouldn't even be bothered with any of that just a few days ago too, quitting video games is improving every aspect of myself for the better.
I still lack an action plan, however, to execute on committing towards the goal of quitting video gaming for good - I am still procrastinating on going over Respawn: Elite modules even when it is something I have decided to invest in with money. Therefore, as of today, I have implemented a four-step goal setting action plan that will ensure my success (added on my first post in the journal entry).
-
Day 3 (January 15, 2016)
Made it through another day clean of video games again, while encountering a few old tempting habits today.
Usually as a past time, I would have been viewing 'Let's Plays' on the latest horror games that are out on the market. If not, it would probably be catching up on Netflix shows. Although this does not rule me out of the ninety-day detox challenge, it still somehow ruins the point of it for me. According to Cam's video, the idea of the whole detox is to close up a chapter of our life and leave it behind for good - this to me means replacing these substitutive intoxicants with healthy habits that can benefit us physically and mentally over in the long run. Things such as reading more, watching documentaries and TED talks, etc.
So far, I still will need to work on getting rid of my habit of watching Netflix shows as a replacement and reward for myself. Perhaps from tomorrow then on, instead of chilling in my room trying to catch up on the latest episodes, I should focus on the work that is ahead of me: Begin going over the Respawn: Elite modules one day at a time and do some extra studying to catch up on my already-behind studies, toughen up and know that the better things in life come from forgoing the obstacles in our path to success.
-
Hello everyone,
Gaming was the one and only hobby for me and the outlet for my social circle. From high school, all the way to my second year of college (now), the only friends that I have decided to keep in touch with were practically gamer's (which does seem sad now that I think about it).
Since last year, I have leased a house with three of them, and all they do is play PC games such as League Of Legends and Hearthstone all day long. But now that I have decided to close up this chapter of my life and pursue my bigger goals, should I be severing my ties with them? They are real good people, and I don't want to start cutting them off from my social circle just because they enjoy doing what they love.
I have also been reading self-development books and what most of them are saying is that I am a product of the environment around me (or something amongst those lines). If I am spending another two years with my current housemates, would this have a significant impact on my detox journey?
-
Good luck bro,
Being aware that we have a problem is the first step to solving any at all. I believe that everyone here has meaningful goals in life but has only yet to be able to pursue them due to our addictions. So feel free always to check in with us, as the old saying goes, as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. You got this!
Edward's Journal
in Daily Journals
Posted
Agreed, like what Dr. David J. Schwartz says in his book, "the thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how much intelligence you may have." I believe just plain book knowledge will not get you anywhere in life until you implement them with action.