Mark

I imagine everybody has testing days like that at some point, well done for getting through it. Sorry for the inadvertent impromptu willpower test, I won't say another word about the games!

Tell me about it! Today has felt like a typical June day rather than a March one. Being from the UK, I didn't know what to do with myself

Hey Matt, I can totally relate to the slippery slope with the negative habits. I made great progress with my sleeping pattern, turning all electronics off at 10:30 every night, but I allowed my negative habits to creep back in, and before I knew it, I wasn't turning electronics off until 11-11:30, if not later. It's a small margin, but for me, every minute counts when it comes to sleep Like you said, it's good to remind ourselves of this on a regular basis.

I just wondered that was all. I found selling some of my games, including ones that I haven't played in years, and had no intention of playing, to be a cleansing ritual of sorts. I applied similar logic to my Steam account. I deleted all of my games from my library, even though there is a way to get them back if required, so I understand your perspective of wanting to do it through pure willpower, because it is quite a simple process for someone to get the games back, be it physical or digital versions. For me personally, it just felt good to remove games from my life that I had no desire to return to. Regardless, I hope you pass the willpower test!

Hey Falky! Nothing beats a nice dressing gown and a comfy pair of slippers! Congrats on your progress so far, it sounds like you've got a lot of things to keep you busy which is great. I'm curious as to your plans for that pile of PC games on the previous page?

Hiking trip sounds like a lot of fun, I'll check that out. There are mountains all around where I live so I'm sure there are lots of opportunities. Thanks Cam! Take a picture and post it here! Fantastic photo! It's great that you have such beautiful scenery close to where you live

Hey Tanvir! Dannigan is right in saying that watching films is more of a passive hobby, whereas gaming requires a lot more engagement, so I imagine that it is an easier pastime to moderate. I regularly watch films and TV series because I need that downtime to allow my mind to relax for a while. Whether it is a problem for you comes back to how much time you dedicate to watching films, and what activities you prioritise it over. Dannigan and Cam have provided some great questions for you to ask yourself regarding this

Day 38; This is my second go at writing my latest journal update, because silly me accidentally closed the browser during my first attempt! Monday continues to be tough for me, mainly from a work perspective. I hope to rectify this in the near future. Yesterday was a day of reflection for myself. I spent a considerable amount of time reading through a number of articles regarding gaming addiction, procrastination, changing habits etc. Learning of people's stories and relating their experiences to mine helped to remind me of what it is I'm trying to achieve. I might do this more often as a way to keep focused on the goals I have set. In relation to my fitness goals, I worked out at the gym today to continue my good run as of late, and afterwards I took my dog for a walk as the UK weather has been decent for a change! Unfortunately my yoga schedule has been on hiatus due to lingering issues from my sprained ankle. Exercise routines aside, I have noticed that my progress elsewhere has plateaued. I have already made the decision to learn how to play the keyboard, which is one new goal I have set myself. I will have to make a concerted effort on working towards my other goals as well. That's it for now. My mind feels clouded, conflicted, full. Finding the right words is proving difficult, writing the above was hard enough. My recent issues at work certainly hasn't helped matters, but I also feel like the various articles I recently read have given me a bit of a kick up the backside in order to get back on track, fingers crossed it does the trick

Coincidentally this video was uploaded on the day that I decided I needed to take action on a problem I have at work. I'm unsure as to what the outcome of it all will be, but I'm not happy in the current situation, so it needs to change.

Hey there! Do you know the reason for this? Were you dehydrated? Drinking more water is something I would definitely recommend to a lot of people!

For those who try moderation for what whatever reason, myself included. Recognising when you are in control of your gaming and the moment that you no longer are is crucial, good job!

Thanks Cam! One thing I forgot to mention as well is that any plan to game post-detox will be my last. I know something similar has been said before by countless others, but (cue cheesy line) I'm on a path now, I want to develop as a person, and I know the limit to how much I could game without it having a negative impact, therefore blocking that path. My journey won't stop after 90 days, regardless of whether I continue to game or not

Day 33; I am now over a third of the way there. 30 days is quite a big milestone to reach. A couple of thoughts, albeit incoherent ones, that I want to write... Being brutally honest, there has been little evidence to the contrary that my gaming plan post-detox is a bad one. Not gaming has rarely been a problem, finding outlets for my boredom during periods of downtime more so. I may have to re-evaluate my procrastination-related goal. Even if I am to return to single-player games at some point in the future, I'm glad to have committed to removing certain aspects of gaming from my life as outlined in my original post, and I have no intention to change my stance towards that.I started to become more self-aware a couple of months prior to signing up to this site, but being here has certainly helped enhance that ability even further.Being consistent with my implemented exercise routine is by far the most important aspect of my self-development journey. When I've worked out, I'm happy. Today is a prime example of that.My current work schedule make Monday and Tuesday problematic days for myself. Not only can they be stressful, but the timing of when I start work (mid-afternoon) makes it difficult to be productive. I'm much more of a morning person, the longer the day goes on, the less likely I'm going to do something. I don't have a solution for this currently.To counter the above, when I type out the fact that I've got 57 days remaining of my detox. I have still got a hell of a long way to go, and a hell of a lot to learn in the process Edit: Reading back the above, part of me feels like it comes across that I'm somewhat in denial in regards to my gaming habits. I hope it doesn't come across like that, but just in case, I thought I'd do my best to clarify the above. Firstly, I acknowledge the fact that I've had issues with video games. I wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case.Have I spent too much time playing games in the past? Definitely.Can I continue to play multiplayer games without it having a negative impact on my life? No, I don't feel fully in control when playing games online, with signs of addiction regularly present. I don't want to play these types of games anymore anyway, The rewards I got from playing online were superficial and nothing more.Same question but applied to single-player games? This is where I become conflicted. The signs of addiction are much less apparent and I have much more control as to when I played, and for how long. It wasn't perfect, but I wouldn't describe it as problematic either.Not playing PC and mobile-based games is simply part of the process of wanting to better myself by reducing the amount of time spent gaming. Even though playing games on PC was never a regular thing for myself, while mobile gaming isn't something that I've done for a number of years.Post-detox, the ideal scenario for me personally would be to play the odd single-player game that I genuinely want to play and will get genuine enjoyment from, and nothing more. It wouldn't be everyday, just the odd hour here and there to relax. Is that achievable? I don't know. Hopefully the next 57 days will help in answering that question.

Thanks for your suggestions! Regarding your exercise routine, unfortunately due to my medical condition and based off past experiences, the majority of those types of exercises have a tendency to do me more harm than good. When at the gym for example, I avoid the treadmill and use either the exercise bike or the rowing machine for my cardiovascular workout, while I use the various machines for strength training, with just a couple of exercises that involve dumbbells. Writing the journal can certainly help with motivation when it is lacking Day 26; This week has been a bit of a write off unfortunately. It has been a stressful few days, and I haven't felt good physically. I've recognised that some of my biggest urges to game have come while feeling this way. I don't think this is the worst thing however, it would be more of a concern to me personally had I wanted to prioritise gaming when 100%. I am close to entering uncharted waters in regards to the length of time I've gone without gaming. I don't believe that has any correlation to the above, but I am hopeful that when I get back to my best, I can get into a routine again.

Great question! As you say, it's all about self-development. Gaming was just one aspect of my life I wanted to work on. Journaling helped me put my priorities straight and keep myself accountable. I did mention gaming occasionally, when I had intense cravings, but there were not that many. The fact is simply that gaming is not a part of my life anymore, nor something I think about that much. I also hope that my posts can be of some help to whoever wants to see how such a long journey can unfold. It's great to have a perspective from someone who is further down the line in their journey. I am here primarily for self-development, and as I've mentioned elsewhere, part of me thinks that I will return to gaming in some capacity (e.g. single-player games only), but after completing my detox, I may be in a situation like yourself where I don't see gaming as part of my life anymore.

My detox takes me beyond March, so I might as well sign up! I commit to not play any games and to continue reducing the amount of time I spend mindlessly browsing the internet. I will be more mindful of how my habits, both positive and negative ones, impact my physical and mental well-being, and where applicable, try to make changes for the better. Simply put, I do this to try and improve myself as a person, the specifics of which I'm still in the process of working out.

Day 24; Sunday started well, but ended somewhat on a sour note when my favourite football team lost a cup final As much as I love my football, and that I expected to feel a little downbeat the following morning, it's not the end of the world, I know that, but Monday and Tuesday ended up being two of my worst days yet, I'll break it down to try and explain why... On Monday and Tuesday, I don't start work until 3pm. With me being more of a morning person, I prefer to get up and get things done, but because of these working hours, I often feel like I'm waiting around to go to work, and doing other things before then is more difficult than it usually would be.The work I do on these days is particularly challenging, and the enjoyment I get out of doing it is sparse. It's certainly not the best way to start a week, as I'm then spending the rest of it trying to recover my mindset to a place where I want it to be.I woke up not feeling too well. With my condition in its current state, I will occasionally feel like this, again, this happens, and there isn't a lot I can do to combat it, but it makes everything else even harder to deal with. I felt like I'd woke up on the wrong side of bed, perhaps due to a combination of factors from the above, but I guess it happens to everybody from time to time.Today I've got the day off, but with me not feeling great physically, I can't guarantee that I'll complete my scheduled gym session, which leaves me in a bit of a quandary. In days gone bye, this is when I would revert to gaming and internet procrastination, the latter of which has crept back into my life over the past couple of days, which again, makes sense when taking everything into account. I have typed the above partly to just have a good rant, but I would also welcome any advise that people may have To try and make my day a more positive one, I have offered to be a taxi for the day for a family member, which in turn would give me something to centre my day around. I'm also contemplating purchasing a cycling machine, so on the days that I don't feel up to travelling to and from the gym, I can at least do an exercise workout at home. I have no idea where I would keep it though!

I'm doing the same! I've already seen a number of episodes but it was so long ago that I can barely remember them. I see that you've blasted through the 90 days target and just kept on going. Can I ask why you've continued to update your journal? A quick glance through some of your recent updates, and I don't see gaming mentioned at all. Is it about self-development as much as anything?

Day 20; Just a quick update tonight. I've stuck to my schedule pretty well for the most part. Although today hasn't played out as planned, I've still been to work and put a couple of productive hours in when I got home, so i don't mind that too much. Hopefully I can keep it up going into next week

Hello Mark, I have just started learning HTML & CSS, though I am a total beginner and do not have any previous experience of this kind of thing; in fact I have always believed it was too difficult for me, as I am much more skilled in humanities and have no maths talent. However, I found it useful for my work, and so decided to learn how to make websites rather than how to program in Scratch (it was fun, but had no practical use). What advice can you give to a beginner learning HTML & CSS for the first time in her life? Thanks Currently, I am doing the Khan Academy course, but I intend to complete the Codecademy offering later on. I love reading, so in my turn I can provide you with book recommendations Is there any particular genre you enjoy? Hey @Primmulla! The HTML & CSS course on Codecademy seems like a good starting point, as it gets you to practice typing out some of the essential HTML commands and shows you the results on the fly. I wouldn't worry too much about the early exercises that focus on styling however, wait until the exercises on CSS for that Regarding book recommendations, maybe something in the horror genre? I particularly enjoyed a couple of Stephen King's books a number of years back. @WorkInProgress is right in that it's mainly about learning and remembering the language, any problem solving tends to come later when the design of the website becomes a bit more complex and issues start to appear There has always been some consistency to my daily routine, but I've comes to the realisation that I could drastically improve the structure of my day by following a schedule, and I will feel a lot better for doing so.

Hey Daniel! I've been playing football since I was young. It's always been one of my biggest passions in life, and without blowing my own trumpet too much, I was a pretty decent player, but after becoming ill at 14, I didn't play for a number of years. I'm just grateful for the fact that I can have a kickabout now and then, and it's great exercise! My car had been damaged while parked on two separate occasions in the past few weeks! So it was just to fix those issues, but it looks a lot more presentable now! I'm not much of a petrol-head myself, thankfully i had help from someone who knew what they were doing I had seen that video already mate, but I watched it again last night as a reminder. What I have done though... Day 17; To help with my procrastination issues, I decided to put together a weekly schedule that I will update every Sunday in order to prepare for the week ahead. Because my condition can sometimes make it difficult to follow a set routine, I've specifically avoided creating a strict regimen for myself, but it's enough to have a structure to my day. Yesterday and today have been very productive, so fingers crossed!

Congratulations on reaching your latest milestone! I just wanted to say that your point about enjoying life's little moments while doing absolutely nothing resonates with me so much. It's something that I've really tried to work on in the past few months. All too often I was preoccupied with looking back or at what may come in the future. This would sometimes cause me to rush through the day, perhaps with the goal of getting home to play that new video game in mind, when in reality I would have been better off enjoying the present moment, no matter how little.

Day 15; The last week or so has very much been a mixed bag. I've done some positive, productive things like working on my car for example, but my sprained ankle has been a source of frustration, and the work towards some of my goals has been hampered as a result. Although still sore, my injury has improved quite a lot over the past 48 hours, so hopefully I can kick on again this week. Still no video games, internet procrastination continues to be the much bigger issue for me. The impression I have so far is that gaming isn't at the core of the problem, but like browsing the internet, is simply one of my outlets. Admittedly it's still early days however

Great advice. In my short time on these forums, I like the fact that the word moderation isn't spoken in hushed tones, but it is important to be honest with yourself. If you're serious about changing your gaming habits for the better, then you need to prove to yourself that you can go an extended length of time without gaming like Federer said. I'm in the belief that I'm only really addicted to multiplayer games, whereas I'm much more in control when playing single-player games, but I need to find out for certain, and the only way to do that is by taking a break for a while. Like @Cam Adair says...

Day 10; Today was probably the hardest so far. I pushed myself a bit too much the day before as my ankle was particularly sore when I woke up this morning. That, combined with the awful weather, saw my original plans for the day go up in smoke and I was stuck in the house with little to do. This was one of those days that in the past I would have reverted to spending a lot of my time juggling between gaming and internet browsing. Inbetween periods of boredom, I did spend a couple of hours refreshing my memory on the basics of HTML and CSS. It wasn't much, but I'll class it as a small victory Part of me was glad that I was restless, particularly during mid-morning and the early afternoon when I didn't have anything on my agenda. I'm happy that my mind wants me to busy doing something productive, and not just sit at my chair in autopilot.