Nate's Daily Journal

[Nate B]

4/15/16 - Day Thirty-Four. Been a while since I posted, but this week has been good overall. Still getting some stuff sorted for scheduling and work next year, but otherwise life has been fairly normal. Today went really well, with starting a new reading habit, getting out for a bit with some friends, and getting a good amount of work done for the end of the semester. (It's coming up soon!) Overall, this last month or so has felt pretty good. I'm looking forward to the summer!

[Cam Adair]

What book are you reading right now?

[Nate B]

4/17/16 - Day Thirty-Six. Yesterday went pretty well, and today went alright. Today, I slept in and enjoyed some time in the sun this afternoon. This evening was mainly spent trying to get some homework done for the week, but overall was a fairly normal day.

P.S. I'm reading "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" right now, trying to use a daily reading goal of 25 pages, which has been working out so far.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Nate B

[Cam Adair]

P.S. I'm reading "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" right now, trying to use a daily reading goal of 25 pages, which has been working out so far.

Great book! What do you think of it so far?

[Nate B]

4/19/16 - Day Thirty-Eight. Today and yesterday went pretty well, with today being a very focused day in terms of work. With the end of the semester coming up, I have a lot of final projects or papers to finish, as well as a few exams to study for, so life has been busy.

P.S. I'm enjoying it so far, the principles are simple, but tested and make a lot of sense. The biggest thing to remember is to implement these habits, and not just read over them.

[Cam Adair]

What is one of the habits you are going to implement?

[Nate B]

4/21/16 - Day Forty. Today went well. There was a work day on campus, so people did outdoor work projects instead of classes, which was a nice change of pace. It was a tiring day, but a good one. The end of the semester is coming quick, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

P.S. I think the one I'm going to try right away is "Put first things first," which I feel is fitting. Priorities have always been a bit of a rough spot for me, and I'm getting better, but the principles pointed out to support that section are going to help out quite a bit.

[Cam Adair]

Awesome, that's a great one. Excited to hear how it goes for you.

[Nate B]

4/22/16 - Day Forty-One. Today went alright with classes and the like. This weekend is going to be very busy with schoolwork, so I'll be happy when that is all said and done. Otherwise, life has been pretty normal, and gaming stuff hasn't been a big problem lately, which I'm thankful for.

[ManGodWhyNo]

Congratulations on getting to the cosmic Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. (42)

Sounds like you've had a good summer of reflecting and development.  I like that you express gratitude, that's a healthy habit I'm trying to work in at work and home. 

Thanks for sharing your journey.  Safe travels.

[SundayMiharu]

Hiya.

[Nate B]

5/1/16 - Day Fifty. It's been way too long since I've posted, so sorry about that guys. Life has been crazy crazy lately, between getting things ready for the summer and next semester. I've been busy with finishing up this semester with a lot of final projects and studying for final exams, but otherwise, life has been going alright.

As for my original goals, I haven't gotten to do as much personal stuff as I would like. I haven't done many proper workouts, but I've been trying to compensate for it with bodyweight workouts and martial arts practice. My personal reading and writing goals also haven't been as productive as I'd like, but school has kept me sharp on that front. I'm also getting better at reading sheet music, but I'm back and forth on how much time I should spend learning piano.

Regardless of all that, my detox has been going fairly well, and while I've stayed away from games and the gaming culture for the most part, its still tough on occasion when some of my friends try and strike up gaming conversation with me. Still, things have been going well, but I have been thinking of whether its best to stay away from games entirely after the detox, or try to keep them to moderation. Personally, I feel like it would be for the best to stay away from games, but I know it won't be easy.

P.S. Glad to hear from fellow members of the community! Thanks for speaking up MGWN, and howdy to you, SundayMiharu!

[WorkInProgress]

Nice. Day 50 all ready. Keep going man you are owning this detox so far.

[Cam Adair]

Great work Nate! Happy to hear things are still going well.

[Nate B]

5/2/16 - Day Fifty-One. Today went fairly well. It was one of the last days for classes on campus as we've hit finals week at my school. Tonight I was able to successfully make it to the next belt level in my martial arts training, which was pretty exciting, and I'm really enjoying how that has been going. 

I also had a close call with gaming today, as I had a friend invite me over to play Smash Bros, which I almost took him up on. He kept talking it up and getting me excited and reminiscing. It was hard to stay away, and I almost stopped in to watch a bit before I realized how easy it would be for me to jump in. I decided to stay away from it altogether, and it was tough to make that choice, but I was more committed to not ruining my detox, which I am already so far along on.
 

[Merdoc_Rowboat]

Congrats on your new belt man. And good work resisting temptation.

Have you told your friend about the detox? I told my friend about it and he supports my desire to better myself and although he'll still play rocket league when I'm at his place he doesn't pressure me into playing. He also makes sure I'm okay with it.

[WorkInProgress]

Good job!

[Cam Adair]

You made the right choice. Congrats on your new belt!

[Nate B]

5/5/16 - Day Fifty-Five. Today was a little crazy, with the last finals of my semester being finished. Final grades aren't in yet, so we'll see how a did a little later. Other than that, things have been going alright. I'm going to be spending most of tomorrow getting ready for the transition from school back to home, and then will spend Saturday watching graduation with some friends, and then heading home. I'm looking forward to working at camp this summer, but I'll be glad to have a little relaxation time between now and then.

P.S. Thanks guys! Just to post some responses, I have mentioned the detox to him before, but I don't think he realizes just how long 90 days is haha. And thanks for all the congratulations, it feels good to be improving!

[Jeremias]

Awesome work Nate, it's so cool to see your progress over time. 

Are you feeling a lot calmer and more prepared approaching exams now that you've stopped gaming?

[Piotr]

I've read your journal and I'm very impressed by the progress you've made. You've mentioned that you refused gaming smash bros with your friend, this is the proof that you're on good track with your detox, you can say "NO" to games and you will have to say it again in the future. Just don't give up and keep it this way.

Greetings, Piotr.

[Cam Adair]

Great work Nate!

[Nate B]

5/8/16 - Day Fifty-Eight. Today was a good day, celebrating Mother's day with the family, and enjoying my first full day home from school. The next few weeks are going to be kinda tough in terms of staying away from games, but it should be smooth sailing once I head to camp on the 23rd. 

Tonight, I've been reflecting on the past year of school and what was done well and what needs improving. From the look of things, my main goals that I mentioned early on in the detox are staying somewhat consistent, but the sub-goals will certainly change up. I am still looking to improve my academic performance and my overall physical fitness as two key points for next year, while music, reading, and other things take a backseat until I have my main priorities down. I'll probably write more on this in the next few days as I map out sub-goals, but I do need to remember that there are still three months between now and then.

P.S. To Jeremias and Piotr, I did feel much better about exam week this semester as compared to other semesters, where I was usually not prepared. And it is tough to step back from games, but it is a life skill of self-discipline, and I have been feeling good about the progress I've been making. Thanks for contributing to the thread, guys!

Edited May 9, 2016 by Nate B

[Nate B]

5/16/16 - Day Sixty-Six. It has been a while since I've posted, as moving back home and getting settled for a bit has been a mix of craziness and a bit of laziness haha. I haven't been posting as regularly as I should, and my room is still a mess from all my college stuff (plus, it wasn't as clean as I would have liked it to have been anyway), so I've still got some stuff to take care of.

Lately, dealing with the gaming stuff has been fairly hard, but its easier because I've made sure nothing is readily available. The next big decision I have is whether or not I should sell my desktop. It is basically an upgraded office pc that I mainly used for web browsing and gaming. I do have a smaller laptop that I bought specifically for school, and so I have gotten used to working with it, and it can't run anything that's "heavy duty," whether that's games, movies, etc. 

I'm going to worry about that a little more late this summer, however, as I don't have the time to sell it before I head off to my summer job. At any rate, going without gaming should be smooth sailing once I make it to camp for the summer!

[Cam Adair]

Nice to hear from you.