This is not about gaming - Journal

[Reno F]

@Piotr thanks for the compliment. You're very nice. 10 years ago I played in a punk/hc band. This song is not hard. I practiced it in order to make the solo, which I thought it would be doable at my level. and, of course, because AC/DC rocks.

I'm feeling a bit pressured, today. Maybe it is time to discharge in my other journal. it's been 3 days since I last wrote in it.

Today was a productive day in terms of what I could get done, but my mood was just meh. I'm keeping up with my writing practice, but I want to give a step forward. I think I need an audience but I don't want to put up a blog yet (I mean, buy a domain name and a host). Facebook is not a good place to write. I think I might be too old for tumblr. Does anybody here writes on medium? I think I'm gonna start from there.

Well, I said today was productive, but I slept for one our in the afternoon and I stil haven't done my bloody exercises, neither I read anything in Japanese. On the other hand, I wrote 900 words and crossed out some tasks I had arranged to be done today.

I gotta remember to move forward with investing. Haven't checked anything on it since the last time I mentioned on my journals. I starting to think that I should really place every single thing I want to get done in my calendar.

g2g, gl, hf (I kind of miss typing those)

[Piotr]

I miss typing them, too. Too bad they are mostly used in games.

[Reno F]

Day 92

I started it on July 15th, and today is Oct 15^th, so it is has passed exactly three months. But when I counted the days in, today happened to be the 92^nd!

I am detoxed!

Reinstalling Steam in 3... 2... nah! Did you believe it?

Ok, I should wrap up the period in a dedicated post. I'll come back when I have done it. But basically, I'm super happy to have been able to do it, happier than I thought I would be. I finished a project I started. Now I need a new one. I might still have some bad habits I'd like to get rid off, but they aren't as harmful as gaming once was. So I will start something to create a new, good habit. I've been doing this since the beginning of this detox, so I should set up something really challenging this time.

Thank you all, for being part of this journey! This is our victory! More are to come!

Edit: I added some thoughts in here

Edited October 15, 2016 by Reno F

[Fagus]

Congratulations! This is

AWESOME !

 

Kudos to you for completing this challenge. Now there is nothing left that can stop you from becoming that best version of yourself!

[DaBest]

Congrats, Reno! I enjoyed your follow up post on the other thread, too. For me, this community as been very useful in helping me work towards the straight and narrow, so I'm glad to hear another success story is sticking around!  

[Piotr]

Congratulations Reno!

This is very important milestone in therms of your better life! I've enjoyed your entries so I hope that you won't stop posting. Also remember that the cravings are still out there. So don't let your guard down!

Best wishes, Piotr. 

[Reno F]

Thank you all!

I was wondering if I should open a new topic for my post detox log. After all, here ends a story and starts a new one. I'm staying firm without games, but I still haven't thought about anything else to pursue as a challenge like the detox. For today I'm continuing here.

• It's been a while since I have gotten up before seven. That will change tomorrow.
• It's also been a while since I went running. That will change tomorrow (I'm not sure about this one, but I'll say I'll do it)
• I have been slacking with Japanese. I'm reviewing Kanji and calling it a day. That will change tomorrow.
• I precticed writing for 6 days straight. This was actually what kept me from studying Japanese for longer. I'm enjoying it.
• Guitar improvisation practice is getting better. I think I've got through a funnel and now it will take a while until I reach a new plateau.
• Need a new book. Next one will be about writing too, as I just finished reading "The War of Art". What a great book!

I made my story with games public yesterday (wrote a text and shared on social networks) and it seems some people could relate to it. Digital compulsion is still under the radar of most people.

As much as I dislike to do "tomorrow I start" kind of promisses, these ones had to be done. That means I'll have to come back here to report the day.

Have a great day, folks! You are awesome!

[Reno F]

Quick report:

• Got up at 7, sharp.
• Didn't run today. Doing it tomorrow morning, fist thing.
• Studied Japanese, not as much as planned. Still have a few hours left.
• Wrote for some time, random thoughts and a bit of planning. Need to increase its time and keep it long every day.

Watched Cam's new video today, but then I got caught for about one hour (maybe more?) watching videos. There should be a way to close that stupid side bar with related videos on the website.

Gotta keep looking for a second part-time job while I work on my own stuff.

End of post. Thanks for reading.

[Reno F]

If feels good to wake up early. 7 is not early enough, but it is earlier than 7:30, so I'm progressing. I also went outside for a walk (not run) which was refreshing. The sun rays at this time of the day are priceless.

After getting ready to work, I started the most important task of the day, which was writing. I had very good writing sessions the other day, but today I picked up a topic that I wasn't comfortable with and the words didn't flow as I wanted them to flow. I realized that I lacked knowledge and spent sometime checking the info I wanted to write. I got a bit frustrated, but kept going for long enough. I guess this is all part of the writer's job.

My weight froze around 60kg which was my goal for the detox. I'm glad I could met it, now I'm trying to figure out how to advance to the next level. New target is 66kg. It seems the heavier you get the more you have to eat to keep your new condition. I feel like a complete amateur on this subject. Means room for improvement.

Today was also one of the days I cook for my wife, and I tried a new dish. I can never get bolognese sauce right. I wonder if it is the meat I'm using that is not appropriated. Everytime it seems something is missing.

It is probably the third time straight that I'm saying I've skipped one of my dailies. Today was guitar AND Japanese. I stopped managing my time a few days ago, and this is likely to be a consequence of that. I spent too much researching for the writing piece. Back to start on time management.

 

[Fagus]

I read, that the sun rays at sunrise and sunset are especially important for a normal biological rhythm. So, well done on this one.

I'm currently at 66 kg and my goal is 70 kg, but I'm probably taller than you. I heard, that the concept of calorie density can be used to gain weight. So I try to eat more foods that are more calorie-dense, like nuts, nut butter, dried fruits, tofu, avocados, and whole grain bread. Eating more cooked food than raw apparently also helps with calorie intake, but I prefer some foods raw rather than cooked.

On the other hand, I want to gain muscle and not fat and I assume that your goal is the same. So the calorie intake should not exceed the needs by too much. I'm doing body weight training on a regular basis now since muscle growth needs a stimulus. But without steroids and heavy gym training, this results in somehow slower growth. Let's see where it takes me.

 

[Reno F]

@Fagus I'm 178cm. I also don't want to take supplements of any kind. I exercise at home, for about 30 minutes 6 days a week (recently only 5), but I struggle to have more than 2000 calories each day. I must be spending around 1600cal on average per day. I might consider buying whey in the future, when my finances are better.

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Today I worked using a timer on the pomodoro technique for basically everything. and the results, as i expected, where great. I managed to do only 6 pomodoros, though. I had plans to go out today (wife's day off), but wife felt sick after lunch, so we stayed in. I managed to get some stuff done in the afternoon as well.

I set up my pc timer (Win10 has a great timer app), so whenever I'm using the pc on my own, I can start it with two or three clicks. Let's do it for the next three weeks and make it a lasting habit.

[Fagus]

I'm 186cm, so that explains the difference. What is your final goal in the matter of weight and how did you set this goal? Do you want to get really bulky or stay slim? I still have the dream of being slim with a lot of muscles, but maybe this is not in my nature. At least I seem resistant to getting overweight, no matter what I eat.

Exercising 6 times a week is quite ambitious. Do you give your body enough time to recover? Do you switch between groups of muscles you train? What is your training anyway, cardio or weight? I remember you writing about running.

I totally approve your denial of supplements, but isn't whey one? Do you not get enough protein? I've read that 0.8g / kg / day is sufficient for almost everyone and most of us exceed this amount resulting in more work for our kidneys.

It's great to hear about your success with the pomodoro technique. This is something that has been on my mind for some time too, but I never tried.

 

 

 

[Reno F]

@Fagus My goal is to look like those nude statues sculpted by Rodin or Michelangelo.

I don't know what is that in terms of weight. I was 55 when I started, my goal was to be 60, which I have never been in my life. Now that I reached it, my next target is 66. I guess 70 should be the place to be based on my body characteristics, but that is just a guess. I believe I have the same genetic 'problem' as you, I can't get fat easily. For the moment, I'm not worrying about it too much as long as I feel I'm healthy.

As you guessed right, I work out different muscles each day. You can only do so much in 30 minutes, but since I'm exercising at home, I feel bored from it quickly, so 30 is a good number. My training is weight lifting. My exercises are dumbbell squats, dumbbell alternate biceps curl, standing bent over one arm dumbbell triceps, deltoid front raise with dumbbells, One arm dumbbell row, and dumbbell bench press. I sometimes go running, but that's very far from being a routine.

And yes, whey is a supplement, but it is the only one i'm considering because I'm not sure whether I'm eating enough proteins to build up muscles. Using the formula you mentioned, it seems I am supposed to eat about 50g per day. I wasn't aware of that, I just tried to eat as much as I could (which was not much). Anyway, I'm still not trying hard.

Thanks for your questions, they were very informative, even though there are questions!

----------------

I think I can say now that I have a morning routine: Wake up before seven (usually 6:55), shave, drink a glass of water, go for a walk outside (10-15 minutes), rehearse two afirmations, comeback and do my bed.

After that, it varies, but I usually read something or review kanji before eating breakfast. I think it has improved my life a bit, especially setting up a time to wake up (before it was kind of random) and the outside walk, which helps me to connect with the nature and the world. I used to write in the morning, but now I want to stay out of bright screens for at least the first 30 minutes of my day. It feels great to have some stuff done right at the start of the day!

[Reno F]

Today I took the time to read the original article about the pomodoro technique and improved my time management system. I had to do this after two days without doing much for apparently no reason. What gets measured gets controlled, so I'll try to work tight during my 'working hours'. The system is basically all set and I'm running it this week to adjust whatever needs adjustment. I've also decided to have 'working hours' everyday, which are those hours that I'll be working on full power. 4 hours when I have an appointment for the day, 8 hours if I'm free. This is something that I should have done long ago. Perhaps I just didn't have enough momentum to keep it going.

I'm this close to opening my website. I have a domain named after my name and set up a free webhost to host the site. The purpose of it is to serve as a hub to have all my articles and everything else I write online. I'm not sure about what it will become in the future, but I just feel it is the right thing to do atm.

Now I'm back to having only one journal. The main benefit I take from it is to process the day; if i find i'm writing something importand that i'd like to keep it for later, I'll just move that piece of information to another page of my notebook. one page that I actually check often.

Thanks for reading. Hope you're having a great day.

 

[Mad Pharmacist]

Today I took the time to read the original article about the pomodoro technique and improved my time management system. I had to do this after two days without doing much for apparently no reason. What gets measured gets controlled, so I'll try to work tight during my 'working hours'. The system is basically all set and I'm running it this week to adjust whatever needs adjustment. I've also decided to have 'working hours' everyday, which are those hours that I'll be working on full power. 4 hours when I have an appointment for the day, 8 hours if I'm free. This is something that I should have done long ago. Perhaps I just didn't have enough momentum to keep it going.

I know technique that works better for me.

50 min work-10 min break- 50 min work - 20-30 min break and so on.

I called 50 min of work golden hour. But you can call it as you want.

I strongly recommend that to give it a shot!

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

[Cam Adair]

Now I'm back to having only one journal. The main benefit I take from it is to process the day; if i find i'm writing something importand that i'd like to keep it for later, I'll just move that piece of information to another page of my notebook. one page that I actually check often.

Think this is a good approach. I like to try and keep things in the same place as much as possible.

[Reno F]

Dear Lord, forgive me, for I have sinned. I ate at McDonalds today. McShake was especially delicious this time, caramel flavour.

Last days I was busy writing resumes, cover letters and work history for part-time job here in Japan. Man, what a hassle...

I'm on a 2-week streak for waking up before 7. Same streak for going for a walk early in the morning.

I have sorted my to do list in order of importance and then urgency. It helps me keeping focus on where is needed.

Speaking of focus, got used to measuring time with pomodoros. Feeling as productive as I have never felt before.

Writing a good blog post is way harder than I think. Non writers are incapable of seeing the amount of work needed to write a good article.

Making really small steps in respect to stock market investment. There is a lot of info out there on the process itself, let alone investment advice.

On the downside, Japanese studies have been compromised. 3rd day straight that all I do is study kanji. I wonder how @JSmith is doing. Engineering must have got him really good this time.

Workout was also in the same situation, but yesterday I stopped that losing streak.

Let's be grateful today: I have warm clothes for this freezing autumm of 10ºC. I'm in great health, as far as I know. I have this awesome 2011 HP laptop which has everything I need on a computer.

[Mad Pharmacist]

 

Let's be grateful today: I have warm clothes for this freezing autumm of 10ºC. I'm in great health, as far as I know. I have this awesome 2011 HP laptop which has everything I need on a computer.

10ºC ? Come on, you should see what freezing autumn is here in Poland!

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

[Reno F]

10ºC ? Come on, you should see what freezing autumn is here in Poland!

Hey, I'm used to 30ºC winter. Anything below 20ºC is freezing, and anywhere below 10ºC is just not suitable for human life!

---------------------------

Journaling in the evening for a change.

I'm getting used to website building tools, and the learning curve is bigger than I thought it would be. I am interested in learning (it actually makes me want to study web coding), but I just don't have the time for that. I have two ideas for niche sites besides my own webpage, but the writing takes so long. I wish I had the funds to outsource it, but at the same time, I need to use this chance to improve my writing.

I believe a book come to me asking to be written the other day. I felt really excited with the call, but I'm already sensing the Resistance knocking on my door. The thing is, the idea I have will require a lot of research and it will consume a lot of energy to get everything in tune with my own quality standard. Besides that, I'm not sure whether it will be read by anyone if I ever publish it, but I'm not very concerned about it. I'm not afraid of failure or rejection. I'm tough.

Let's practice some more gratitude: it's not winter yet, and red leaves in japan are very beautiful. I can make my own cups of coffee, which is as enjoyable as drinking coffee itself. And of course, I'm in great health, which is all I need.

Edited November 3, 2016 by Reno F
word order

[Reno F]

What a shitty day. Wasted 4+ hours trying to configure a damn theme for my effing website. still no progress and a lot of things postponed because of that.

Fuck WordPress.

[Cam Adair]

10ºC ? Come on, you should see what freezing autumn is here in Poland!

Hey, I'm used to 30ºC winter. Anything below 20ºC is freezing, and anywhere below 10ºC is just not suitable for human life!

Lol agreed! Living in sunny California I'm a big wimp now.  

[Reno F]

Quick entry

Spent yesterday working on the website again, but now I have progressed. Finally getting a grasp on wordpress theme config. Looking forward to doing something else today.

It's nice to be lsitening to 90's rock, eating healthy breakfast and thinking about the great things awaiting for me on this sunday morning.

[Cam Adair]

Can't wait to see the site!

[Reno F]

Another morning entry

It's been about 3 weeks since I finished my detox. Sometimes I think about how I miss the time when games were supposed to have an end, like a book or comics.

Monday and I forgot yesterday to plan the week. Gotta do it now, after I finish writing. You know, it is better to set a time to journal and plan the following day. I shouldn't be writing this in the morning, since I don't want to plan for tomorrow when I still have stuff to do today. But yea, let's finish when we have started, so we can move on.

Will I ever feel the urge to start writing and not procrastinating? Everyday there is this mini battle against this intangible enemy.

The clock rang 9 o'clock, I have to go. But before, some gratitude practice: It's great to have a job as a teacher and help people learning a new language and discovering new worlds. I also live in a city where a car is not needed and I go everywhere by bicycle.  Lastly, I sleep in a very comfortable bed (too comfortable, to be honest )

update: I almost forgot. http://renofacundo.com.br

Edited November 7, 2016 by Reno F

[Cam Adair]

update: I almost forgot. http://renofacundo.com.br

Awesome!!