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My Journal - Alex


AlexTheGrape

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Hi Alex started reading your journal and jsut wanna say it motivatges me to challenge myself more and get more done. I haven't startetd the 30-day challenge and just started quittng games 3days before. I just wanna say ty for uploading your journal it is really inspiring for me. Keep going it is impressing!

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I have been lazy with my posting recently, so this stops now. Here is my post for 2 days ago:

90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 19

Today has been very special for me because I got to meet an old friend from the last high school I went to, and I hadn't seen her for 2 years. It was wonderful catching up and spending time together, it was also a great opportunity for me to reflect on the last couple of years as I told her what has been happening in my life in the past couple of years. I realised that the greatest changes in my past two years have actually been within the last few months, other than my academic performance improving over time. This has been because I have adopted a completely different outlook on life, how I get through my day, and most importantly I have cultivated the desire and methods of moving my life forward in more ways than what someone normally would with time.

I have decided to put my 30 day challenge on hold to get through all of the one-off tasks that I have listed, to work on conquering one of my fears (this was part of the challenge I need to do), so as soon as I have time where I'm sitting at home and I've completed all these things, I'll dive back into the challenge.

I played guitar, had a run, meditated, visualised, but didn't get any of my other habits completed. It was a great day overall though, and a reflective on at that. I would like to add that the change that I am making in my life is being noticed by myself and others a lot sooner than I expected, I was led to believe that the results would come a lot slower. Perhaps the full positive impact of my new lifestyle will be revealed later, because at the moment I am currently noticing I have been quite a bit more grateful and happier in general.

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Here is my post for yesterday:

90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 20

Today has been worse than average because I didn't make the most of my time. I was invited to a friend's place in the morning, and since I needed to bring quite a few things over I skipped running and my 7 minute workout. I still meditated and had a cold shower, but I felt drowsy throughout the day likely because I hadn't started off the day with exercise. I spent a lot more time than needed with my friends today, but it was good to catch up with them these holidays anyway.

I connected with one of my friends on a deep and personal level, and he is interested in how I've been developing myself recently. Perhaps he may start a journal on here soon!

Hi Alex started reading your journal and jsut wanna say it motivatges me to challenge myself more and get more done. I haven't startetd the 30-day challenge and just started quittng games 3days before. I just wanna say ty for uploading your journal it is really inspiring for me. Keep going it is impressing!

Thank you for taking the time to read my journal and thanking me, I really appreciate it! I'm glad that my experiences have really helped motivate you. Keep it up man!

 

Meditation

Done

Running

I skipped it today, and I noticed how drowsy I felt without exercise in the morning.

7 minute workout

I also skipped it and I'd assume that this contributed to my feelings of drowsiness today.

Cold shower

Having a cold shower woke me up, but didn't have a lasting effect as it wasn't paired with exercise.

Guitar practice, programming, thank you letter

I did not make time for any of these. Grr.

Reading

I read about 25 minutes of Think and Grow Rich, the autosuggetion is certainly working in my visualisation.

Reflection

I didn't make the most of my day, but I had to catch up with those friends sometime. I also spent a lot of time explaining my progress in the last few months and was a good time to reflect. I came to the realisation like the day before that the most important changes that I have made to me and my lifestyle have been from the last few months.

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90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 21

Today I spent some time getting to know my neighbour and got through a bunch of my one-off tasks. I went to the bay to get some letters to write to my penpals and I socialised where I could. I met a monk as well, and the resources he gave me might help me to find spiritual peace or something along those lines. I'll add them to my books to read list, but I'll give them a bit higher priority as they describe spiritual techniques that I might find useful.

My step-brother invited over tons of people for a party so I didn't get much opportunity to do more productive things at home, but I did squeeze in a bit of guitar practice. I have made more progress in starting my own business as I contacted a friend of mine that has started his own business, I will be learning a lot from him tomorrow.

Meditation

I got my meditation done this morning as soon as I got up.

Visualisation

Went well, and I am noticing that auto-suggestion has helped me to feel motivated to be the #1 academic student this year. When I think of my goal I often get the feelings that would correspond with a fist pump, being very motivating.

Running

I had a run this morning but I didn't do it early, so I ended up doing a run to the park but not doing any intensive exercise.

7 Minute workout

I legitimately forgot to do my workout today, I better make it tomorrow!

Guitar

I got in a bit of practice just before and during the party, but wasn't a very good session.

Programming

I didn't make time for it today, so that's a no.

Reading

I am about to read before going to bed, so count that one done.

Reflection

Today I have made moderately good use of my time, but I can still improve more tomorrow.

One amazing thing that happened today

When I went to purchase letters for sending to my penpals, I told the people working at the counter my story about getting penpals and how I am also making an investment this way as I will have adventures in the future to finally meet my penpals in person. When I came back to get some paper for the letters, they were delighted that I came around in the first place because I had just kick-started their penpal journeys with my own story! They had been signing up for penpals for the whole duration that left the store before coming back the second time. This was something amazing because it made me feel accomplished in the fact that I am inspiring people and reminded that I am doing good by learning about the experiences of other people.

3 Things I'm grateful for

I am grateful for the opportunity to meet new people today at the party hosted at my house.

I am grateful that I have a positive impact by inspiring others to connect with other people and that I'm inspiring other game quitters.

I am grateful for the opportunity to meet a monk that had once been a doctor; not many people are so humble and pure as to dedicate their lives to becoming a monk and serving others.

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Here is my post for yesterday:

90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 22

Today I spent some time with my grandparents, and tried to fix their computer problems. I also started writing a letter to one of my penpals to put on paper and got some more one-off tasks done such as getting new uniform sorted for the year.

Meditation

Done

Visualisation

I forgot again... Uh oh.

Running

I had a workout run today using the 30-20-10 technique, it felt good to get back into the habit.

7 Minute workout

Done.

Cold shower

Done.

Guitar practice

I got back home pretty late, and didn't make time for it.

Programming

Again, didn't make time for it in favour of the more urgent activities I needed to cross off.

Thank you letter

I sent a thank you text to the monk I met to tell him how I appreciated him greeting me, taking the time to know me, and offering sound advice and resources.

New words

I had started attempts to extend my vocabulary a few times before by learning words from a list that would change every week. I am starting this again and adding 'New words' as a habit on here for accountability.

Reflection

I could have done better to make room for the other habits I needed to work on after coming home from my grandparent's place, but overall I did alright because I got my 7 minute workout in order and my morning run back to peak effort levels.

One amazing thing that happened today:

After sending a text to thank the monk for taking the time to get to know me and for his generosity yesterday, he replied to say he really appreciated it. Happiness went both ways for my gratitude which made my day.

3 Things I'm grateful for:

I am grateful for the opportunity to contact people with electronic devices.

I am grateful for my open mind attitude towards new ideas.

I am grateful for the wide range of food I got to choose from for my lunch today.

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90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 23

Today has been a little hectic at the start which threw off my morning routine but I managed to get heaps done. I had to change house for the week and so had to get up early to catch a train; in doing so I skipped my meditation, visualisation, run, and workout. I did my meditation and visualisation later in the day but didn't push myself to get the exercise done.

I am going to add the "what I could have done to make my day better" and "what I am going to do differently tomorrow" to my journal again as I have noticed I have been quite unguided in making improvements to my daily life. By identifying what went wrong and targeting the areas I am going to work on the next day, I have been less prone to repeating mistakes in the past and I would like to return to that place of self-awareness.

I also realised why my vision board was not effective at all for me meditating or visualising. I have used mostly my interests as its themes, not my goals or desires. This has meant that when I looked at it, nothing felt out of place or drew my attention, it was all natural to me and so did not inspire my visualisation or goals. I will make a new one tomorrow.

Meditation

Done

Visualisation

Done, but I didn't feel it in my body very much today. I reckon this is because I haven't done it the past couple of days.

Run and 7 Minute workout

Skipped.

Cold shower

I have been trying to be more calm when approaching getting cold in the shower, and it has worked... The problem is, without the adrenaline or shock of getting angry at the shower, I don't feel as refreshed as I used to be after a cold shower. I'll try get angry at the shower again tomorrow and see how things go.

Guitar practice

Unlike the last few days, I made time for guitar practice despite leaving it a little late in the day.

Programming

...Programming has been off the charts for a while... This will be my main focus for tomorrow I think.

Thank you letter

I finally got round to writing a thank you letter to a relative in the UK for a Christmas gift! I wrote out the letter on Microsoft word then wrote it out neatly on paper for minimal mistakes. I sealed it with wax, it was a cool experience to do so for the first time. I hope he likes it! I plan to do the same with my other letters and it provides me a good incentive to get started on them.

New words

I wrote the last post a few minutes ago so I haven't implemented it yet.

Reflection

I have made a good use of my day to get heaps of last of my one off tasks done whilst working on most of my positive habits. Tomorrow I'll just need to get the habits done first, and as soon as possible. I think I'll put a timer on to make sure I don't take too long.

What I could have done to make today better:

I could have gone to bed earlier to make sure I wasn't tired throughout the day. I could have exercised to keep my body active. Otherwise I made pretty good use of my day.

What I will do differently tomorrow

I will time myself a total of 55 minutes to get all my morning habits done. I will have slept more. I will commit to getting all my daily habits done before anything else to keep up my best sense of urgency and speed at completing all tasks.

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Hey Alex. One key is to make sure you also focus on what you did right today. Taking that moment to recognize yourself and identify what is working is key. You're rocking it! I'm super proud of you and share your story with a lot of people who ask about who is in our community. I say we have this 17 year old in NZ who is kicking major ass and has a great attitude. That's you my man. ;)

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Hey Alex. One key is to make sure you also focus on what you did right today. Taking that moment to recognize yourself and identify what is working is key. You're rocking it! I'm super proud of you and share your story with a lot of people who ask about who is in our community. I say we have this 17 year old in NZ who is kicking major ass and has a great attitude. That's you my man. ;)

Thanks Cam for the advice! It is also exciting to know that I am becoming one of the success stories as I strive to be a role model. Thank you for making my day! I'll make sure to add what went right during the day and try to celebrate the small wins more. :D

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90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 24

Today has been the most productive I've had in a long time! I got all my habits done today plus killing more of my to-do list, which is quite an accomplishment considering I have a list of 12 habits on my trello board that I aim to do daily. I also fit in the time to cruise through some new journals and took the time to support those people; I was lucky enough for them to all reply within the same day! I tanked out a 5 page letter to one of my penpals today, and I did it all with a glass quill and ink! They are sure to be happy with the effort I put into the letter. For once I am actually looking forward to getting back to school as I can then start applying my new disciplines and attitude to convert the effort into tangible grades! Usually I would dread going back to school since I would have to be away from my games for a long time (until the next holidays) so this is a very noticeable shift in my mentality.

Meditation

Done. I soon will try mantra meditation to engage my senses on a spiritual level, not just clearing my mind.

Visualisation

Done. Not too much feel but better than yesterday.

Morning run

Done! I used the 30-20-10 technique and did my 20 minute circuit so that I made the most of my run.

7 minute workout

Done, and I was drenched in sweat after doing this and the run!

Cold shower

I am getting used to cold showers, is this a good thing? It isn't testing my discipline as much but could be seen as me being more comfortable with getting out of my comfort zone.

Guitar practice

Done, and I started working on a difficult English song so that will certainly develop my skills as I practice it.

Programming

I got some revision done on code words and their meanings, but I didn't finish the tasks as I got distracted sequentially by cake given to me then youtube videos...

Thank you letter

Certainly done, I wrote a 5 page letter! It wasn't based on being thankful, but I certainly was in describing my past year.

New words

Done! This was pleasingly helpful as I didn't remember the meanings of any of the words I had chosen to use a week earlier.

Midday teeth brushing

This is a habit I have started a week or so ago but haven't been working on consistently. This is just to improve my hygiene as I tend to feel my teeth are dirty during the day. I did my brushing today though, so that's done!

Reading

I'm just about to start reading, so count that one done!

What went well today:

Starting the day by getting most of my habits done first really helped me get everything else finished on time. Although timing didn't work because it will take different amounts of time to get ready on different days, I will try and maintain a fast speed when completing these tasks anyhow. I did very well with my run today and put in lots of effort, same goes with the workout. Using trello to get all my tasks done certainly helped, and I am proud that I got all my long list of habits done. Since I wrote down what I was going to do differently last night I was able to easily remember what I needed to change and work on.

I think one of the main things that helped me today was that I broke up the large 'chunk' of habits I needed to complete by fitting in things like writing the letter and identifying which habit tasks I could use as more fun things to do like playing the guitar so that I could also use it as a break.

What I could have done to make my day better:

I could have not watched youtube videos... I ended up watching them for about 40 minutes and this wasted a lot of my time I should have been programming and journalling. Otherwise I made very good use of my day.

What I will do differently tomorrow:

I will set a realistic alarm to get me to go to bed earlier. 9pm will be lights out for me tomorrow. No Youtube until my trello 'today' list is exhausted. Thankfully I have the experience to avoid watching Youtube most of the time, but in the case of boredom I will return to my list of things to do to find something more engaging.

One amazing thing that happened today:

Writing the long letter was quite a satisfying experience. I wrote about my past and in doing so, comparing the progress I've made over the last years to the progress I've made in the past few months; it was a good formal reflection time. I realise that from another's perspective not much has changed in my lifestyle, but the main difference is the attitude I have adopted, the discipline I have built, the habits that are positively benefitting my life, and the drive I have developed to do better in many areas of my life.

3 Things I'm grateful for:

I am grateful for the glass quill and ink I have to make letter writing special for both me and the recipient.

I am grateful for the GQ community for being a positive constant in my life.

I am grateful for having my own guitar to play whenever I like.

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Here is my post for yesterday:

90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 25

Today I spent some time with my little brother for most of the day because he doesn't have much to do these holidays. We went to the polo club with our mother and did some eeling, it was a very mixed bag. To simplify it, I wasn't comfortable with hooking and injuring the eels, but we continued anyways because he insisted. We ended up causing intense pain to one that had a hook buried into its mouth deeply, it was constantly writhing in pain and it took me a total of about 5 minutes to get it out. From this nasty experience I have been reflecting on my attitude towards animals. In New Zealand we farm a lot of animals, but I'm not ok with the way some are treated. I need to think on this more before forming any new opinions, though.

In any case it has been a rather  relaxed day and I had to skip my morning disciplines to get out the house on time, but I made sure to do my meditation and visualisation once I got back home.

Meditation

Done

Visualisation

Done

Running and workout

Skipped today.

Guitar practice

Done

Programming

Ran out of time/didn't make time for it, it seems to always end up on the end of my to-do list.

Thank you letter

I have finished a draft of a letter to send to another one of my penpals, included in it is a thank you, so count that one done!

New words

Didn't make time for it today.

Midday teeth brushing

Done!

Reading

Done. I started reading 'Bhagavad-Ghita as it is' which is supposedly spiritually enlightening, but it is a religious text so I have been frustrated at the consistent insistence of worship of ancient leaders and the 'Supreme Soul'. It will take some serious convincing to get me to believe in that stuff, but it is great to read something from a different culture.

Sleeping on time

Just added today.

What went well today:

My 'conveyor belt' of activities to do on Trello helped me get a bunch of my habits done in a short amount of time. Meditation worked well as I was not stressed in any way during the day after the meditation.

What I could have done to make my day better:

I could have not watched youtube for 40 minutes, but it wasn't a big waste of time. What I certainly could have done better is going to sleep on time. I will make this into a habit to sleep on time for future accountability.

What I will do differently tomorrow:

I will make sure to do my morning exercise and morning habits in order. I'll go to bed early as I really need to get prepared for school. The next day I'll also make my wake-up timer to be the same as on a school day so that I will be adjusted by the time school time comes around.

One amazing thing that happened today:

Receiving a super long email from one of my penpals really made my day! The extra layer of reflection and accountability of having penpals will really work to my advantage over time.

3 Things I'm grateful for:

I am grateful for being able to send messages to the other side of the world.

I am grateful that I have the mentality to improve on all fronts because it is helping me shape my destiny the way I wish.

I am grateful for the opportunity to spend quality time with my brother today

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90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 26

Today I had great opportunity to get a bunch of things done, including writing a very long letter to one of my penpals (8 pages worth and using a quill and ink pot!) and hanging out with a couple of friends and a bunch of people I hadn't met before.

I took it on myself to do one of the challenge days since I had the opportunity to meet up with those people, and it worked out fine. I needed to engage in more interesting conversation than just the regular meetup of both people saying they're fine. I realised why me asking a question rather than making a comment had been much more successful for me, and that was because the other person was put in a state where they needed to think, so they were much more likely to come up with an interesting reply rather than by just me making a comment.

So I was encouraged by my parents and friends to spend some time with the friends and strangers this afternoon. I had some fun but was a good social opportunity. I did ask mostly the same question to everyone as a conversation starter, but it worked and that was fine. I didn't have time for my afternoon habits though, namely guitar practice, programming, new words and such.

Meditation

Done

Visualisation

Done. My vision of becoming the best student in my year academically hasn't had so much force recently since my father doesn't believe I can do it and that he thinks I shouldn't focus so much on my academics. I am considering getting others onboard for motivation.

Running

Done.

7 Minute workout

Done

Cold shower

Done

Guitar practice and programming

Didn't have time for it today

Thank you letter

Finished! I thanked the person I am sending the letter to do. It has turned out to be a wad of paper rather than a letter...

New words

Didn't make time for it today.

Midday teeth brushing

I think I did this one today? I honestly can't remember!

Reading

am going to read just before going to bed.

Sleeping on time

Last night I went to bed rather late! I also believe that was when I made the habit in this journal.

What went well today:

My morning routing took a while but started off my day really well. My conversation starters made sure that I got to know nearly everyone I met at the river today. 

What I could have done to make my day better:

I could have gotten to bed earlier, and seems to be a repeating theme here... I think I did pretty well today though, I pushed myself to get to know others even though I just wanted to stay at home (my brother was invited but did exactly that, he stayed at home to play video games).

What I will do differently tomorrow:

I will make sure to get to bed early, and not go to any gatherings on short notice that end up in me getting home late :P I will get up and meditate first thing in the morning, not just be drowsy and use my phone.

One amazing thing that happened today:

I watched a beautiful sunset this evening and had a think about many things. Taking the time to admire the different colours of clouds and their shapes was a peaceful experience that I may not have enjoyed previously if I had still played games. Thumbs up to patience!

3 Things I'm grateful for:

I am grateful for being able to drive by myself.

I am grateful for my fancy writing utencils to make my sent letters special!

I am grateful for the beautiful scenery that we have in New Zealand.

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Visualisation

Done. My vision of becoming the best student in my year academically hasn't had so much force recently since my father doesn't believe I can do it and that he thinks I shouldn't focus so much on my academics. I am considering getting others onboard for motivation.

What went well today:

My morning routing took a while but started off my day really well. My conversation starters made sure that I got to know nearly everyone I met at the river today. 

One of my favorite sayings is, “If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot.” (not the popular one shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll land among the stars) You can totally do it!! I'm not sure who you can have to motivate you but don't let your parents bring down your expectations. Mine have done that my whole life and it's had negative affects in my schooling. (I am the brightest child, logically at least, but the youngest and they undershot my academics because of my prior siblings troubles in math & sciences) If you think you're capable of it, so do I! Whoo!

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Visualisation

Done. My vision of becoming the best student in my year academically hasn't had so much force recently since my father doesn't believe I can do it and that he thinks I shouldn't focus so much on my academics. I am considering getting others onboard for motivation.

What went well today:

My morning routing took a while but started off my day really well. My conversation starters made sure that I got to know nearly everyone I met at the river today. 

One of my favorite sayings is, “If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot.” (not the popular one shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll land among the stars) You can totally do it!! I'm not sure who you can have to motivate you but don't let your parents bring down your expectations. Mine have done that my whole life and it's had negative affects in my schooling. (I am the brightest child, logically at least, but the youngest and they undershot my academics because of my prior siblings troubles in math & sciences) If you think you're capable of it, so do I! Whoo!

Exactly. And ironically, when you go for bigger goals there's less competition, because most people are not shooting for the stars... they're shooting for the moon. :)

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90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 27

Today has been another good day. I got all my morning habits done, and got up at 6 (compared to my holiday mode 8:30 start) so that I got in tune with the sleeping schedule I'll need for school. I am starting school for the year tomorrow, it came as  a surprise as I need to orient the newcomers around school. So today I also got into town to scan the letters I wrote, check some things in the post office and have lunch. I went out of my way to get to know another stranger that was by himself, and funnily enough was in the same spot that I got to know a bunch of others a month ago. It was the fastest I got to talk to somebody on a deep, meaningful level in my life; it was only a couple of minutes before we started talking about our past and ideals. It was much easier for me to befriend this time around though, and I have noticed that people really appreciate it when you go out of your way to talk to them. I might count my next challenge day done as it was similar to the last, I am already starting conversations that lead on to more meaningful and interesting ones.

I also had a talk to my dad over the phone and told him about my discouragement at achieving my goal. He apologised and supported me which was great, but I have an inkling that it might have been to make sure I wasn't upset. Anyhow I'm not going to let such a little lack of support stop me, I've got the Game Quitters community behind my back and many friends besides!

Visualisation

Done. My vision of becoming the best student in my year academically hasn't had so much force recently since my father doesn't believe I can do it and that he thinks I shouldn't focus so much on my academics. I am considering getting others onboard for motivation.

What went well today:

My morning routing took a while but started off my day really well. My conversation starters made sure that I got to know nearly everyone I met at the river today. 

One of my favorite sayings is, “If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot.” (not the popular one shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll land among the stars) You can totally do it!! I'm not sure who you can have to motivate you but don't let your parents bring down your expectations. Mine have done that my whole life and it's had negative affects in my schooling. (I am the brightest child, logically at least, but the youngest and they undershot my academics because of my prior siblings troubles in math & sciences) If you think you're capable of it, so do I! Whoo!

Thank you Laney for the advice! I certainly tried that tactic in the second half of 2015 when I took a selfie challenge to show to the world what grades I was determined to achieve from the end of year exams. This got me far; I didn't hit the stars by a long shot, but I certainly hit the moon :) In other words, I got pleasing grades but not the extremely high standard I was aiming for. I'll do it again, but this time with more motivation from visualisation and other sources. Thank you for the support again, I really appreciate it!

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Exactly. And ironically, when you go for bigger goals there's less competition, because most people are not shooting for the stars... they're shooting for the moon. :)

Thank you Cam! It makes a lot of sense now. I'll make sure to aim higher than all my peers, I know I can do much better this year without gaming.

 

Meditation

Done

Visualisation

Didn't feel it at all today, but I gotta keep going at it.

Running

Done

7 minute work out

Done

Cold shower

Done

Guitar and programming practice

Didn't make time for it today... This may happen more frequently in the future as I'll have less time (since I'm at school) but I haven't been managing my time the best I can these holidays so I'll do my best.

Thank you letter, new words

Not done.

Reading

I'm just about to get reading.

Sleeping on time

I got to bed about an hour earlier than the day before, but still not ideal.

What went well today:

I certainly did well with my social endeavors today, I met a new person and had great conversation with him.

What I could have done to make my day better:

I could have done better towards the end of the day to just get through my conveyor belt of things to do instead of milling around and reading news articles.

What I will do differently tomorrow:

Tomorrow will be completely different, but I will work on getting my programming and guitar practice done.

One amazing thing that happened today:

My conversation with the new person I met today was surprisingly smooth and I was very happy with the way it went. I might contact him tomorrow or something, he was a very interesting and successful person!

3 Things I'm grateful for:

I am grateful for the opportunity to meet new people.

I am grateful for the choice I have with which to spend my time.

I am grateful for phones so that I can continue contacting people I have only met briefly.

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90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 28

Today I went back to school! It was a very relaxed atmosphere for my fellow year 13's and I, it is our last year at school and so we're the biggest fish in our pond. In terms of habits, I did moderately well in the morning to do what I could (which was everything but a shorter run and no workout) due to time restrictions, but I reckon I can manage my time better tomorrow. In the afternoon I became a couch potato and just watched youtube videos for a couple of hours, I currently need to look into why that was.

Reflection on 'couch-potatoeing': I was tired from having to run home in the rain for 10 minutes, and I didn't have a planner booklet I'd usually use for school which may have led to my disorganisation. I think the main problem was that I haven't adapted my new attitude to school life yet. I need to apply my hardworking attitude, and accepting uncomfortable circumstances when I get home. I didn't think too much when I just picked up my computer and just loaded youtube videos, I remember thinking there was enough time to get other activities done. None of the youtube has helped me anyhow, so perhaps just blocking myself out of youtube except for music would be helpful. I believe that watching youtube could be something that provides instant gratification, which explains why I have seemed to pick up bad watching habits at an alarming rate (much slower than but similar to my last relapse experiment). I don't watch anything on it out of importance anyways, so I think I'll just make sure I read, program, or do something else engaging if I feel bored, tired, or feel I need a reward. If no other users have a problem with it, I'll put this into practice starting immediately.

I am also going to kick into gear to continue with my challenge, I am psyching myself out of it because 'I don't have enough time' but in reality I have been on holiday! That's a pretty pathetic approach. Even though I'm getting back to school, I doubt there will be much work.

Meditation

I finished on the bus, so wasn't the first thing I did in the morning. I have actually become accustomed to meditation for 10 minutes every morning when I wake up; I found I was sitting down for around 10 minutes even though I wanted to do a run first thing in the morning.

Visualisation

I did this on the bus as well, not feeling involved whatsoever unfortunately. I think I'll move this to be immediately after I wake up instead of meditation.

Running

I had a quick run, but a run nonetheless.

7 minute workout

Skipped

Cold shower

Done

Guitar practice

Didn't make time for it today.

Programming practice

Didn't make time for it today

Thank you letter, new words

I forgot about those :/

Reading

have already read today, but I plan to read more when I go to bed.

Sleeping on time

I did alright last night.

Learning revision

Something that I need to start doing and getting into the habit of is revising what I've learnt during the day for maximum retention of the knowledge. I will start tomorrow, and will include what I've learnt from the book(s) I've read and experiences I've had during the day. Perhaps I could do it in the form of a written diary?

Reflection

I have already reflected on my youtube watching, but I realise that I have a long list of habits I am dropping out of doing. I need to improve on my participation in these areas.

What went well today:

Today I got along very well socially and made sure to introduce myself to other in my year level I didn't know already and to the school newcomers. I believe I am becoming much more comfortable socially.

What I could have done to make my day better:

I could have not wasted time watching youtube, I could have made sure to get my habit building done before relaxing.

What I will do differently tomorrow:

I will try and get my morning routine done faster than today. I will retain more of my learnt knowledge by writing it down at the end of the day. I will make sure to get all of my habit building done before relaxing in the afternoon. I will do a day of the challenge.

One amazing thing that happened today:

I was proud to tell my tutor teacher about my accomplishments these holidays and be able to say they were the best holidays I've ever had. It kicked off my day positively and I didn't feel sad at all during the day (which I have picked up on, I haven't been sad for a while).

3 Things I'm grateful for:

I am grateful for the opportunity to see my classmates again.

I am grateful for the privileges I now have as a year 13 student.

I am grateful for my journal for reflecting on my day so I can act better in the next.

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I've been very busy on my first proper day at school, and didn't make time to post. In short, I got a decent amount of habits done but I did better the next day. I can't remember that much so I'll just skip writing for day 29. Otherwise, my procrastinating has taken a sudden rise for reasons I haven't identified, so sorry for being an inactive member of the community for a few days!

Here is my post for the day before:

90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 30

Today I received an award in full school assembly for my academic achievements over the past year, but I have received the particular reward twice before (along with another 20 or so people out of my year level of 200+ students) and it felt strangely empty. I had good intentions when I got home but felt sad in isolation at home in the afternoon. I got mostly over it with some meditation and going out for a run, but I still felt a bit down. The thoughts stemmed from my own misconceptions about my ability to start and maintain a romantic relationship, as I have been unsuccessful in the past. I am ok now as I am focusing on the fact that I have been improving rapidly in my social skills recently, so I have no need to worry. I didn't make much progress in habit building as I just read, listened to podcasts and watched Youtube for most of the afternoon. I didn't bring my guitar with me to school (and therefore to my father's place) so I won't be practicing that for the next week.

 

Here is my post for yesterday:

90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 31

Today I had planned for two weeks in advance: I was to meet again with the monk that practices (and evidently wanted to spread the word of) Krishna consciousness. He was polite at first and was great to talk about meditation, but he soon took on the role of the inquisitor and shot down my beliefs about anything and everything including western culture, my thoughts towards there being no afterlife, and that our source of life is from our body. It was interesting to learn of his own ideals as they are certainly outlandish according to common western ideology. Although I can relate to philosophical curiosity to know why we desire certain things or what is our true purpose, I didn't agree with serving Indian historical figures and something called the 'Supreme Soul' an other forms of worship that rely on blind faith in something I've never seen or heard of. It was an interesting experience to say the least, but I felt he was trying to change my ideology to something more similar to his own; even though he promised me that he wasn't trying to convert me or anything. It might not be a bad thing that he is trying to do this, but I have little knowledge on philosophical and life-purpose matters and ideals so I won't make any judgements.

It was also a fun day because I played the storytelling, role playing game called Dungeons & Dragons for my first time! It is the peak of nerdy games but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I have observed my own curiosity in its rules and functionality; I have now read enough to try being the Dungeon Master in the game but I am slightly alarmed at my own interest in the game mechanics. I suppose this stems from a desire to win and succeed by learning game mechanics when I played video games, but I doubt playing or learning about this story telling and role playing game will be of any harm to me as it requires a lot of social interaction, imagination, improvising and calculation, not to mention about 4 or more people to play. Just as long as learning about the game doesn't get in the way of anything, I think it should be fine. Does anyone have an opinion on playing Dungeons & Dragons? It is quite a time consuming game so I would appreciate the input on others on this topic.

I didn't do well in terms of daily habits, I have definitely gotten slack at that recently. It was overall an exciting and interesting day, but may have eroded my discipline a little by not engaging in many of my daily habit building practices.

 

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90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 32

Today I did my first day of paid work! I started at 11 and finished at 6, and was rather tired when I finished. Overall it was a splendid day, for once not because I completed most of all of my daily habit building (which I didn't make much time for today), but because I made some money! It'll go straight into my bank account, I'm the saver kind of person. Anyhow tomorrow I don't have anything planned, so I will make sure to chomp through as many habit building exercises as I can.

I forgot to mention that the day before my first day at school, I phoned up an old friend of mine that is the same age as me but started his own business when he was 15! I got some great advice from him in terms of how businesses work from a CEO point of view, what I need to do in terms of preparations, I got to know about a lot of his experiences, and a whole lot more. One of the most surprising things he told me was that he fills his room with inspirational quotes. He seems to me like the most mature person I know, but I thought that inspirational quotes were for those that needed help. My views have now been turned on its head and I have come to realise that we all need inspiration in any form to be successful in the long term, not just in recovery from gaming or getting out of a similar bad situation. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk to him as he is a roll model for me for many areas of life.

Some important advice I learned from him was to plan my business fully before launching it, everything from the company name to the product dimensions to the specific stores I would sell to (assuming I sell products). This way I can plan throughout this year and not have starting up and running a business bogging down my academic pursuits.

Luckily I have learned from my 'couch potatoing' and I avoided slouching into any furniture, even though I was very tired at the end of the day. It would have resulted in me just watching Youtube or something similar whilst I rest. I instead got to work on cleaning my room and started my  GQ posting!

I have realised that video games haven't been on my mind for several days now, which is amazing! Despite my small duration relapses (a few days) I've had, it seems that cravings for video games are finally getting out of my system. That doesn't mean I shouldn't finish the detox though!

I'm also going to stop grouping activities together that I haven't done, as I have realised that it is not only a way for me to save time, but problematically, a way for me to not feel as much guilt. I need to feel that emotion for more motivation the next day.

Meditation

Check!

Visualistation

Forgot about that today...

Running

Didn't make time for this as I went to be too late last night. Shame on me.

7 minute workout

Nope.

Cold shower

Done

Programming practice

I didn't even think about it today :/ but I wouldn't have had enough time anyways as I got home at 7 and had other things like posting on GQ forums that are more important!

Thank you letter

I am just about to write one in the form of an email to a penpal.

New words

I'll also do that immediately after posting, since I haven't done this in a while. 

Reading

I'll start writing whether I've read in the last day or not, since I tend to write my post before reading during the day. Yesterday I didn't read, I watched a D&D rules video instead. Not helpful in terms of personal development, I will crack down on this behaviour.

Sleeping on time

I certainly did not sleep on time yesterday! I must have fallen asleep at 12pm or something. Seriously not good.

Learning revision

I wrote notable rules of D&D down... But I otherwise didn't learn any important information... After writing that, I just realised I have lessons in my intro to this post, I'll write that down right now! Right, that's written down in a book now.

What went well today:

I learnt very quickly how to serve different drinks and tend to different situations. Most significantly, I didn't beat myself up about anything I did wrong; in other words I was tolerant of my own mistakes in the mindset that I am learning and will make mistakes.

What I could have done to make my day better:

I will make sure to go to sleep on time as I would have been able to do more tasks and not feel so tired today. I have done pretty well overall as I worked the best I could at work, but the late time I got to bed hindered the progress I could make today a lot.

What I am going to do differently tomorrow:

I will get to bet earlier tonight. I will get my full morning schedule complete. Other stuff written down.

I'll add the rest in the morning, it is getting late.

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90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 34

Today has been a great one where I had some fun with my friends at lunch simply by talking and being engaged.

I watched Cam's new video of 'you have time'. Funnily enough I have been 'running out' of time myself since I've started going back to school. I'm going to again reform the way I approach my daily tasks to make sure I actually get them done as I have been doing poorly in this area recently. I'm going to just make sure I do 10 minutes of programming, 10 minutes of guitar practice, and 10 minutes of running done every morning until I get used to my new schedule (my old morning schedule has been decimated due to needing to get up much earlier than when I was on holiday.

I'll keep my journal shorter for now, it has been taking me round 45 minutes to write my journal entries recently, I need to reduce this to be more efficient with my time.

Habit building

I managed to do my 7 minute workout this morning, and I plan to do a morning run tomorrow. I would like to day "I ran out of time to do my other habits", but the reality is that I spent an hour watching television with my family and listened to music whilst I worked (makes it more fun but slows me down) so there is still time I can squeeze out of my afternoon.

Reflection

I have done well today in being organised throughout the day, I have a lot on my plate now to balance very difficult subjects (chemistry, biology, physics, top maths for calculus class, computer science) with numerous co-curricular activities I will be starting tomorrow and in the next couple of weeks.

I could have done better by limiting my slouch time and working as effectively as I could.

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One thing that works for me is listening to classical music while working and studying. I find that I'm sometimes able to progress even faster than regularly. Give it a shot if you like. :)

Thanks! I have tried this before and it does help occasionally, it helps thoughts flow better. I tend to just forget to use it!

 

90 Day Detox Attempt III Day 36

I have been thinking on how and why my attempts at adapting my habit building practices to school and have discussed it with my parents, and I've figured it out. The whole reason I built up a long list of things to do repeatedly was to build up new and build my existing skills during the holidays, where I had an abundance of time. I have been struggling with loads of difficulty to fit these practices in because I simply don't have that time to invest during the week, I only get a few hours of time at home because I am committed to about 4 co-curricular activities, and most of this time I need to spend on doing homework. No wonder I can't find the time! For now I'll leave my long habit building list for the weekends, but I'll make sure to continue exercise and/or meditate and take a cold shower in the morning.

I have realised a main reason that I don't have the drive to have a relationship with someone of opposite sex is because I already have very close connections with my twin brother. I don't need a 'soulmate' or somebody else to know me inside out, because someone already does! If I am unsure about something, I can always talk to James, and vice versa.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

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