The best possible version of myself

[UndRt0w]

The last 2 days it was easy to wake up early. Today it was 7am, yesterday even 6am. Even though I didn't really sleep very well it was still ok.

I'm thinking about resuming my new sort of journal which I started on the top of this page. Because of illness and moving I stopped doing it. I'm also thinking about doing some challenges this year. 

Some idea's:

- SPORT: Train and Ride a century on my bike indoors (100miles = 161km in 12 hours )

- PRODUCTIVITY: Wake up AND leave the bed at 5 am for at least 30 days, no excuses (naps allowed during the day)

- BUSINESS: Work 100 hours in 50 days 

- CALM: Meditate for 100 days straight. Meditating in bed doesn't count.

- GUITAR: Learn 5 songs in 10 weeks (Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix // Tin Pan Alley - SRV // Cause We've ended as Lovers - Jeff Beck // Free Bird - Lynrd Skynrd // Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne)

- NO INTERNET CHALLENGE: No gaming/ youtube/twitch/browsing except for work/business for 30 days

 

If you guys have cool idea's for challenges let me know. Even if you think I won't like it, suggest it anyway.

[Mad Pharmacist]

Good challenges! I recommend to write in your journal on daily basis for 1000 days!

Btw. have you heard about setting emergency goals? This can easily help you achieve what you want achieve.

Well, let's imagine that you have been back from party at 1 a.m. and there is no way that you'll wake up at 5 a.m. and be soooooo fuckin' productive as hell. So, for this time, you've set an emergency goal: "I'm sleeping at least 7 hours".

This way you'll still be productive for the rest of the day by waking up at 8a.m. and you did emergency part of the goals - this means that you won't lose your streak, but you also won't improve it - it's like "+0 points/days" to your streak.

If it makes sense for me, try to make emergency goal for each of your challenges.

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

[UndRt0w]

Post-apocalyptic train ride

I take a seat in front of a creature on the train. He's hunched in his seat. This specimen is trapped by wires. They seem to go into his ears. There's no doubt these wires are stuck directly in his brain. It's the only possible explanation for what I'm witnessing. This human-like specimen is glued to this device in his hand, the wires go from the device right into his ears. His normal human-like senses don't seem to function like they once did. No doubt he's controlled by this device.

There's a backpack next to him, it's almost impossible to even see him from the side because of how bad he's hunched. His hairs are messy. He's wearing glasses. They stand a bit crooked on his nose, which suits his posture and hair. I sit down but his eyes don't move a single bit. He's still breathing though, I can tell. There's this weird aura about him. He's alive, but not really. The resemblance to a zombie is not that far-fetched. I don't think he feeds on brains though, I feel safe. He seems like the kind of creature that feeds on Cheetos and Pizza. He's very human-like, but in the end, he's definitely not... Not anymore.

He seems like a young specimen. I'd estimate him around 15-16 years old. Humans of his age will definitely be very amused by him. He's the perfect pet for them, there's no threat about this create, he's definitely great material to play with. A part of me feels he's sad, but somehow this device seems to take away his negative emotions, for now.  After he comes home the device will probably lead him to a bigger, stronger device and grasp him even more in it's power. I don't think this small device could have such a big impact on it's own. There has to be a bigger one. He picks his nose. I guess he also feeds on boogers, I look away.

I see other kind of these creatures. They look exactly like me. I think it's hard to spot the difference between me and them. On the other side there's a nice specimen, definitely a female one. If she were still human I'd date her, no doubt. To be honest, I'm pretty sure she would've rejected me if she was still in her human state. She's around my age, possibly slightly older, but nut by much. There are no wires in her ears, maybe there's still hope for her. I want to save her, but she slightly hunched as well and glued to this device in her hand. I guess she's in the first phase of the infection, it seems to be wireless. Sometimes when I watch her I can definitely spot emotion. It's weird, she seems to be happy. Her lips regularly take shape of a soft smile. As if she doesn't realize she's infected. This must me she lost . I think it won't be long until she's hunched further and connected to the device through wires. Such a shame.

I look around and I see some other people like me, no devices. The majority of the population does seem to be infected though. The scary thing is, everyone acts as if it's normal. Even the none-infected. Without realizing, I suddenly have a device in my hand as well. I quickly realize this and I'm able to disconnect myself from it fairly quick. That was close. It won't be long before I'm infected as well. All these stories about zombies and people getting dominated by machines have suddenly become reality. In some gruesome mash-up the human-species is slowly deteriorating and losing the battle against this parasite device. I'm scared all hope is gone. But I'll fight it as long as I can.

[UndRt0w]

Good challenges! I recommend to write in your journal on daily basis for 1000 days!

Btw. have you heard about setting emergency goals? This can easily help you achieve what you want achieve.

Well, let's imagine that you have been back from party at 1 a.m. and there is no way that you'll wake up at 5 a.m. and be soooooo fuckin' productive as hell. So, for this time, you've set an emergency goal: "I'm sleeping at least 7 hours".

This way you'll still be productive for the rest of the day by waking up at 8a.m. and you did emergency part of the goals - this means that you won't lose your streak, but you also won't improve it - it's like "+0 points/days" to your streak.

If it makes sense for me, try to make emergency goal for each of your challenges.

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

Good challenges! I recommend to write in your journal on daily basis for 1000 days!

Btw. have you heard about setting emergency goals? This can easily help you achieve what you want achieve.

Well, let's imagine that you have been back from party at 1 a.m. and there is no way that you'll wake up at 5 a.m. and be soooooo fuckin' productive as hell. So, for this time, you've set an emergency goal: "I'm sleeping at least 7 hours".

This way you'll still be productive for the rest of the day by waking up at 8a.m. and you did emergency part of the goals - this means that you won't lose your streak, but you also won't improve it - it's like "+0 points/days" to your streak.

If it makes sense for me, try to make emergency goal for each of your challenges.

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

Hey MP,

I like the fact that this extra effort makes it so you don't completely ruin your streak.

On the other hand it seems to open the door for excuses.

But then again it can keep you from completely losing motivation and it's probably more realistic than normal streaks.

I have to admit it's intersting. Definitely considering it!

[UndRt0w]

Cutting the BS, being consistent and identifying key habits

The readers who follow me may have noticed some things about me. Things I started and already stopped doing:

- Quit gaming

- Meditation

- Reading consistently

- Learning the guitar efficiently

- Nutrition

- Proper exercise

- journalling (gratitude/idea)

- Starting a business

- ...

It's time to cut the bullshit. I am inconsistent as f*ck and to be honest I wouldn't be reading this daily journal anymore if I were a reader.

I've noticed this patern for several months now. It's time to change it, It's destructive. Even more destructive than gaming. It has caused me tons of stress and I actully believe it was a factor in becoming physically ill (more stress, lower immune system, flu).

 

How I will fix this

I'm still a firm believer in applying minimalism to my lifestyle. As a famous David Allen quote reads ''You can do anything, but not everything''. This is my mantra from now on. It actually has been for some time now. I need to focus on the important things and not try to do everything at once. So I'm asking myself the question. If I cqn just do 1 thing, achieve 1 goal this year, what would it be.

The answer is fairly easy. It snaps into my head without even having to think about it too much.

I really want to start my own business. Make an impact in other people life through it. And make money doing it. It sounds a bit like I'm describing Cam's life right now. But it's what I want. It will be hard workm but I'm committed. I will push through and not give up when I hit roadblocks. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Now I've answered WHAT I will do, but not how... how can I fix my inconsistency?

I have identified my main goal. Now I just have to identify which key habits are CRUCIAL to get to it. What is really important to get to my goal, What do I need to do consistently to get my business of the ground?

Identifying key habits

First of all, I need to be productive and be on top of my game while working on my business. Health is key. This turns my attention to 3 habits:

-Exercise (cycling, home gym, walking more. Workouts at least 3 times a week. Walking more on the daily)

-Nutrition (Focus on healthy fats, protein, fruits and vegetables. Try to resist fast food and candy as much as possible)

-Regular sleep pattern ( get at least 8 hours of sleep daily, wake up around 6-7am on most days - shut off desktop at 8 pm so I don't get distracted)

These are not goals in itself, these habits are tools. If I exercise regularly, eat fairly healthy and maintain a healthy sleep schedule it will have a positive impact on my health and productivity.

 

Obviously I need to work on my business. It doesn't come first since it shouldn't be interfering with my health. I've made sure I have several accountability partners. Also I have blocked of 7 hours this week to work on my business. This will be changed to +10hours in the next weeks, An important habit here is writing. I actually started writing this because I have to practise it for my future blog. I don't necessarily have to write as much as today or yesterday though. 100 words every day is the absolute minimum at the moment.

What about all the other stuff?

These are my key habits. Obviously I will still read, play the guitar, meditate,... but I don't HAVE to. I can choose to do it, it's not a priority or a goal in itself. I'm not focussing on this. These things are done outside my blocked off productive time. It's not my goal, so it doesn't count. Simple as that.

I may still do some of my challenges because they are fun. But they are free time, not priorities.

Quitting gaming is also not a priority. Obviously if it interferes with my business in any way, I will have to force myself to quit. I do not have a lot of time to game anyways. This week I will litteraly have not time untill the weekends. What I want to do in my free time is not important at this time. Obviously I will still like to try things out like I did in the past. I will do some inconsistent things because I guess that's what I like. We'll see. As long as I'm healthy and working on my business + feeling mentally healthy, quitting gaming is not important for me. I do have an accountability partner for gaming, just to make sure I'm not overdoing it.

If business is your priority, won't you lose balance?

No. I need to be in a good place to be able to build a business. If I don't relax, neglect family and friends,... I will not be happy and I will fail. This will autoregulate. I still have big blocks of free time EVERY DAY. This means that there's enough time to live a balanced life. Since there's no issue there at the moment, there's no need to build goals or rules aboutit.

 

Really interested in you guys thoughts on this one. This is an important decision. I really appreciate you guys and I would love some honest feedback if you read this.

[UndRt0w]

The place games have in my life right now

Sometimes I forget this forum is actually about games and quitting them. Here I am talking about not wanting to quit and talking about totally 'unrelated things'. Well, I guess that's true but in a way, it isn't. This forum feels really suited for my journey, this forum is full of people who are striving for a better life. Just like myself. Most people's journey is a battle against gaming, for me, it's a little less about that. But I don't want to give the impression that I don't pay attention to gaming or quitting it anymore.

To be honest. It's still a 'struggle'. I feel like I have found a balance, but it's still a fight to keep it healthy. It may actually be a fight I shouldn't be fighting. Trying to find/keep a balance is hard. I'm pretty sure it's harder than quitting. Not so long ago I read a bestseller about cleaning by Marie Kondo. The process of cleaning your environment is actually very similar to cleaning the things you're doing.

Does it sparkle joy?

Yes, it sounds girly .. BUT it's true .. does it? What are you doing? Does it sparkle joy? It reminds me of Steve Jobs commencement speech. Steve Jobs would take a look in the mirror every day, asking himself 'If today was my last day on earth, would I do what I'm about to do?'. If the answer was no for too many consecutive days he would change something. This is what I'm doing to my life right now. It's my number 1 thing that I apply to gaming as well.

I once quit gaming, was I happier? YES!!! Hell yes, I was. It was the single most important decision I made in the last years. I've learned tonnes about myself doing that. Still, I decided to go back? Why? Because I felt I could control it... and I failed, and then I succeeded and failed, and... you get the point. It was hard. The well balanced days were better than quitting completely. The other days were worse. I can't really tell what was better, though. Fighting is definitely not easy. I'm still not 100% sure if I will keep gaming or quit it. At the moment it's not really a problem. The last 3 days I didn't a game, I didn't have the time. I like when I don't game, but forcing myself not to game while sometimes it comes in handy? Well, that's something I also don't like.

Gaming does sparkle joy. It's ok to relax. But if you can't control it, it's evil. The joy gives you is so much smaller than the pain it causes. I've read some of you guys story and man... sometimes I really felt bad. Sometimes I feel like I don't belong here, my addiction is/was very mild compared to some of you guys. Don't get me wrong, that makes me respect you even more!!! That must be a hard fight and it's definitely worth it 100%!

Reflections

Sometimes I think about quitting the forum, to be honest. Maybe I don't belong here. I'm not even sure if a lot of people still read it. To be honest it may not be the most interesting journal for you guys. I do appreciate the people that read and comment, though. My inconsistency, the busy schedule of Cam and Mario leaving definitely has had his impact. I'm not 100% sure if I will keep writing here, but I will also not delete it because my fight is not done and updates will follow. Maybe there's another forum that's more suited for my current journey (business/productivity) and I will just update this once a week or a couple of times a month... I don't know.

I guess we'll see. This decision is not important. At this moment I enjoy writing this so it's fine. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

[Mad Pharmacist]

Good challenges! I recommend to write in your journal on daily basis for 1000 days!

Btw. have you heard about setting emergency goals? This can easily help you achieve what you want achieve.

Well, let's imagine that you have been back from party at 1 a.m. and there is no way that you'll wake up at 5 a.m. and be soooooo fuckin' productive as hell. So, for this time, you've set an emergency goal: "I'm sleeping at least 7 hours".

This way you'll still be productive for the rest of the day by waking up at 8a.m. and you did emergency part of the goals - this means that you won't lose your streak, but you also won't improve it - it's like "+0 points/days" to your streak.

If it makes sense for me, try to make emergency goal for each of your challenges.

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

 

Good challenges! I recommend to write in your journal on daily basis for 1000 days!

Btw. have you heard about setting emergency goals? This can easily help you achieve what you want achieve.

Well, let's imagine that you have been back from party at 1 a.m. and there is no way that you'll wake up at 5 a.m. and be soooooo fuckin' productive as hell. So, for this time, you've set an emergency goal: "I'm sleeping at least 7 hours".

This way you'll still be productive for the rest of the day by waking up at 8a.m. and you did emergency part of the goals - this means that you won't lose your streak, but you also won't improve it - it's like "+0 points/days" to your streak.

If it makes sense for me, try to make emergency goal for each of your challenges.

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

Hey MP,

I like the fact that this extra effort makes it so you don't completely ruin your streak.

On the other hand it seems to open the door for excuses.

But then again it can keep you from completely losing motivation and it's probably more realistic than normal streaks.

I have to admit it's intersting. Definitely considering it!

Nope, you don't want to loose motivation.

Why? Because you don't get something you want to get each day: improve your habit streak by +1. You just keep it at the same level, which is something you won't follow

But this is just for situations where you're just unable to e.g. work for 2 hours, and you'll do 15 minutes instead. It's minimum that ensures you're engaged into your task but it doesn't move you forward.

I hope you got the whole conspect now

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

[UndRt0w]

Good challenges! I recommend to write in your journal on daily basis for 1000 days!

Btw. have you heard about setting emergency goals? This can easily help you achieve what you want achieve.

Well, let's imagine that you have been back from party at 1 a.m. and there is no way that you'll wake up at 5 a.m. and be soooooo fuckin' productive as hell. So, for this time, you've set an emergency goal: "I'm sleeping at least 7 hours".

This way you'll still be productive for the rest of the day by waking up at 8a.m. and you did emergency part of the goals - this means that you won't lose your streak, but you also won't improve it - it's like "+0 points/days" to your streak.

If it makes sense for me, try to make emergency goal for each of your challenges.

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

 

Good challenges! I recommend to write in your journal on daily basis for 1000 days!

Btw. have you heard about setting emergency goals? This can easily help you achieve what you want achieve.

Well, let's imagine that you have been back from party at 1 a.m. and there is no way that you'll wake up at 5 a.m. and be soooooo fuckin' productive as hell. So, for this time, you've set an emergency goal: "I'm sleeping at least 7 hours".

This way you'll still be productive for the rest of the day by waking up at 8a.m. and you did emergency part of the goals - this means that you won't lose your streak, but you also won't improve it - it's like "+0 points/days" to your streak.

If it makes sense for me, try to make emergency goal for each of your challenges.

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

Hey MP,

I like the fact that this extra effort makes it so you don't completely ruin your streak.

On the other hand it seems to open the door for excuses.

But then again it can keep you from completely losing motivation and it's probably more realistic than normal streaks.

I have to admit it's intersting. Definitely considering it!

Nope, you don't want to loose motivation.

Why? Because you don't get something you want to get each day: improve your habit streak by +1. You just keep it at the same level, which is something you won't follow

But this is just for situations where you're just unable to e.g. work for 2 hours, and you'll do 15 minutes instead. It's minimum that ensures you're engaged into your task but it doesn't move you forward.

I hope you got the whole conspect now

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

I like it!