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NEW VIDEO: The EASIEST Way to Stop Gaming

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QWymer

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THE TEXT BOX IS NOW WORKING! WOOH!

Okay, so to preface this journal I'd like to give a small introduction! My name is Kevin, and I'm currently a third year student studying in university. While recently I have been fairly diligent when it comes to academics and studying, I find myself falling into the same video game addiction cycle during my breaks, and occasionally during school too. It's almost as if every time I fall into the gaming black hole, I put my life on pause. Eating, Sleeping, Hygiene, and a lot more turn into a secondary objective as I focus every waking second on whatever game I'm playing.

And I hate it. Even more so because I've seen the benefits of quitting videogames! I came out of highschool thinking that I would become a fast food restaurant worker, because I thought that I wasn't smart and that I could never amount to anything. However, through strategic decisions like throwing away all my in-game items to drastic decisions like selling my gaming PC, I've managed to do well at my college courses. Now, I think I'm going to have to face the elephant in the room and confront my gaming addiction once and for all, going cold turkey and making sure I don't relapse.

I don't think this journey will be easy, and I'm sure I'll fail a lot. But I'm glad I have a platform to document it! I'm excited to start this path, and today will mark Day 1!

My 5 minute template:

Day X without videogames/watching videogame-related content/binge watching YouTube content 

0.5) Did you complete what you wanted to do from the day before?: 

1) 5 word summary of the day so far: 

2) good thing that I’ve done today: 

3) something to improve on: 

4) Something to work on for tomorrow:

5) Summary of the day: 

Edited by QWymer
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Day 1 without games

5 word summary of my day: relaxed, and finally game free

good thing that I did today: spent time with my family, and got to do some constructive building today

something I could've worked on: next time, let's get prepped for a growth mindset! Start doing some deep work, and find love in something other than the internet.

something to work on tomorrow: rebuild my school calendar schedule!

In summary, I think today went well! Of course, the video game addiction is really going to hit later down the road but this is a strong start.

 

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Thank you so much for the welcome! Drastic actions like selling everything gaming related really does do wonders for you sometimes, huh? One day, I know that I'll have to train my mental discipline muscle to prevent future relapses on stronger devices/PCs, but for now having this physical restriction works. 

I'm excited to continue journaling, and it's nice to meet a friendly soul on here! Let's do our best to keep up the good work 🙂

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As much as I’d like to count today as Day 2, I realized that watching a lot of videogames is just as harmful as playing the game itself; it takes away from time that could be better spent elsewhere. So, I guess today is the OFFICIAL Day 1.

Day 1 without videogames/watching videogame-related content (i guess I should’ve been a bit more specific with this)

0.5) Did you complete what you wanted to do from the day before?: Yes! I built my school calendar, but while I may still change classes around at least I have a framework set

1) 5 word summary of the day so far: damn, DMV is really slow

2) good thing that I’ve done today: I’ve been very present, and utilizing this break well by spending needed time with my parents!

3) something to improve on: GAH! YouTube. It’s the biggest issue in the room, and while I am not technically gaming, this is where my time is being sucked. To improve on this, I am going to start monitoring my YT time with “ScreenTime”, and also remind myself of better things I can be doing (video editing, running)

4) Something to work on for tomorrow: reset my sleep schedule today (sleep at 12:30am, and then we’ll continue to shave it off until we reach 11:30pm)

5) Summary of the day: Not the worst, but definitely could use a lot more improvement. The biggest thing is siphoning off YouTube time and replacing it with Deep Work/ more productive things. Will be working on this tomorrow!

Edited by QWymer
cleaning up the text
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WELL well well, I again WANT to make this Day 2, but my conscious is telling me that watching youtube unproductively counts as gaming. So, this is again... Day 1. To set official rules for myself, my use of YouTube must be: 1. Intentional (meaning that I knew exactly want I wanted to watch ie. to learn) 2. Under 15 minutes (so it takes up minimal time out of my day) and 3. Maximum of 2 videos every day (who honestly needs more than that? A YouTube addict.)

So without further ado... DAY 1. (Attempt 3, but ya know, might as well document my failures right?)

Day 1 without videogames/watching videogame-related content/binge watching YouTube content (i think i am FINALLY specific enough to satisfy my standards)

0.5) Did you complete what you wanted to do from the day before?: YEP! I slept at around 10:30 (surprisingly!) and woke up today at around 8:20. I was quite a bit sleep deprived, so it made this easy, but the bigger challenge is to keep this up. I'm going to try to sleep at around the same time again (10:30 - 11pm) and reset my alarm for 7:30am. My dream wakeup time 

1) 5 word summary of the day so far: doggo is ready for emergencies

2) good thing that I’ve done today: I've actually been cutting off YouTube for a large portion of today! It's 7:00pm and compared to yesterday, I've decreased a lot of my youtube time. However, now the goal is to start scripting a bit better for another video! Running today was also awesome, since we haven't ran in quite a while. Performance is a bit worse for wear (went from running 10k a day to barely being able to run a mile... damn haha) but it should scale up!

3) something to improve on: Spend less time on reddit. Sheesh, we subsituted a portion of our youtube time for reddit time! It seems as if I keep on alternating bad habits. Something like digital minimalism might work again for me... will think more heavily on this. Likely will try digital minimalism again, but with a few twists. I think the biggest issue is that I need to find meaning in the work that I do, and maybe start setting deadlines. I don't know... 

literally writing out my thought process now, but I think that I should utilize the calendar a lot more. I'm going to prepare for tomorrow by scheduling out my day, with needed rest and exercise. I think this is the move. 

4) Something to work on for tomorrow: Have the day scheduled out, and commit to it! Go for a small, two mile run. It really sucks that our cardio reverted back to normal, but we can do it! It'll scale up again, I'm sure of it.

5) Summary of the day:  Great! You did awesome 🙂

Edited by QWymer
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Day 2 is finally here! Yesterday, I had -minor- slip ups, though I can say without a doubt that they aren't gaming related. I'm going to be a bit harsh on myself when I consider my YouTube usage, but that's only because I know how much time that consumes out of my day. To truly reap the benefits of quitting games, I know I have to cut down my YouTube usage as well. SOO... Day 2, here we come!

Day 2 without videogames/watching videogame-related content/binge watching YouTube content 

0.5) Did you complete what you wanted to do from the day before?: No, unfortunately. I have excuses, but also I should have no excuses. New rule is that we never skip two days, so tomorrow is definitely a run!

1) 5 word summary of the day so far: rain rain go away (please)

2) good thing that I’ve done today: called my high school spanish tutor! had a blast chatting with her

3) something to improve on: schedule out your day my dude!

4) Something to work on for tomorrow: pack up all of the non-essentials back into my suitcase! See what I might have to bring back?

5) Summary of the day:  pretty nice, 6.5/10. Let's aim for higher and get that video edited tomorrow!

Edited by QWymer
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Woke up today a little bit late, don't know why but my body loves to sleep! I should probably show more restraint, but I'll forgive myself for today. However, we do need to be a bit more strict on sleep. Starting tomorrow, we are going to make it a habit to wake up at 7:30am regardless of when I sleep.

Day 3 without videogames/watching videogame-related content/binge watching YouTube content 

0.5) Did you complete what you wanted to do from the day before?: nope 😞

1) 5 word summary of the day so far: same as always (with rain)

2) good thing that I’ve done today:  being present with my parents today!

3) something to improve on: UGH! Unfortunately, did not run. That changes tomorrow!

4) Something to work on for tomorrow: RUN! And schedule your day. Plus, make your calls to friends

5) Summary of the day: could've done better, but at least it's game free!

Edited by QWymer
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Parents have their birthdays! Yesterday, and today. Kinda cool how they have really close birthdays. I spent a lot of time reading some romance novels yesterday- maybe not the most productive, but this is encouraging me to spend my upcoming semester at University to work on developing more relationships. I spent the last semester mainly just focusing on grades, but now even my parents are telling me to be a bit more loose haha. Will try my best!

Day 4 without videogames/watching videogame-related content/binge watching YouTube content 

0.5) Did you complete what you wanted to do from the day before?:  No...

1) 5 word summary of the day so far: happy birthday parents! Good cake 🙂

2) good thing that I’ve done today: be present

3) something to improve on: discipline!

4) Something to work on for tomorrow: N/a (late, for today)

5) Summary of the day: was good!

Edited by QWymer
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Alright, so I'm a bit behind on my journaling so I filled in yesterday's journal a bit roughly. Today is Day 5, and I -did- watch YouTube. The content wasn't bad, but I really do know that I can't keep this up. I have to be more productive, so no more sweet talking myself. I'm going to make sure that I utilize some effective study tips that I found on YT and other sources, but these should hopefully let me jumpstart my academics again.

Day 5 without videogames/watching videogame-related content

0.5) Did you complete what you wanted to do from the day before?: Nope. Tomorrow! Let's do this.

1) 5 word summary of the day so far: eh... we got this TODAY!

2) good thing that I’ve done today: relax!

3) something to improve on: discipline. Let's start tomorrow! Environment, 20 minute rule, 2 day rule... etc

4) Something to work on for tomorrow: schedule time appropriately! Fill out the calendar for when I get back to school.

5) Summary of the day: Relaxed, so ready to get back into academic mindset

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Alright, so I guess my new definition of binge watching YouTube has to be that I don't consecutively watch videos for hours upon hours on end. So... I guess 1 video every hour for a maximum of four hours? I think this is a healthy rule... though I do need to set stricter guidelines for myself. Let's set those today, and I'll edit my main post to make sure to follow them. My goal is to develop a healthy relationship with YouTube because I do want to use it as a platform to help others (with my own videos), so here are some rules:

1) For now, no more than 1:30 hour of YT a day (and no more than 30 minutes at a time). We are going to log the YT time using a timer and keep track of it via notebook.

2) Games are prohibited on my devices. This means that I can play games at other people's home in a social aspect, to promote friendship. However, this also has limits, so maximum MAXIMUM I can do this is for 2 hours. Afterwards, suggest other activities to friends.

3) Use Cal Newport's todo/list!

Day 6 without videogames/watching videogame-related content/binge watching YouTube content 

0.5) Did you complete what you wanted to do from the day before?: I think so! I found my optimal schedule for classes.

1) 5 word summary of the day so far: in home all day... eep

2) good thing that I’ve done today: Finished an internship application! Hopefully it goes well

3) something to improve on: I think I need to work on spending more time on application. Overall, I think I need to work on giving it my 110% in certain projects... Like usually I give assignments my 75-85%, but I need to get to the 110% mark somehow. I usually rely on luck and probability, but huge preparation is necessary eventually. Let's work on this!

4) Something to work on for tomorrow: Record the trip! It's one that you won't forget

5) Summary of the day: Great! Procrastinated a little bit, but got an important thing out in the morning. Now I'm headed off to sleep early!

Edited by QWymer
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