A daily habit to keep me on the right path.

Welcome Tr1v, keep us updated :> You go this!

Feeling strong on Day 2. 

• Went to my first CGAA meeting.
• Uninstalled everything. 
• Installed blockers for apps and urls. 
• Culled my digital subscriptions and bookmarks to reduce exposure.

How did the CGAA meeting go?

1 hour ago, Bird By Bird said:

How did the CGAA meeting go?

Life changing.  I don't think I've ever related more to a group of people in my life. 

Day 3:

Kept myself busy outside.  Sweat a little.  Listened to some philosophy.

Notably, I accepted some social engagements without overthinking it.  Went well.

Glad the meeting went well for you, it's always nice when we know that we are not alone in something. Good luck on your journey 

Hey Tr1v, seems like you're doing pretty well already, I'm so happy for you! What did you listen to? I'm just curious, I've never listened or read philosophy much, more of a psychology guy.

Day 4 :

Spent the day mostly tending to neglected yardwork.  Got a whole lot done, which I feel good about.

I did have issues regulating my mood after I admitted some invasive thoughts/daydreams.  After some food, time, and defusing a minor argument with my S.O., I felt better. 

7 hours ago, Pochatok said:

Hey Tr1v, seems like you're doing pretty well already, I'm so happy for you! What did you listen to? I'm just curious, I've never listened or read philosophy much, more of a psychology guy.

Thanks, I'm hopeful.

"How to be a Stoic" by Massimo Pigluicci

11 hours ago, royal panda said:

Glad the meeting went well for you, it's always nice when we know that we are not alone in something. Good luck on your journey 

I agree and thank you.

Day 5

Mondays, man.

Day 6

Roller coaster.

Day 7

Maybe had a little too much caffeine in my system last night.  Binge watched a "slow" sci-fi series to help me fall asleep.  Almost saw the sun come up this morning.  Paying for it today.

Day 9

Dealing with day to day work anxiety.  Trying not to replace gaming with other media, but it's hard.  Mostly working and doing house stuff this week so it's easy not to spend too much time.

Day 10

Much easier day at the office (always easy when no one is around).  There is no need to worry about things that is out of our control.  We can accomplish many things by simply focusing on what is in our control.

Edited November 29, 20205 yr by Tr1v

Day 12

Working from home this week.  So far, no urges to play anything.  Pretty much scrubbed all gaming media and marketing from my digital life.  Have replaced gaming with Sci-Fi shows so I'm working on reeling it back.  Reddit usage has been up esp. since I redownloaded the app.  Will focus on dedicated programming practice today in between housework.

15 hours ago, Tr1v said:

Reddit usage has been up esp. since I redownloaded the app.

Every time Reddit is on my phone the same thing happens to me. It's just too easy to spend so much time on it. I just can't have it on my phone anymore.

Reddit is my worse timewaster, so addictive and most of the info is second rate at best. The website is still ugly even after a decade of improvements. The content is nowhere near as good as other things I could consume to waste my time like shows or books. I found that any news I wanted on reddit could be found on twitter, any tech problems I had could be answered by youtube or stack exchange, any recommendations for books or shows could be found on goodreads or imdb, any art or pictures were better on instagram. And yet no matter how mediocre reddit is, it's still so addictive, I feel cravings and it wants to pull me back in. Annoying.

Edited December 2, 20205 yr by Bird By Bird

Same thing happens to me, not just with reddit but with all social media. I noticed If I download Facebook, i get distracted, Twitter, distracted, Snapchat, distracted. It's a loop. I hope you are able to decrease your reddit use and focus on what's important because really, the social media that we have used is like living a second life being a different version of yourself as you can create this perfect image of who you are, which I have seen a lot. It's disgusting. 

I ended up downloading an App/Url Blocker just for Reddit.  Almost immediately I found interest in things that I'd normally find 'boring'.  My brain desperately seeking novel content.

Quote

any recommendations for books or shows could be found on goodreads or imdb

This is where I'm at now.  I've got a long backlog that I'm starting to chip away at.  The books/shows contain the novel content I crave without pulling me into the loop. Also it's pretty easy to naturally fall asleep to.  Feels good man.

Edited December 7, 20205 yr by Tr1v

23 hours ago, Tr1v said:

My brain desperately seeking novel content.

Humans naturally look for new things. It's multibillion dollar companies who pervert and desecrate the human brain by mass producing entertainment garbage that hurts out productivity and tires us out. I'm looking for new things to do - 'do' as in actions - implied movement instead of just consuming content (which may also be okay in moderation unless there are major addictive factors like video games). Maybe that's what we should all be doing, be discerning with new things to consume and seek out new things to do.

On 12/7/2020 at 8:16 PM, Bird By Bird said:

Maybe that's what we should all be doing, be discerning with new things to consume and seek out new things to do.

I really like this quote.  There isn't enough rhetoric on the dangers of media consumption.  Probably because there's no money in it.

Day 22 : Exercise provides instant relief from depressed moods.  I would like to invest in regular exercise.  I am confident I can build this habit.  The self-inflicted pain of thinking about the workout far exceeds the actual pain of the workout.  The side effect of endorphins that follow an active workout make regular exercise a relatively painless experience that results in a net gain almost every time.  The low cost of working out pays huge dividends.  Pay the low cost and get the almost immediate benefit.  And over time, the return of our investment will be the satisfaction of maintaining a healthy body and mind.

Day 23 : This Saturday felt different.  No urges to play.  More time and energy spent on productive tasks.  Feels good.