Day 6/90 update: I'm already 1/5 of the way through a new book. That's unheard of from me. I typically read 2-3 books a year, and if I keep pace and interest, I'll finish this book within a week. I also tend to accelerate reading the further I get into a book (it takes a while for me to latch onto it). I spent 20-30 minutes practicing piano. It's fun playing around kids - they'll hop on and bang on the piano for a little bit, and then meander and go do something else nearby, still listening. What sucks is effectively starting over, skill-wise. I can't play any of the old stuff I used to be able to play. But, what took me 3 months to learn in the past, should only take me 1 or 2 months to re-learn now. Through some combination of sleeping better, reading more, exercising more, and not playing games, I'm able to focus on things longer. Which feels really nice. The boredom has subsided a bit. I'm enjoying my book a lot. And I'm excited to hit 1 week tomorrow!

Hey Yan, sorry that I just assumed that at least you would be plowing on, without really checking. I'm in a way glad it was only 3 days ago. Most of the time I spend deliberating on what I want out of a certain period, I keep on coming back to "balance": go-time, or at least consistent effort in the gym/on shift/socialising, and rest & relaxation. I could understand that not everyone needs to/has the luxury of balance between possible extremes of the two, but - even though gaming is still a mental exercise, in my opinion most of us are smart enough to "relax" with it in some way.  Basically, I haven't binged longer than regular waking hours (16 at the very most and worst, I believe) since I was given medical treatment almost 10 years ago now. Even then, I had chores and work to do/in my mind - not to mention relationships. My point is that maybe there's a passion you haven't exploited that you might be extremely efficient at, thereby reducing time spent in achieving satisfaction. Ikar told me sometime that my age (29 or 30) was 'no age' in being set in my habits. One of the small moves I've taken is having bought some fair-priced colouring pencils. I'm now on the lookout for an extensive empty picture book. It's music and truly harmless concentration that I'm looking for. Keep searching! - I didn't enjoy the idea of you dominating a game too much (as you surely did!), but the humanness that crept into your posts as you potentially watched several of us 'drop off' was heartening, as I often find in these things. ___________ As an update, I 'creamed' several in-game tasks as well during my break, at much cost to my mental state a few times. It starts with my morning cup of tea, and the search for something that: 1) Takes 30/45/maybe 60 minutes, 2) Sets me up for the day's to-do list without making me down-and-out about it, and 3) Improves relationship perspectives, generally. Someone from one of my groups also passed away, which was unexpected and saddening but not truly unbelievable - I will say that it is still a bit unreal and unfair to me though, ultimately wrong or right I don't know. I'm not counting my chickens, but there is still a lot of hope for this year in my book. Support to everyone and this beast of a journal. - Matt (wheat biscuits still have worked well at all hours).

Entry 12.1 Day 0: No Useless Videos Day 829: Sticking to Food schedule Day 432: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 2: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small -Usual morning run -4 pomodoros -Limited the game to two hours, which is a strong contrast in comparison to the previous 2 days 1 Thing I could do  better -Use those two hours for duolingo

Day 5/90 update: I've seen a steep decline in other bad habits that I track. I didn't set out to lower those (intentionally, as to lower risk of burnout/relapse). It's nice to see empirical evidence that gaming was associated with those other habits. Or, it's possible my focus on personal growth reduced those as a byproduct. Either way, it's a win I finished a book yesterday! Then I ordered the next in the series. I'm starting to enjoy reading again, and I'm able to actually focus long enough to read. Usually I start to zone out after a few pages. I've noticed I'm starting to get moodier. I snapped a little at my son earlier this morning over something as trivial as cleaning. I recognized it and apologized for being cranky shortly after. I was also up multiple times with my 1 y/o daughter, so it may not have been due to lack of gaming, but I'm sure it was a factor. I haven't felt fully relaxed since starting the detox. I used to do what I called "mindful gaming", which was: set a goal stop time, set an alarm for the goal, set periodic alarms to get up and stretch, and then stop at the right time. After doing that, I would typically feel fully relaxed. The obvious problem, and the reason I'm doing the detox, is because I stopped consistently adhering to the end goal. But, after doing that, I would feel truly relaxed. I haven't been able to reproduce that feeling with anything. It may come with time, but it worries me. Even when I'm reading, or playing piano, or just relaxing on the couch with my family, I still feel wound up. Something for me to keep thinking on.

Entry 11.1 Day 1: No Useless Videos Day 829: Sticking to Food schedule Day 432: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 1: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small -Workout (Legs Chest Shoulders + double cooldown to recover some omitted parts from earlier) -Set very small goals for pomodoros, to help me feel engaged -Stuck to schedule within a 12 minute deviation 1 Thing I could do  better -Even though the apartment conversation didn't go as planned go to shower right after, without staring into space