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Gratitude: ~ The weather was kind and easily appreciated ~ I got out to the park for half of an old standard workout from mid 2023. I even thought about trying to improve that basic strength again daily.  ~ I also went to see whether I might need my wisdom teeth/tooth taken out, and that was a challenging (yet neutral-ish) solo adventure ~ Three dated movies this week to collect thoughts - Hancock, Toy Story and Hannibal: Red Dragon. Also resumed the third season of Stranger Things to watch its finale. Kind of underwhelming, but all of them in a way challenging to watch. An old gaming buddy once told me he'd slowly dialled back on the fast-paced-ness/constantly changing scenes in newer movies to restore his attention span, or something. That'll probably stick with me while I wonder further about necessary screen time.  I did actually watch all of the above while clicking through an RPG activity though. I wouldn't have watched any with complete attentiveness - my thinking went something like, 'since these last few levels mostly take place like schematics, I might as well..'.  I've maybe talked about this before, but a major if not the main pleasure in my life is losing myself in creation of things - imagination while reading/listening, or cleaning/organising things. Also like I said, the duties eventually run out. Unless I was caught up in myself, gaming was always an extra. What I don't want is to feel like I wasted time. Feelings are subjective, whereas I know that technically, I could teach myself full anatomy with built-up focus and drive. That part of me is the kind of person that just pushes through crowds and stuff though. I have had the benefit of seeing how the successes of extended family members presents in their personalities, and the drawn-out tension is not much appealing to me. Maybe any electronic play is simultaneously stressful and rewarding, so I might as well try for similar successes. I know that's why I've stuck with it for so long - micro-rules, like timing of animations - reliable. That's all for now. ~ Wheat

Entry 2.4 Day 77: No Useless Videos Day 909: Sticking to Food schedule Day 512: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 60: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small  -4 pomodoros at the very least -Setting very achievable pomodoro goal -Afternoon workout back shoulders stairs 1 Thing I could do better -having planned the time I'll need to transition after the mastermind meeting so that I don't go to bed later than planned Gaming (Death, Slavery, Regret, Disease) - 5 Yan (Life, Individuality, Freedom, Purpose, Self-Fulfillment) - 77

I do not think it is the Dota per se that makes you go overtime, its the need of escape that dota fulfills and allows you to completely let go of the schedule. It is probable in my opinion that even if you succeed not touching Dota ever, you'll find that shelter in another game. I'd suggest you go cold turkey on games for 90 days and give yourself the time to find another hobby you could fulfill this need with. This is just a thought though. In any case its a big step, and I have been wrong before, so it is perfectly okay if you start with your original plan and if any difficulties arise later adjust accordingly. So I congratulate you and wish you to keep taking action! How long do you want to go without Dota?

Entry 1.4 (Written on 2.4)  Day 76: No Useless Videos Day 908: Sticking to Food schedule Day 511: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 59: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small  -Sticking to schedule in an almost perfect manner until the very evening, going overtime only when I saw I'm not reaching output goal -Afternoon jog -Writing out the breakfast stages that I'll measure before starting the preparation - ending up cooking and preparing breakfast completely on time. 1 Thing I could do better -Write out the complete workbook dreaft before starting to fill it out from the perspective of a tester, otherwise I'm bogging myself down dramatically. Gaming (Death, Slavery, Regret, Disease) - 5 Yan (Life, Individuality, Freedom, Purpose, Self-Fulfillment) - 76

Hi, I'm Marina, a health writer with The Epoch Times based in New York. I'm currently working on an in-depth article exploring how games draw people in, and I'd be very interested to hear from you—how you got into gaming, what initially appealed to you, and when (if at all) you felt gaming shifted from a net positive to a net negative in your life. I've previously written a similar piece on screen time and mental health. This upcoming story will be similar in style and depth. For reference, here's the article: https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/the-silent-epidemic-eating-away-americans-minds-5560857?utm_source=epochHG&utm_campaign=marinazhang If you're interested in sharing your story or have any questions, feel free to reply here or email me via the contact listed in my byline. Thanks!