HOW DO I SERIOUSLY GIVE UP GAMING

[Jonathan Polley]

Why give up anything you enjoy?
It seems silly.

I use gaming as a reward. I set myself targets for the week. If I meet them then I set aside three hours on a Friday or Saturday to play games. If my targets are not met then I use that time to work on my business.
I also make sure that my targets are challenging.

It's a great incentive to work harder than I would have done otherwise. Plus there is a small reward at the end if it.

And, it helps to teach self-control.

 

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[DVU]

I just deleted all the games, as all the newer ones are huge, 40+ gigs, it was a bother to download just for an hour or two of "fun".

 

[jlwilliams]

If you have a problem, you need to treat it like a problem. Don't allow yourself to mitigate it or act like it's not a "real" addiction. It is. Just like people like to pretend that smoking pot isn't a real addiction because blah blah blah, cut that crap out. People get addicted to all sorts of behaviors. Gambling addiction, porn addiction, food addiction. Whatever. Realize that your behavior is damaging you. It's sand bagging your mojo. Take this behavior seriously and deal with it as if you just blew your mortgage money at the craps table.

Don't f_ around. Take this problem behind the barn, put a bullet in it and bury it. It's an addiction. Get help and STOP.

 

[Huracan]

I used to have a huge gaming addiction (counter-strike) and probably would play on average 5 hours a day if not more. I used to always feel like shit after but the next day i'd do the same thing, was a vicious cycle. It got to such a low point that i decided that enough was enough.

What really helped me keep my mind off of gaming was writing out all the things i wanted in life; long term/ yearly/ monthly goals. Waking up early everyday and writing my daily goals which directly contribute to achieving my long-term ones. Gaming was a way for me to escape reality. Identifying what my life goals were gave me a purpose. I no longer wanted to game anymore, rather i was far more interested in improving myself/skills and reaching my goals.

 

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[InitialX]

keep the games that:

1. Are fast to jump on and off, with no responsibilities or expectations

Good luck.

I agree. One match of FIFA or a few round of Mortal Kombat won't hurt as long as you don't overdo it though. It helps me to switch off and get some quick adrenaline boost. I totally agree with a post I read above:

" Make the first 6 days of the week very productive and on the 7th sit back relax and reward yourself".

Hmmm I think I read something like this in a very old book

 

[ProblemSolving]

I used to be a game addict. But I quit.

The solution is: "Just quit. Don't do it."
As simple as it sounds, here's various things that make it possible.
- FTE, or treasonous choice.
- Sharing the addiction in a forum
- Keep track the number of days you quit.

 

[SPEEDratRACER]

I realized that I was waisting too much time on my Xbox, YouTube, and a few forums sights that just ate up all of my day. I unplugged my Xbox, and deleted all of my accounts on those sights including YouTube. Now it's too much of a pain in the a$$ to do those things. It's much more convenient to just find my entertainment doing work

 

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[Sanj Modha]

There's nothing wrong with unwinding. Don't let it take over your life.

According to his bio, Elon Musk is big gamer.

 

[Arevico]

I was a game addict very long, playing several hours of dota each chance of free time. Giving up the addication is easy if I look to it in retrospect. Giving it up is easy, trying to give it up is hard, let me explain. The more you focus on that you don't want to do something, you get more of it (law of attraction, reticular activation system, etc). Few ways to give it up
1. Change how you work - I can only play games on my desktop and when I was home i worked on my desktop instead of my laptop. My brain always convinced me that i 'deserverd' to take a dota break. I inconvienced the bad habit (UNSCRIPTED ) by working on my laptop.
2. Change environment - Now, I always work at the library (plugged in with my laptop to an external monitor and mouse and keyboard. I associate the library with hard work in my brain, so it's pretty easy actually. I don't take my earplugs with me, because this leads to YouTube time squandring (you cant enable sound in the library haha)

 

[AA1980]

Try mindfulness.. when your mind tells you that you want to play video games. In that split second before you take the plunge, just notice, and sit there with the emotions you feel from not acting on the urge to play the games. Where do you feel the emotions? Are they actually bad emotions or have you labeled them as such (e.g. boredom)?

Also try to realize that these emotions are impermanent. They come and go. You can watch them come and go, without acting on them.

For an awesome example of mindfulness and its application, look at this thread by @AndrewNC. GOLD - I'm sorry, but this is going to be painful for a lot of you...

 

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[Hai]

I just uninstalled all games and sold the consoles. It´s not that hard.

 

[AA1980]

There's nothing wrong with unwinding. Don't let it take over your life.

According to his bio, Elon Musk is big gamer.

Like Elon, do the big gaming after you've entered the Fastlane. Not before.

 

[The-J]

I gave up gaming a while back.

I just replaced it with shit talking on the Fastlane Forum and Reddit.

Don't replace one addiction with another.

Don't be me.

 

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[Choate]

I couldn't stop myself, so what I did... smashed 2 Xbox's, 2 laptops, and a tablet. Can't game if I don't have access to any. Now I use a game proof Chromebook for everything. Smashed the second set a few months after re-buying them. Some money was surely lost, but more money was saved by not having subscriptions/more games and the opportunity cost of time wasted was also saved.

 

[Arevico]

I couldn't stop myself, so what I did... smashed 2 Xbox's, 2 laptops, and a tablet. Can't game if I don't have access to any. Now I use a game proof Chromebook for everything. Smashed the second set a few months after re-buying them. Some money was surely lost, but more money was saved by not having subscriptions/more games and the opportunity cost of time wasted was also saved.

These games man, they are built to make their users addicts

 

[Choate]

These games man, they are built to make their users addicts

Yeah I distinctly remember playing super mario until I was 5 and I got a PS1 for xmas with Mortal Kombat. Few years later got PS2, then eventually Xbox 360, then eventually Xbox One (two of 'em), computer games, etc. Doesn't help I started such a young age, so I just avoid them all now.

 

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[Arevico]

Yeah I distinctly remember playing super mario until I was 5 and I got a PS1 for xmas with Mortal Kombat. Few years later got PS2, then eventually Xbox 360, then eventually Xbox One (two of 'em), computer games, etc. Doesn't help I started such a young age, so I just avoid them all now.

That would be your best bet, when youre brain is used to it, reading a book gives the same down time pleasure, but it is more productive


Verstuurd vanaf mijn T08 met Tapatalk

 

[wade1mil]

If it's computer games, sell your computer and buy a Chromebook.
If it's console games, sell the console. If you can't sell it, then beat the shit out of it with a hammer.
You'll be forced into a new "routine" once you hit your boredom limit.

 

[TheNewRich]

Like Elon, do the big gaming after you've entered the Fastlane. Not before.

Elon never had the temptation of today's caliber games!! Honestly, you can't play PONG for 5 hours straight

And now he has the choice to either work on launching rockets to colonize Mars or play video games....

 

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[Christopher777]

I simply couldn't resist my urge

Just go ahead and keep doing it man.

You'll soon realize that you are responsible for everything.

And since you know that it's something that's holding you back, it's ON YOU.

Knowing that, it will be very very hard for you to not think about what you're doing.

You already know where things are going and you're the only one that can change it.

Two things will help you.

1. Self-awareness. Make it a habit to check up on yourself.
2. Your WHY. What's your life about man? Who do you do it for? What do you want your life to be like? What do you want to contribute to the world?

Until you learn to value your time, you are going nowhere.

We all know that by now. It's just a friendly reminder. Even I had to remind myself this one.

(Ok, so the OP was around 2014, haven't read the full thread )

 

[Olimac21]

Hi guys.. I have a real big problem. I can't do anything or finish anything unless I quit games. I know it's not a serious condition that I have, but it does get in the way with a lot of things that I do on my computer because I get way to distracted. I end up playing 1 game then another then another......again and again. It's really just frustrating at the end of it all. I realize I haven'y gotten anything done at all. And minutes of gaming have become hours and it's really depressing.

I'm not trying to limit myself to a few hours a week/day/month, but I'm trying to quit for good. I know there are those out there that play games and are successful, but I really just want to get gaming out of my life.

If you guys are wondering whether I have a gaming console or a pc, I have a pc. That's why it gets in the way so much because since I'm using my computer to play games, I can't seperate it and I end up gaming because I see it on my desktop.

I want to thank everyone and anyone who helps me overcome this. There are many things that I can do in my life and I don't want it to rot away because I simply couldn't resist my urge. Any ideas and tips would be super helpful.

Thank you again.

Do not know if you still have this problem and for those who are also suffering this I really like the Habit loop suggested in the book the power of habit.



For instance the cue is what activates the routine, therefore instead of trying to stop playing games look to replace it with a positive activity that will have a similar reward.

 

[Sanj Modha]

Like Elon, do the big gaming after you've entered the Fastlane. Not before.

Truth! Also, he was playing Doom or Quake (I can't remember which one but it's in the bio) after 16 hour work days. I guess it's a reward mechanism although I have no idea since I've never been a gamer.

 

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[Sanj Modha]

I gave up gaming a while back.

I just replaced it with shit talking on the Fastlane Forum and Reddit.

Don't replace one addiction with another.

Don't be me.

Solid advice. When I started out in ecommerce the guy mentoring me said "We all have an itch to scratch". If you needed some game time, reddit time or whatever itch that needs scratching - get it out of the way before starting work.

 

[Fairus Farok]

I actually made it difficult for myself...By stuffing my PS4 and Gaming PC into the deepest darkest corner of my storeroom. Now everytime I want to play, I have to put in effort to retrieve said equipment which is behind a few tools, some small shelves, and a few old furniture.

Not worth the effort to play...

 

[GastonEE]

I don't see why you would want to do this. Giving up on something you enjoy doesn't sound very healthy. Gotta find the right dosage.

 

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[ProblemSolving]

How about make video games yourself?
At first I thought nobody would like my game.
But then.
7-8 downloads a day.
Not profitable, but some people want it.

After that, my desire for video game evaporated.
MJ talked about something like "doing something for money will kill what you love."

 

[Tomek Starosta]

Sell your GPU and get a bare minimum one for work.

It did the trick for me.

 

[Tomek Starosta]

I don't see why you would want to do this. Giving up on something you enjoy doesn't sound very healthy. Gotta find the right dosage.

The guy is heavily addicted to gaming which prevents him from taking action. There is no 'right dosage' for people like him and I'm speaking from experience here.

It has to be cold turkey imo and it has to be forced by taking irreversible actions - selling his gaming pc and getting a macbook/less powerful system/blocking gaming websites, etc.

 

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[NihilPerditi]

I think that all one needs to quit doing something is to find the proper reason. I used to play video games a lot, one day however that changed. I was struck by the amount of time I lost. I just thought about all things I could have done instead and it was enough. The real power of FTE.

 

[alan3wilson]

I was like you for gaming, how I did that: I've sold and removed all BS games of my computer. Best thing I've ever did! I felt like a free guy since that day!

Leave the gaming world, make money first then if you have free time like 1 hour you can do gaming.. but first make money