Absurd Minds

So. Shower thoughts. Everything great comes from the shower. That's why I'm in this world. I've been thinking - and everybody's thoughts are encouraged.

Thought 1) I'm not happy where I am right now. I am very happy that I am going to school in September. But I am not working, and I spend all my time sleeping and playing video games. I would say I spend 90% of my computer time playing counter-strike. This is bad. I do not like this. This needs to change.

Thought 2) I have quit gaming... 3? times now. Every time, I quit, I feel shitty, I play again, I play too much. Obviously, this is not a practical answer considering my wants and needs.

Wants: To game.
Needs: To game less.

It sounds so cut and dry, but the follow through is always lacking.

What I am thinking: I think I am quitting competitive gaming. No more matchmaking or scrimming (10 mans exempt from this). It's not even fun for me anymore. I expect EVERYBODY to have the same ingame sense and competency that I do. And if even one person on my team doesn't have that, I can't deal with it. I just flip out and tear them apart. I am apart of the shit csgo community. I love gaming, and realistically, I won't stop gaming. But it's fucking up my priorities. I'm leaving my body to shrivel up and I'm abandoning my IRL friends even in their time of need.

I am not good at making compromises. What I am good at doing is spending all my time on one thing, or another thing. I am great at working in extremes. Not great at balancing life.

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Honey Badgers have very tough skin. The skin is very thick and rubbery, which is almost impervious to arrow and spears. Even a blow from machete can't scratch the skin. The skin protects them from bites.

I think you should find a new hobby. I'd get bored of playing CS all day. Pick up an instrument or maybe go play paintball. Paintball would give you the competitive aspect but also give you a workout

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Since plastic is made from petroleum and petroleum comes from dinosaurs, then that means plastic dinosaurs are made from real dinosaurs

Paintball is absurdly expensive :s

But you're right. I've been trying to practice guitar (i don't have the same eagerness to learn on it) and I've been biking a lot.

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Honey Badgers have very tough skin. The skin is very thick and rubbery, which is almost impervious to arrow and spears. Even a blow from machete can't scratch the skin. The skin protects them from bites.

If you enjoy playing video games, I don't know if there is a long term solution that involves no longer gaming. It's not realistic to think you'll drop games, because you've done this before. I'd recommend:

Create a list each Monday of things you'd like to get done during the week. Each day, tackle one thing. As it gets easier, pick up more tasks per day. The most important thing about the list is you HAVE TO FINISH IT. The first time you give up on it, the list loses it's purpose. For example: My list last week was read a book, clean my apartment, do laundry, go out to drink twice and golf twice. Last Monday I cleaned my apartment, i did laundry on T and TR, I finished Harry Potter in 5 days and held myself to the social items. It feels good when you complete the list each week, and it sets up good practices moving forward when you'll be in school.

Why do you feel so strongly that playing video games is bad? I can understand the issue you're having with priorities, and I think Ace's suggestion is great. But what is about video games that makes you dislike your situation when put a lot of time into them? Why do you think you should replace this hobby with others?

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Because video games is explicitly sitting at a computer for long periods of time, which is very unnatural/unhealthy in itself. I even feel crappy when I play games too long. There are so many hobbies that I am interested in that have many more pro's and few to no con's. The things I gain from gaming could easily be replaced if I got back into playing baseball, which is a great form of exercise as well. I really don't like that I am able to, and do, just sit at my desk for such a long time. I've gone 24+ hours gaming, cooking only instant meals, and drinking Gatorade and energy drinks. It is SO easy for me to do this, that I have trouble making a compromise.

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Honey Badgers have very tough skin. The skin is very thick and rubbery, which is almost impervious to arrow and spears. Even a blow from machete can't scratch the skin. The skin protects them from bites.

U see. I think Ace's solution would be great. Put things like "play guitar for 30" and "read 1 chapter of a book" or other inroads to your other hobbies on it. It will give you structure and help you remember.

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Yeah I agree. I'm working on a list right now of things I want to accomplish. And I'll just take things off the big list to put on my weekly lists.

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Honey Badgers have very tough skin. The skin is very thick and rubbery, which is almost impervious to arrow and spears. Even a blow from machete can't scratch the skin. The skin protects them from bites.

If you can't find anything to do at night and are tired of gaming, go to bed. More hours of sleep will be healthier and you'll feel better

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Since plastic is made from petroleum and petroleum comes from dinosaurs, then that means plastic dinosaurs are made from real dinosaurs

Sorry it took me awhile to reply to this.

I can identify with you.... a lot. Back in 2001 and 2002 all I did was work my day job doing computer tech support and played Counter Strike. I look back fondly on that time because I had a TON of fun doing it, but I also am glad that I didn't allow myself to continue that forever. By the end of 2002 I decided I needed to launch a career so I set to work on that and by the beginning of 2003 I was training for a career and I quit CS cold turkey. Then I took an 11 year break as my career and life kept me very busy and I have only recently returned to CS.... now in a much more comfortable phase of my life. I am not telling you that you need to quit CS, I'm just saying that video games will be there for you whenever you feel you have the time to play them.

Much like you, I suffer from an addictive personality. I always have. I went hard core Counter Strike, then hard core flying, then hard core chess, then hard core fitness/working out, then hard core this, then that, etc. Every time I have gotten involved in a new activity, everything else seems to drop to the wayside. One of the things I love the most about my wife is that she has helped me become more balanced. I never knew what balance was until her and even after I met her, it took me a long time to really make improvements in this area. Balance in life is very important. Your priorities will continue to change as you get older and the years slip by.

Ace's suggestions is a great one. I also suggest doing the following:

Create a list of goals and desires. I'm talking life time, long term goals. Where do you want to be in 10, 15, 20 years from now and what do you want to be doing? You are at an awesome age where if you plan your future and follow through with your plans, you can have and do just about anything you want to in life. You will be very satisfied looking back when you're 40, knowing that you set yourself up to be happy.

So decide what is important to you, long term. Write out a list. Do you want to get married and have kids? Or stay single? Do you want to work a particular job/career or are you still deciding? If so, have you done your research to make sure you really know what that job is like and what to expect from it? How are you going to get there? School? Where do you want to live? What hobbies/activities do you want to be involved in? Physical fitness goals? Monetary ambitions? Etc, etc..... these are just a few suggestions to think about. Once you figure out what you want out of life and get your goals lined up, then set up a timeline of achievements to make sure you are progressing along the way.

A final note is this... you only live once, so have fun and enjoy it! You will also live longer this way if you stay young at heart and happy. If you enjoy playing video games, then do it! You will just find it is more enjoyable when the rest of your life also has direction. You want to find a career that will allow you to enjoy life the way you want to. Again.... planning. If money wasn't a factor, then we could all just play games and party all the time. Unfortunately, we need to also find a way to pay the bills. If you can find a career that you think you might somewhat enjoy and find fulfilling.... and that career also will allow you to make enough money to live the lifestyle you want to, then you are off to a great start!

Sorry if this is too much, I just felt compelled to share a few things. I'm 36 now and looking back to when I was 23-24, I was in your exact same shoes. I had a 4 year degree, but wasn't using it. I know you have some school/career plans you mentioned to me before and I think that's great.

Write down some life long goals (long term, medium term, short term) and give yourself direction. I think you'll feel better, especially once you start working on them.

Thanks so much for the reply. I appreciate it. I've been working on my daily/weekly list, and actually working on some goals. I wasn't really sure where to start, so I just started. I listed things I want to do before I do, things I want to accomplish this summer, things I need to accomplish soon, and I wrote short/medium/long term beside them. Short term was within a month, medium term was 3months-1year, and long term was 1 year +. When I finish it, maybe I'll upload it for some criticism and to help out some of the other members looking into the same thing.

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Honey Badgers have very tough skin. The skin is very thick and rubbery, which is almost impervious to arrow and spears. Even a blow from machete can't scratch the skin. The skin protects them from bites.

My pleasure. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.