A Game Fast

image via Reuters

Yesterday I sat down for a quick “break” with a game on my phone, and then was appalled when I ‘came to’ again and an HOUR had gone by. The thing is, I didn’t feel rested. I did have a bit of fun - I love puzzle games and always have. But lately I’ve been wondering where all my time goes. Sometimes I do get sucked in to my tasks, but this made it obvious that I also get sucked in to my phone games. After all, they’re designed that way.

I noticed that when I open them up before bed I will stay up way later and not sleep as well. I even noticed that I’ve been playing so much lately that when I closed my eyes for sleep or meditation, the first thing I saw was matching gems and little rockets. That was my real ‘Damnnnnnnn’ moment.

I started to wonder what I’m missing out on in the in-between-moments - that I’m currently filling up with puzzle games on my phone. A little in the morning, a little in the evening, a little throughout the day…. It’s like cigarette breaks, but without all the nasty smoke.

So I decided to go game-free for the rest of the week. I also moved the game’s physical location on my phone, so that I wouldn’t accidentally open it up from muscle memory, AND changed the nifty new screentime settings just in case I have a moment of weakness, in which case it’ll only let me play for 60 seconds. I’ve been going on this for about 24 hours now, maybe a little longer, and I’ve certainly noticed my impulse for a quick fix, like all day long, in every pause of my day. I’m so so glad I took the time to interrupt the impulse.

So far, after just a day of removing my favorite tune-out tool, I noticed that I got up earlier, went to bed earlier, and had less stress in my morning, even with my earliest appointments. I left the house and went to the park, where before I wouldn’t have obeyed that tiny of an impulse in the middle of the workday. And I did more contemplation than usual. I actually had the biggest realization about myself that I’ve had in months.

As it turns out, all those little in-between moments, ARE super useful for things like thoughts. And intuition. And inspiration. And inspired actions. By allowing myself to get sucked into mindless games during the pauses of my days, I was actively sabotaging my power and effectiveness.

I can’t wait to see what else I learn tomorrow. ♥