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The No Screen Challenge

Discussion in 'Events & Challenges' started by Deleted Account, Jul 28, 2018.

  1. I’m taking a break from this challenge until the holiday is over.

    Happy new year!
     
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  2. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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    That's awesome! May I ask though: how did that lead you to screens?

    I've had a hard time getting to these forums the last couple weeks. My dad was visiting from out of town and that just kind of kept me off the computer. He wanted to spend every minute with me and his granddaughter (my daughter).

    Funnily, while this kept me off screens even more than usual, it gave my daughter much more screen time than usual. My wife and I let our seventeen month-old watch about ten minutes of educational youtube videos (about brushing teeth, for example) per week, when she's really freaking out and we want her to calm down (for example, when my wife cuts her nails). To do this, we need to consistently not use our phones around her and, when we do, do so briefly and not get in a pattern of giving in to her demands to use them too. My dad did neither of these things: he was on his phone a lot and, when my daughter would ask to look at it, would just start showing her as many videos as she wanted. To his credit, he did a lot better after I told him about the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation of no screen time before the age of 2.

    10/30
     
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  3. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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    Awesome!!!
     
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  4. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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    I feel the same way. All that time on the internet... I look back on it as such a waste. I don't miss it at all.
     
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  5. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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  6. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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  7. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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    14/30

    Why's it so quiet in here?

    Anyway, it's interesting how this challenge was so hard for me at first. I kept forgetting to stick to it. Now staying off screens comes totally naturally. Let's see if I can make it to 30 days.
     
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  8. Howdy! Sorry for being away a few days, I decided to have some days off while I was on a ski resort with my family. Was very nice by the way!

    I'm happy to hear you have learned to stick to the schedule, it really is a remarkable feeling to be able to just go to bed. Before I started this challenge, I was used to consistently go to bed after my wife. This made it very hard for me to go to bed if she was awake because it felt like something was missing... that last few hours of the day where I could surf the web alone. Now when I have forced myself to abandon this behaviour I have learned to just go to bed because the day is over. So I understand what you mean, it's such a nice feeling when staying off screens comes natural.

    We first had a nice dinner at a nice place and then we headed back home and had a movie night. That's how :D

    I share the same philosophy as you, the less screen time, the better. That way, I think they learn to use their fantasy a lot. Today when we were packing our bags to travel home, they played with three refrigerator magnets magnets for like 15 minutes. :)
     
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  9. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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    Ah, I've rigged my rules so I can watch movies with my wife. That's a use of screens I'm okay with. I forgot your rules were different.

    15 minutes with fridge magnets is very impressive!

    15/30
     
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  10. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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    0/30

    Accidentally opened Skype to look at a message from a colleague.
     
  11. You did a really good job there, 15 days!

    I’ve been off screens before my deadline every day since I said I was going to take a break from this challenge, so if I were to count days I would be at 8/30.
     
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  12. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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    Yeah, thanks dude! Like I say, getting off screens, except for the exceptions, is becoming a habit and is getting much easier. Knock on wood. I'd really like to make it 30 days in a row sometime though.

    1/30.
     
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  13. I think I will continue my fuzzy counting :D

    If I were to count days, I’d be at 10/30 now.
     
  14. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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    2/30

    I'm updating my challenge. I find that I listen to too much political stuff on YouTube. This stuff is generally (not always) very low quality and it distracts me while I'm working. What's worse, I worry that it's keeping me in a kind of aroused/agitated state, keeping my limbic system too active. This also probably keeps my mind more occupied than it should be with "hot button" culture war issues. MJ Crockett has written really good stuff on this:

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opi...g-it-harder-to-bettersociety/article38179877/

    https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...e/1515438295247/Crockett_2017_NHB_Outrage.pdf

    Those of us on NoFap who are worried about internet porn re-wiring the brain should also think about how other internet affordances are re-wiring our brains.
     
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  15. Philosophical_Dad

    Philosophical_Dad Fapstronaut

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    And here's my new challenge (latest revisions italicized):

    1. No porn ever
    2. No YouTube political content ever

    3. No screens
    A. after 6 p.m. or

    unless:

    it's to meet a next-day deadline that was set by someone else or that I set before 6 p.m.,

    it's for a legitimate, in-person social purpose, such as watching a show or movie that my friend or wife suggested we watch,

    it's video chatting with a close friend or relative,

    it's looking up directions in Google Maps,

    it's using Instacart to order groceries or track a grocery delivery, or

    it’s looking at a “challenge” or “Time Block” or “meal plan” Google Doc.
    If I use a screen after 6 p.m. for any of the above purposes, then I can use screens only to advance these purposes. I may not open tabs, windows, or apps that do not contribute to the purpose for which I'm using the screen. For example, if I'm working to meet a deadline, every tab, window, or app I open must help me meet this deadline.


    And no screens

    B. after 4:30 a.m. until I'm fully dressed and prepared to leave the house with my daughter

    unless:


    1. I'm not taking my daughter on our morning jaunt that day,

    2. It's to check the weather, or

    3. It's to check Google Maps.
    If I use a screen after 4:30 a.m. for any of the above purposes, then I can use screens only to advance these purposes. I may not open tabs, windows, or apps that do not contribute to the purpose for which I'm using the screen.
     
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  16. 13/30.

    I think I need to work on a better balance between job, projects, workout and family time. I’ve had a hard time falling asleep too many times lately.

    Also, I need some kind of new habit to break ineffectivity. Like if I should be working but doing something else, then I should stop this as soon as I realise it and then do some kind of magic to get back on track again. Probably I lost focus because I needed a break, however I’m not actually taking a break from the computer (which I need), I start surfing around on various sites... so when I try to go back to what I should do, It’s not going well. I should probably go for a walk at this point - without a phone. Will try that today.
     
  17. Same here.

    Have you continued trying to wake up before alarm? I'd like to take that challenge again. In fact, I'd like to get rid of alarm completely and still wake up early. However, now I've been wanting to make sure that I'm getting enough sleep, and I've felt it's hard to prioritize both of these changes simultaneously.
     
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  18. Philosophical_Dad

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    Have you ever heard of "implementation intentions"? They're similar to what you're describing. Info and research about them is pretty available on the net.

    3/30
     
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