Endweek update: I completed the week in compliance with the two-hour limit. I have not perceived a one-point-in-ten improvement is my wellbeing as a result, but a mild improvement nevertheless. My work productivity did not increase, although work was also slow on the supply side. Presumably I did something relatively more productive for that third hour, but I don’t track my nonwork time to the tenth of an hour like I do my work time, so I don’t know for sure.
I didn’t read more Bermúdez, but I did start the Khan Academy course on Linear Algebra after getting stumped by M. Kosoy and M. Filan’s discussion of closed...cone...somethings on the most recent AXRP, which I nevertheless recommend, the way one might recommend trying out the bucking bronco ride at the neighborhood honky-tonk.
Read Bermúdez was the clear winner here, although ze was overestimating the drag that too-much-gaming was having on my mood.
Overall, I think the exercise of treating this like a double crux between two subroutines in my brain was helpful. Just the process of making them write down their views was about 85% of the benefit. The effort involved in self-imposing the two-hour limit was also more than worthwhile in terms of wellbeing benefits. This is probably a combination of “playing too much video games is depressing” and “it feels good to exert agency over your own life”. Maybe a 70⁄30 split?
A one point improvement (measured on a ten point scale) feels like a massive change to expect. I like the guts to bet that it’ll happen and change your mind otherwise, but I’m curious if you actually expected that scale of change.
For me, a one point change requires super drastic measures (ex. getting 2 hours too few sleep for 3+ days straight). Although I may well be arbitrarily compressing too much of my life into 6-9 on the ten point scale.
I agree with what you’re saying. I think it was some combination of not defining my scale with enough precision and overestimating the gaming’s status as a cause rather than a symptom.
Endweek update: I completed the week in compliance with the two-hour limit. I have not perceived a one-point-in-ten improvement is my wellbeing as a result, but a mild improvement nevertheless. My work productivity did not increase, although work was also slow on the supply side. Presumably I did something relatively more productive for that third hour, but I don’t track my nonwork time to the tenth of an hour like I do my work time, so I don’t know for sure.
I didn’t read more Bermúdez, but I did start the Khan Academy course on Linear Algebra after getting stumped by M. Kosoy and M. Filan’s discussion of closed...cone...somethings on the most recent AXRP, which I nevertheless recommend, the way one might recommend trying out the bucking bronco ride at the neighborhood honky-tonk.
Read Bermúdez was the clear winner here, although ze was overestimating the drag that too-much-gaming was having on my mood.
Overall, I think the exercise of treating this like a double crux between two subroutines in my brain was helpful. Just the process of making them write down their views was about 85% of the benefit. The effort involved in self-imposing the two-hour limit was also more than worthwhile in terms of wellbeing benefits. This is probably a combination of “playing too much video games is depressing” and “it feels good to exert agency over your own life”. Maybe a 70⁄30 split?
A one point improvement (measured on a ten point scale) feels like a massive change to expect. I like the guts to bet that it’ll happen and change your mind otherwise, but I’m curious if you actually expected that scale of change.
For me, a one point change requires super drastic measures (ex. getting 2 hours too few sleep for 3+ days straight). Although I may well be arbitrarily compressing too much of my life into 6-9 on the ten point scale.
I agree with what you’re saying. I think it was some combination of not defining my scale with enough precision and overestimating the gaming’s status as a cause rather than a symptom.