I Messed Up | Day 10 of 30

I knew this was probably going to happen so I had built in coping mechanisms into this challenge in case this really happened and because of that, I am not going to beat myself up about it.

I messed up!

One Day 8, I returned from work all tired and grumpy, with my body aching, knowing that I was heading into some flu-like illness. The symptoms were there all day and as I struggled to sit at work towards the end of the day, I just knew it.

I got home after picking up some food on the way and all I wanted to do was curl up on my bed and watch something.

In hindsight, I could have just eaten my food and gone to bed but I didn’t.

Instead, I turned on my laptop, got on Amazon Prime Video and clicked on a TV show. I was so tired and exhausted and quite frankly sick that I just sat there in front of that lit up screen, processing nothing. I just sat there, staring at the flickering images in front of my eyes.

4 or 5 episodes in, I went to bed.

The bad news is, I messed up this 30-day no video challenge I am on.

The good news is, that is okay.

Now, I am usually someone who is wary of the ‘that’s okay’ attitude because I know I have used it way too many times to get away with not being disciplined enough or productive enough, but I also know that this time I was quite serious about what I wanted to achieve with this challenge and the fact that I was physically sick was the only reason I gave in to temptation. I just didn’t have any energy to resist.

So, the next day I went right back into the challenge. I didn’t say, “It doesn’t really matter. I’ve already lost the challenge.” I didn’t say,”I can’t do this. I’m too weak.” I didn’t say, “I’m going to give up.” I just got up the next day and went about my life as if I was still on the challenge and will be for what’s remaining of the next 30 days. That was my coping mechanism and it worked.

Now, its Day 10 and I haven’t wanted to watch ANYTHING even though I still haven’t recovered fully from my illness. Now, that’s progress! Hope this inspires you to keep going even if you mess up.

See you on Day 15.

 

 

30-Day No Video Challenge | Day 5

Day 5 – 16th August 2019

Replace habits with other habits.

The Truth is, you don’t break a bad habit; you replace it with a good one.

 

Today I realized that if I don’t replace my habit of turning to videos whenever I am tired, or just plain bored, I can very easily go back to my old habit of using videos to numb my mind and finally waste my time.

A habit cannot be removed without it creating a vacuum and unless I fill that vacuum, I am setting myself up to fail. Thankfully, I had already thought of alternatives to watching videos when I came up with this challenge so a lot of my time has been spent reading, listening to audio books and podcasts and relishing music.

Today my habit was also replaced by a theater performance that I got to see live which was a lovely treat.

I think I am getting the hang of this no video thing, so to save time, mine and yours,  I’m gonna be checking in with you on Day 10, Day 15, Day 20, Day 25 and finally Day 30 where I will be giving you updates on how I’ve fared, what I’ve learnt and what my challenges were.

My hope is that by the end of this challenge, I accomplish more than I ever have and I realize that I  can actually discipline myself to remove all that hinders me in becoming my most productive self.

 

30-Day No Video Challenge | Day 4

Day 4 – 15th August 2019

A day of rest.

Today was a holiday as my country of India celebrated the Independence it gained 73 (or is it 72) years ago. My version of this holiday was to hibernate in my house and strive to become a better Indian and this time, I hope I did my country justice.

Without the ability to turn on my laptop to watch something, which I would have usually done on a holiday, I decided to fill my day with other activities that I love. So, I cooked an elaborate breakfast and dinner, so elaborate that I even had to skip lunch. I read 3 books, two of which were non-fiction. I listened to a podcast as I did some household chores. I read the newspaper and did a running commentary to nobody in particular about the state of my lovely lovely nation. And I started a painting. Yes, you read that right.

I had so much time on my hands that I decided to paint, which I haven’t done for many years now. Not that I was any good at painting but it was always something that always relaxed me and that relaxation was something I had forgotten.

It wasn’t the numb relaxation that a TV show brings over your body and mind but an active one where I could still think but I was relaxed. I could take in my environment and still be relaxed. I could do something productive and still be relaxed. This was a relaxation that made me not so mad at myself at the end of the day and that enabled me to head to bed with a smile on my face (honestly) because I was truly happy and satisfied with the way I spent this day.

30-Day No Video Challenge | Day 3

Day 3 – 14th August 2019

Keep yourself occupied.

Today, being the third day of the challenge, I thought I would start missing my TV shows and YouTube videos.The number of notifications I kept getting on YouTube and Netflix with new videos was not a good sign. But, surprisingly, things turned out completely different. Today was the easiest day I had till now.

What made today the easiest day was the fact that I was super busy the entire day. I woke up at 7:00 am and slept at 12 midnight constantly doing one thing or the other. Not much time to watch anything in that span of time, is there? I kept myself occupied with a run and other chores before work, went to work, went to Kerala for an operational meeting of Jason Special School, came back home, read a book and crashed. Having a long day never felt better.

Tomorrow is going to be a different story though. As India celebrates Independence, I too need to keep up the independence I have gained from my devices. Let’s see what happens.

 

30-Day No Video Challenge | Day 2

Day 2 – 13th August 2019

What do we consume?

Almost clicked on a wedding video today that was shared on my timeline. Caught myself just in time. Also, that made me realize that I do not NEED to watch yet another wedding video of just another acquaintance of mine. Am I happy for them? Totally. Do I need to watch their entire wedding? Not really, because it doesn’t really add any value to my life, does it?

Not clicking on videos left right and centre made me realize how many videos we are exposed to in a day. It’s not just our Television set or even Netflix. It’s videos shared on our social media, videos shared on whatsapp, videos about cats and videos about dogs. There is just so much out there and it is sooooo easy just to click. But, now I’m wondering why.

Why do I need to watch that cute baby throw his food around? Why do I need to watch yet another dog trying to catch its own tail? Of course it’s entertaining. But do I really need that much entertainment?

So, this challenge is making me think about what exactly is it that I am consuming. Is it adding value to my life? Is it educating me? Is it helping me grow? Is it de-stressing me? Is it entertaining me? Or is it just allowing me to ignore my real life and escape?

Sometimes, quite frankly, it’s the last one and this has got to stop.  Because what we consume is who we are.

30-Day No Video Challenge | Day 1

Day 1 – 12th August 2019

Today was the day I decided that I would not watch videos, ANY videos, for the next 30 days of my life. For someone who always had some kind of video running in the background of my life, it was a weird decision but the desire to hear myself think pushed me to challenge myself.

To give you some background, I didn’t watch TV per se but I did have YouTube videos or Netflix shows always ‘on’ as soon as I reached  home. I did not even watch them most of the time. I just had them on to fill up the silence as I went about my life -cooking, cleaning, reading and even as I walked up and down the stairs of my home, because I just didn’t like the silence. Also, sometimes, that noise drew my attention, reeled me in and I would get caught up in a video or show I liked and there went my time out the window.

I have no idea how I got into this habit of constant noise but slowly I  grew to hate it. I hated the fact that it was such an ingrained habit that I switched my laptop on as soon as I entered my room,  without even thinking. I hated that I could not go even a few minutes without any sound around me. I hated that through my entire day, apart from work, I had the voice of someone else in my head, not my own.

I have, in the past, tried TV/Video-free weeks successfully but in order to break this unnecessary habit that I  formed, I knew I needed a month, so this time,  I gave myself that.

Day 1 was obviously not that hard because I was running on the adrenaline this choice of mine produced in my body. It also wasn’t hard  because I had decided what I would do with my free time without the noise and I filled that time with reading, thinking, and listening to an audio book.

I also got some time alone with my thoughts as I reflected on my day and made decisions for the next one, something that I love doing but rarely get to do every single day.

All in all, I could get used to the quiet. That’s what I call a good first day.

 

30-Day No Video Challenge

So, I’ve finally decided to buckle down and do this. 30 days of no videos aka NO YouTube, NO Netflix, NO Amazon Prime or any other such video streaming platform.

I am doing this because I find my time getting lost in the lives of others when I have my own life to live and so I choose my life, especially for the next 30 days and hopefully for more than that.

Television mesmerizes people and turns them into intellectual spectators. It feeds passivity and makes you less engaged.

 

I do not want to be a passive spectator to my own life so I am doing this challenge and recording it on my blog for me to be accountable to myself and to all of you out there.

Duration: 12th August 2019 to 10th September 2019

Rules: No videos such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime for 30 days

Obstacles: Weekday nights,  Friday nights, Mornings while getting ready, Any time I have videos running in the background just for the noise.

Alternatives: Listen to podcasts and books. Listen to music for background noise. Settle down with a good fiction or even non-fiction book that I am interested to read on a Friday night. Cook more while listening to audio books or even fun podcasts. Go to a movie in the Theater if I really am craving visual stimulation. Do something really creative with my free time, like paint, with music on in the background.

Benefits: (That I can imagine right now) More focus, more time, more space to think.

Disclaimer: I will have to watch some movies/videos for research for work, but I’ll try to keep that to a minimum.

So, let’s do this!!

The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson