My mind is wired for pleasure. I need to be excited by something fun, challenging, and new. The hardest drugs for me are video games. I just need to sit in front of my screen, kill monsters and my mind is pleased. Why would I do anything else?

The problem happens the day after. My mind is also wired for efficiency. I need to feel productive and seem like I contribute to something bigger. Video games don't help that. I have ideas, goals, and projects I want to work on.

Normally, my work balance this out. But in confinement, I have a lot more free time. If I spend all that free time playing video games, my pleasure/efficiency ratio becomes unbalanced. Sadness kicks in.

How do I fix my wirings? Better time management. Last month, I read an article about procrastination (davidthorpe.dev). It was all about keeping distractions away from you.

So I implemented it in my life. I activated screen time on my devices, removed all applications that I can live without, and removed all notifications and bubbles I don't need to be distracted by. Ok, this is a start but my cellphone is not the biggest time consumer for me.

I turned on parental control on my Nintendo Switch. Wow, this changes everything. My mind accepts it. I set a goal, I get reminded of that, I stop playing when the alarm rings.

I'm writing this right now because of that alarm. Hey, Ben! There's something else to do than playing video games!

Your goal can be anything. It can be to become the best at video games. This is not about judging what your goal is but taking the time to choose one and achieve it.