Attempting Impulse Control (15 May, 2025)

Personally I find it funny that I said I would do one blog per month, and yet this month I am about to have done 3 (if you count the Dev Logs to be blogs) but hey hey im on a roll!

The week starting the 19th May 2025 I had planned during the days prior to attempt a week of no technology. I have already been described as a "boomer" for this but there is a lot of reasons to why this was an important week that I suggest everyone to attempt at least once with serious intent. This was a seven day journey that I honestly describe as the best and if not, one of the best weeks I have had. Let''s quickly get into this shall we?

The Context:

For a few days I was thinking to attempt this challenge as a means to simulate the lack of technology and particulary the internet when I was abroad in March. I would sleep and wake early at 6AM refreshed like a farmer. This sleep cycle change was not solely due to the idea of technology and the internet being a large distraction in our lives and harmful to health, the environment played a huge part. Everyone would eat and do their work sooner instead of dinner at 9PM and unwind alone in our bedrooms watching YouTube. We would sit at the campfire together and have a laugh, no matter how socialable or nervous you were.

The lack of internet did mean that the bridge to constant instant entertainment was severed but it didn''t feel like a large loss like a severed limb. It simply is what it is. There wasn''t much physical activity during the day either to tire one out for the night. I think it was just understanding that being outside (and touching grass) really changes everything whereas in the western world, activities outside have largely gotten limited over the progression of western society. We like to say we have a life by having a job, but most jobs are indoors so is it much of a difference than working from home if we ran through only with this viewpoint? The fun activities such as festivals only come once or twice a year, there is nothing to make one go outside often like a food market which is mostly what you see in the east.

I had spent 3 weeks with restricted access to internet. I did have mobile data but it wasn''t enough to allow me to sit and consume entertainment, it was to merely get by to talk to someone back home or to query about anything online. If anything, when I could talk to people online I barely did because I was simply enjoying myself here and I had actually felt quickly accustomed to not being "chronically online". It is always ideal to be away from the internet for some time considering the amount of junk that quickly gets forced to you.

The extent of "No Tech" week to be clear does not mean abolishing everything that is electricial. I gave myself limitiations but also some decisions were made to ease myself easier into this and to experiment on my own behaviour and thoughts, particulary wanting to see how I would handle myself in the face of no tech when the ability to run rampant with it is there. I would only talk to a select few people online but I would not engage in activities such as playing a game together. I will still have my phone and use the internet when needed and see if I would reward myself with my progress daily. What this means is, if I get work done without slacking off and consuming media for free, I can reward myself with a YouTube video or two at the end of the day to unwind and "earn" entertainment instead of getting instant gratification.

Moving on, I will talk about my progress daily via diary entries I made (censored where appropriate of course) since I had no scientific measure to record this (Hopefully you weren''t expecting a report, do I look like a scientist) since this was just something on the whim and for "fun" but hey, it led to the best week ever so lets continue!

MONDAY 19/05/2025:

I wanted to do this for a few days now, to simulate the lack of internet in India. I would sleep and wake early like a farmer

Today I woke up at 2am from a dream that felt like hours. I truly awoke at 8AM. The sun pierces through the curtains to wake me. The key difference I made was to not turn on my computer which is normally the first thing I do. [REDACTED] also messafged me as I woke, it felt like fate.

I went downstairs and washed last night''s dishes and made tea for everyone. I never do that especially this early. I had a pleasant chat with someone for a wil, just detailing my thoughts and feelings so far. I went shopping and walked mum to work and noticed it got warmer for a few minutes and then it started to rain. Would I notice that without the phone in my hand?

I turned on my PC at around 2PM to talk to someone but I immediately felt tired, as if my soul was being sucked away by the screen. Yawming, stretching and impulsively opening and closing things on the PC. I decided to turn it off, it is too soon to go back.

Not really a "No Tech Week" so far, it is mostly impulse control and focusing on what to do instead of overstumulating myself with junk to distract myself. I had an impulse to watch youtube on my phone as I had lunch but I managed to resist. I get on the PC again at 6PM, still controlling myself with the impulses. Talking to a few special people in my life is always exempt from judgement in such experiments like this. I am about to try and get website work done at 6:30PM.

7PM, not sure if I should lie down and rest. I have walked a lot, changed a car battery and helped fix a shower today. I feel active as in taking challenges on. It is like a unique sense of passion. I certainly already feel focused today, this is so easy. 7:15PM, still working away but I am yawning again. I even rub my eyes as I feel tired. Not sure if it is screentime or natural tiredness. Will eat at 7:30PM. I told another friend about my week plan, they are rooting for me. The fact I suggested their new name to use in real life makes me realise that I actually do make a difference in other people''s lives.

8:30PM, I finally got my website task done. Previously, the photo preview script would parse all images and collect the first 5. This still loaded all images which is bad for loading time. I simply made a folder of thumbnauls for each Album and the script would now search a folder and collect all images. This means instead of loading 10+MB of data, we barely load a single MB!

Will make tea at 9PM and I think I earned a youtube video or two to wind down. I feel I did a lot today even if it was little work and time went by fast. Nonetheless, I felt more fufilled with it when I usually don''t. Aiming to wake at 7AM but what will I do, that''s too early for tea.

Exercise!

TUESDAY 20/05/2025:

Had a nightmare, naturally unpleasant. Woke up at 8AM, failed to wake at 7AM. Still felt somewhat refreshed and easily got out of bed. Going on a little walk/adventure today! I am going to try and include my special friend online as much as I can so it feels like an adventure or story instead of just being by myself. I will be going somewhere else, it is easy to forget that there are more than one forest in town. I am still feeling the impulse to indulge myself online but I am doing my best and this adventure with my friend online may be using technology but it is not draining my soul away. As I said before, talking to a few people in my life is perfectly fine and exempt from judgement. Overall, I am indeed feeling so much more focused and healthier now, I wish I did this sooner.

This walk was one of the best I have had, perhaps THE best in recent memory. Today was very sunny at an average of 20°C and although my leg hurts, I will happily walk through the pain for an experience like this. I barely felt the pain today anyways, having fun does that! This is where it becomes less of a log and more of a diary.

THE ADVENTURE:

This is something I''ve only dreamed of doing but it actually happened today. An adventure with someone else who just "gets" it. Someone who is imaginitive and feels so familiar with the thouhgts and feelings they have when exploring or simplly contemplating the beauty of nature. My idea to include someone as much as I can did feel farfetched at first but I felt brave. It all started at th etunnel that leads north into the woods. It is mostly an unfamiliar place that is quite busy with houses until you find a path down the hill. Quite quickly it led to an opening where it wasnt a field but concrete for whatever reason? Althouhg not the best start, trees and sunshine makes up for it. We go deeper into the woods.

Everything quickly changes after a minute of walking as if biomes are just not fully blending together. It is like a dream. We can feel the forest calling to welcome us, seducing us in it''s beauty and bright vibrant leaves. It is as if it is more than a forest. It is something, familar and special. We took a moment to embrace the environment from within the shadow of the leaves, hearting , feeling and resonating with the singing wildlife and the way of branches. It is like a long lost home that didn''t forget about us. I never want to leave this place, it is like our special spot since I never saw anyone else here, almost as if the forest didn''t care for anyone else.

Deeper into the forest we go and there was a path going straight down to the bottom of the hill. it leads to the village/ Going there would mean the adventure ends as we return to civilisation. I did see a bird similar to a pelican at the bottom many years ago. Very random. We were met with crossroads and decided to follow the Sun. Quickly we were met with an opening, showcasing how vibrant the trees are as the leaves glisten from the golden sun. I always love to take a picture of these moments even though I struggle to understand how I completeley feel about it. The opneing quickly closes and met with anouther long path shoruded in trees. Once again it led to another opening, much more expansive than the previous one.

Bewildered I was, why is there suddenly an opening, why is there a bush of plants only here? why everything? Asking why is perhaps the most important question, it defines and motivates our curiosity. Time to walk a little further.

Just like that, it is as if we are completely somewhere else. This path was wide, inviting us to go offroad into the trees. I find it easy and stimulating to imagine something cosmic or ancient to see why there are ruined walls of stone or campsites. I suppose it is as simple as gaving a secret den. Sometimes when learning of human activity in a place like this, it harms the immersion.

A single red tree, I truly wonder why it is there. Every tree needs a friend.

We go further down, get jumpscared by a cat. The sounds of traffic ahead is a plague to the adventure. Spooked by a squirrel and we head another way. Eventually met with a apath that quickly narrowed in size and certainly too small for me to go through with ease. Feels like a bad idea to keep going but I do feel complelled to go through but gotta trust your gut. The path however led back to civilisation and thus did our journey end, but not forever. For when one ends, another begins!

-Fin

Had a lovely 30min nap right afterwards. Very rare. Felt refreshed and happy, grinning for how amazing it was. It has to happen again. Brain felt tired watching a drama with my brother, almost negating my progress completely. Not the best sleep I wimagine to have, since it is past midnight.

Lovely Amazing Adventure to Remember!

WEDNESDAY 21/05/2025:

Woke at 7AM, yay! Fell asleep immediately until 9AM, nay. Got attacked by a jumping spider. Might experiment today, turn PC on sooner but stop using it quicker and spend the last hours of the day reading a book or exercise. The walk yesterday was a nice passive workout, I can feel it.

Took the first opportunity to get off the PC by dismantling an old skateboard we have. I never skated, I much prefer to cycle but even my old bike is too small for me now. Confusing that my dad hates the idea of me cycling, insisting car travel is the way to go. I prefer to walk to cycle if given the chance.

I go for a walk again and another adventure. I notice something of art on the floor reminding me of slenderman. It honestly looked like a biblically accurate batman if anything.

Slenderman was an interesting childhood fear, I miss Slenderverse. Why don''t we ever look up? The trees are facsinating! Nests are high, maybe we can see an eagle. Such blue skies, what is it like in the city of clouds? It was a short but lovely adventure.

I am not happy with my mornings, unable to truly awake. There is a lot of progress to be made, do not give up now.

Had a lot of website trouble (no tech week really failing hard here). Deciding to have three meals a day instead of two is nice to feel again.

My leg is feeling much better. Having controlled myself with what is online, I am absolutely so focused and bad habits are waning away.

THURSDAY 22/05/2025:

Still haven''t managed to wake at 7AM as I have been staying up late. Really dissapointed that I won''t adventure today.

Not feeling refreshed as I have to make many phone calls.

I love babysitting but it is hard when others are around and don''t wnat to pick up the slack. It is hard to do it well. At least it keeps me active and more time to bond with my nephew! He needs a friend or sibling his age. He kept patting me gently to "wake" me up when I was fake sleeping. So cute and delicate he is. He can easily unlock the backgate and walk into danger which is impressive and equally very very concerning at his age. I am going to rework that lock somehow to keep him safe.

I did manage to sneak another adventure in once my duty was lifted but not much happened besides scouting a land I have never been in. There is something so attractive about the hills in the north and the path towards them, it is an expedition I must do one day. With every step we take we get closer to our end goal but it isn''t the end that matters, it is the journey, especially one filled with laughter. The planes fly above so free, I wish for the same wings to take us anywhere.

There are so many paths and offroad openings inviting us to explore and make a story with and we have many to yet explore/ I will leave many paths for a better time as some places are best for our eyes only in person. I hope tomorrow I venture further. The sunset casts over the hills reminding me of halcyon days.

Rough getting settled for the night, slept late again. Today was the day I spent the least amount of time on tech. It feels very relieving.

FRIDAY 23/05/2025:

Today I didn''t write a diary entry, in fact I didn''t do one for the weekend either. It was rather a personal weekend itself. I did do another adventure today and brought a friend along, where we tried to go into the hills in the north or at least find a way there. It was very pleasant, it really felt like a video game where the world is ahead of you and you have no limits to explore and go where you want. We tried to find a way forward past the train track and then saw that there was a river ahead. We had to find a bridge but we couldn''t by the end of the day but it was an enjoyable experience that I will never forget. Time with friends is precious since free time won''t be around forever.

CONCLUSION:

I spent the rest of the weekend just relaxing due to my leg being really sore by the end of the week and to just finish up no tech week. It quickly had become an adventure and leg pain week hehe. I will truly treasure it. The diary entries were stripped down heavily due to most of it containing personal details and about some people in my life that doesn''t make sense to disclose to anyone, its personal!

However, seeing through the rest of the weekend was fairly simple as I maintained my impulses. I will finish off with a few observations!

It became much easier to not use a phone whilst eating, it becomes more of a choice. It is often better actually to just be alone in your thoughts or talk to someone instead of flowing through the constant stream of endless entertainment. The same with turning a computer on in the morning. You don''t really actually use the computer to work in the morning at home most of the time. At least I would end up setting up entertainment first and have tabs or programs open to be productive but my attention is not quite there. Now it is, I actually worked on my website more than I did before!

I felt like I opened up my mind and relaxed it at the same time. I saw a lot of nice things that feel like you can''t see so easily but once your attention is not divided by unconstructive information online, you actually begin to see that hey, life ain''t so bad! The forests are dreamy, the wind is breezy. The phone may be endless but the stars above make me more curious.

The question is, is it easy to revert back to the beginning? Absolutely. The key is discipline and consistency. Discipline yourself to make a change in yourself for the better of your goals, and be consistent to maintain the path to progress and to actually keep going instead of quitting or only seeing the end of the week as the goal. Have self standards and make your own future! It feels good to reward yourself to entertainment, especially after a day of work! I am aware people work for a living and entertainment is a way to detoxicate, but don''t let the day job be the end all. Always focus towards your goals and ideas to make them real and fufilled.

Stay well and I hope to see you in the next one o/