💰 My Pledge (a commitment device)

Day 20 :white_check_mark:

Money on the line $277

Had a really huge lapse in my schedule yesterday binging on youtube content all night and into the morning and this is some really dangerous territory for me as its all mindless dopamine junk which severely impairs my sense of self control.

This has happened a few times since starting my current streak and I’ve justified it saying the youtube dopamine is just a replacment habit but wasting hours of my life and wreaking havoc on my sleep is no kind of healthy replacement. All it does is impair me mentally, physcally and ultimately makes me much more vulnerable to relapse.

Its just not at all a sustainable thing if I want to truly move ahead so I am adding a commitment to my list. For starters, no youtube for the next 8 days

If I break this commitment I will add $10 to the cost of failure amount in this pledge.

2 Likes

Weekly Commitments

Saturday, September 16

Today I Will:

Not use YouTube :white_check_mark:
Spend time in study, meditation and prayer :white_check_mark:
Complete my workout :white_check_mark:
Spend 20 mins learning something new - 30m :white_check_mark:
Spend 20 mins working on music - 30m :white_check_mark:
Go to bed before 10:30, record the time - 10pm :white_check_mark:

2 Likes

@nikk1 swordsman. … [quote=“Keats, post:1, topic:83094, full:true”]

My Pledge

(details)

Commitment

This post serves as my commitment device, stating that I will not pmo for 30 days. If I fail, I will donate (in actual money) to a specific cause that I do not actually support.

However, if I succeed, I get to spend that money on something I truly enjoy.

How it will work

Every number on my streak counter will represent a dollar.

As long as I’m succeeding it will go into the success account - represented by the number next to the green circle :green_circle: 0

But to up the ante, I’d love to have your support in this commitment.

My Backers

You can join as my backer

This means that the number of whatever your current streak is will also be added to the success account. :green_circle: 10

Which will increase my potential reward. :clinking_glasses:

Conversely, if you relapse during the 30 days, whatever your streak was at the time of relapse will be added to the relapse account - represented by the red circle :red_circle: 10

Which will decrease my reward, even if I make the 30 days, but will not cost me actual money, but simply limit the amount I get for staying true to the commitment. :man_shrugging:

And to reiterate, If I relapse, the money in both accounts will be donated to the aforementioned (and for me, unsupportable) cause.

So if you succeed with me, my reward will be greatest. If you fail, my reward will be less. And if I fail, the cost will be greatest of all


Your Motivation

Now I know what you’re thinking, “my. my. my. This whole thing is all about you.” I will fully admit this is an unabashedly selfish endeavor, mainly focused on giving me the challenging smack upside the head that I need

Regardless, your backing will be incredibly motivating, as it will increase the amount of reward and cost of failure at the same time.

So I guess I’m asking for some ultruistic support, and I know of no better place to go for that then here…to you fine fellows. :facepunch:

Backstory

I used to be fairly active here and made a few challenges back in the day. I truly enjoyed being part of this community and the camaraderie that came with it but eventually, due to no one’s fault but my own, I started experiencing burn out. I was managing too many challenges, all while failing to actually rewire my brain (the whole point of this community).

So I decided a clean internet/digital fast was in order and I forced myself to back away from the forum.

For a while it seemed to work. I began to think I was truly changing. However, sadly, it did not last. I fell back into old patterns…and continued falling.

And so here I am, asking one more time for your support, friends

I don’t plan on starting a bunch of new challenges on this forum again. I know there is always creative fellows doing that for the benefit of the whole community, which is awesome, but for me, I think it best to put those days behind.

That being said, I do feel the need to do something a bit different that can give me extra motivation, support, and a real tangible sting/pain to failure (and with my budget being extra tight these days, this commitment seems the obvious choice).

Final Clarifications

• If you decide to join I will need your sharing code to update the numbers. I will be posting my days here, but as my backer, you don’t have to.

• I won’t be announcing if anyone fails. I will just quietly update your streak on the board and move your amount from the success to relapse account.

• Once you start a new streak, your progress will once again be added to the success account, as long as you don’t break it.

• As a final note, and just for extra clarity, I am the only one here commiting to spend actual money. Your support as my backer is just an interactive way for you to help me by amplifying the reward of success and cost of failure.

Although I hope this responsibilty will be mutually motivating for both of us.

Thanks everyone for everyone

@Nikk1 (Swordsman)

@Nikk1 welcome to the forum! Are you asking if you can join as my backer?

Day 21 :white_check_mark:

Money on the line: $289

1 Like

Hey guys, today has been the most difficult day and I came close to relapse. I took some familiar steps that have lead that direction in the past (signing up for and downloading Twitter, typing in “innocent” searches that I well know, from past experience, might bring up provocative material.

The bottom line - I can see a clear trajectory in my actions over the last 24 hours that say I’m slipping. So I aim to take counter measures at once.

There are 2 modifications I plan to implement:

  1. I am updating this pledge (for the remainder) to include any first steps toward pmo (such as typing something online that has the desire behind it of potentially seeing something provocative). I will write it out as so: Did I take any first steps toward pmo? yes/no. From today on - if I answer yes - I will count this pledge has failed.

  2. I’m updating my no youtube commitment to no social media of any kind or any use of the internet for entertainment for the remainder of the pledge.

I truly hope these steps can help me course correct here.

Keep going strong everyone!

5 Likes

Day 22 :white_check_mark:

Did I take any first steps toward pmo? no :white_check_mark:

Money on the line: $296

2 Likes

Weekly Commitments

Monday, September 19

Today I Will:

Not use the internet for entertainment :white_check_mark:
Spend time in study, meditation and prayer :white_check_mark:
Complete my workout :white_check_mark:
Spend 20 mins learning something new 30m :white_check_mark:
Spend 20 mins working on music 30m :white_check_mark:
Go to bed before 10:00 and record the time 9:58 :white_check_mark:

2 Likes

Day 23 :white_check_mark:

Did I take any first steps toward pmo? No :white_check_mark:

Money on the line: $303

2 Likes

Weekly Commitments

Tuesday, September 19

Today I Will:

Not use YouTube :white_check_mark:
Spend 20 mins learning something new 30m :white_check_mark:
Spend 20 mins working on music 30m :white_check_mark:
Go to bed before 10:30, record the time 10:02 :white_check_mark:

1 Like

Day 24 :white_check_mark:

Did I take any first steps toward pmo? No :white_check_mark:

Money on the line: $312

2 Likes

Weekly Commitments

Wednesday, September 20

Today I Will:

• Not use the internet for entertainment :x:
• Spend 20 mins learning something new 10m :x:
• Spend 20 mins working on music: 5m :x:
• Go to bed before 10:00, record the time 10:31 :x:

1 Like

Day 25 :white_check_mark:

Did I take any first steps toward pmo? No :white_check_mark:

Money on the line: $341

2 Likes

Weekly Commitments

Thursday, September 21

Today I Will:

Not use the internet for entertainment :white_check_mark:
Spend time in study, meditation and prayer :white_check_mark:
Complete my workout :white_check_mark:
• Spend 15 mins learning something new 5m :x:
• Spend 15 mins working on music 5m :x:
• Go to bed before 10:30, record time 12:13 :x:

1 Like

Day 26 :white_check_mark:

Did I take any first steps toward pmo? No :white_check_mark:

Money on the line: $354

1 Like

Day 27 :white_check_mark:

Did I take any first steps toward pmo? No :white_check_mark:

Money on the line: $366

1 Like

Day 28 :white_check_mark:

Did I take any first steps toward pmo? No :white_check_mark:

Money on the line: $375

1 Like

Weekly Commitments

Sunday September 24

Today I Will:

• Spend time in study, meditation and prayer :x:
Spend 20 mins working on music :white_check_mark:
• Go to bed before 10:00, record time 12 :x:

3 Likes

Day 29 :white_check_mark:

Did I take any first steps toward pmo? No :white_check_mark:

Money on the line: $385

1 Like

Weekly Commitments

Monday, September 25

Today I Will:

Not use the internet for entertainment :white_check_mark:
Spend time in study, meditation and prayer :white_check_mark:
Complete my workout :white_check_mark:
Spend 15 mins learning something new :white_check_mark:
Spend 15 mins working on music :white_check_mark:
Turn shower to cold for 100 seconds :white_check_mark:
• Go to bed before 10:30, record time: 10:43 :x:

1 Like