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I wanted to post a follow-up since I did make some changes after my first post about trying to clean up my digital hygiene as I called it.
I have cut out the mindless YouTube browsing. I have caught myself going through a recommended feed, but it was brief and I stopped myself, thankfully. That awareness is what is important. I had disabled the app just today as I found myself busier than usual to where the notifications are no longer really necessary, because I'll see what is new once I have time to watch / listen.
I also have been great about keeping my email clean. Unsubscribing to anything I don't really need/care for. And setting up filters for important things to go to where they're categorized. However, now it is sad just looking at Thunderbird and seeing nothing in my inbox. But the mailing list has been keeping the email traffic steady at least!
I also have cut Reddit out significantly. I still use it in my search filters when I am looking for info or suggestions for things that I feel Reddit is useful for. And I've been decently good about not navigating to it. I hope to get better at it, as there is nothing stopping me from using it on my PC.
Unsuprisingly, I haven't had a need for any of the apps I deleted. I stopped using a task app and the RSS reader as they didn't really work out. But I am continuing to consider what apps to keep and remove, and if stuff like ESPN/Yahoo/Sleeper are worth keeping in the off season of Fantasy Football? I think the main thing has been that nothing on my phone is a distraction now. I don't find myself on an app doing something pointless, just "browsing".
I have replaced the mindless YouTube with Podcast(s). Mainly, a single podcast, Cortex, that I mentioned in the first post. I had listened to it a few times before, and since then listened to it as my primary source of entertainment. I may need to set a time where/when I listen to this, as it can be quite distracting, but it has been much more meaningful and given me ideas for topics to write about, so for now I am filing it under a win. It is nice too, especially in this pandemic time, having some conversation based entertainment. Cortex has also been really interesting since I am at that point where I am thinking about what my career trajectory is going to be. I am solidly in the "senior engineer" position at my company, and the team I am on is going through a transition. So it has been nice hearing from two self employed (one podcast company co-founder, the other a profession YouTuber) advice on becoming self employed, the problems the face, and things like that. It often divulges into some fun, but has honestly helped me reflect on my salaryman lifestyle and what I value from my work and if there is anything in my life that I think I could do as as side-gig or even transition into full-time self employment (the answer is no, but it's interesting to think about).
A PC parts YouTube channel that I frequent, JayzTwoCentz also recently started a "tech lifestyle" podcast: The RTFM Show so that has been nice to listen too as well. What is a "tech lifestyle" podcast? Well, at least based on the two episodes they've done, just general life stuff relating to tech so: things about tech that they feel has made their lives better, most frustrating tech problems, etc. So, it can be nice to listen to on a Friday. They do stream it live on YouTube, so it feels like another YT video, but it really is just them chatting, so I count it.
Both of these are very comical because the hosts personality leads to jokes and comedy, but they are not comedy podcasts. I believe I touched on in my previous post that in the past all I listened to, podcast wise, were comedy podcasts. And I am debating jumping back into some of those. The primary target being "Hey Riddle Riddle" which is a... riddle podcast? It's three improvisers as hosts that essentially just goofing off for an hour under the guise of a riddle podcast.
And I have been, though they do feel more like YouTube videos, been listening to Mega64s podcasts, as they are obviously making less YouTube videos throughout the pandemic. These are still the podcast episodes I listen to the second they're posted, so I guess I'll need to keep an eye out on Tuesdays when then episode will drop on YouTube, since I don't watch them live on Twitch. They also made an offshoot podcast about quarantine life that I enjoy as well.
I purchased while 70% off on Steam: F1 2020. I had an itch to play a racing game for a month or two and decided to get this since $20 or so for a modern game felt like a decent deal, and I wanted a racing sim.
This was a lot of fun, I was able to get into it and it is VERY challenging. I listen to Cortex while I do my laps which is nice. I have found this a great replacement for just mindless activities online. It requires a specific amount of focus that eventually just slides back into repetition / some level of comfortability. Thought, now I am even more tempted to budget for a proper racing sim setup...
RSS was a failure. I still have it setup on Thunderbird where I can feed some info into it, that works well for getting some news. But using an RSS feed to capture web based notifications to my phone has just not really amounted to anything meaningful. I'll maybe revisit it and look at some more apps but for now I am trying out manually visiting the sites manually.
I also haven't been doing any learning. I didn't expect learning to pick up really, but it is something I REALLY need to start again. I am in the process of packing so I have packed away a lot of my instruments and other hobby stuff, so I hope that will incentivise me to do other things.
I also haven't been going to bed at my usual hour, 10pm, and reading. Though, writing these gemlogs usually comes at night time as I wind down, so it isn't necessarily that I am filling the time I could be reading with trivial mindless things. But I do want to read more. I think what it is, is that I haven't actually found something TO read. I should pick up where I left off with The Witcher books, as I think non-fiction right now is just not the entertainment I am looking for, especially since the Podcasts I am listening to are essentially "non-fiction" entertainment/learning.
I am resisting the urge to reread the first two books in the Hyperion Cantos as a prereq to finishing the cantos... (if you feel the remaining books are worth it PLEASE LET ME KNOW, I had a bit of trouble getting into the third book)
Cleaning up what I do on my computer, phone, the internet has been a pretty good success. Things are definitely BETTER, but there is still room to improve. I need to make sure I am not replacing one vice (mindless internet activity) with another (podcast over-listening). But I think I just need to find that right book. I have some cyberpunk classics in my queue, I should just try and see what sticks, if The Witcher doesn't.
Have you tried to clean up your digital hygiene? Do you know of a good racing sim to try next? Or a good beginner setup who can't really afford the space for a dedicated rig (does a 'small racing setup exist?')
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