Making more time for Martial Arts

[Sylo]

I'm not sure this is just about martial arts.. but its the reason for posting it.

I'm not a "normal" person. I can't see myself doing a blue collar job for the rest of my life. Right now I am working as a help desk rep helping people with computer issues (I despise what I do). I am one of those people that cannot take passion in my job unless I enjoy doing it.

Right now my time is consumed by video games, mainly the online multiplayer type (WoW). I seem to spend over 50% of my day playing.

My day goes..

- work
- go home and get ready for class
- class
- give son bath, eat get son to sleep
- spend about 30 minutes with the wife until her bed time
- play WoW for 4 hrs til I go to bed

My ultimate goal is to open my own martial arts school here. I've always been about having non normal goals. (acting, musician, artist). However, as of late I have pretty much done nothing with my spare time other than play WoW. I've always been told that I shouldn't stop doing something I enjoy doing. But, how do I curb it? I want to open a school in the future, and I feel that I need to be working on my martial arts more than anything else. For example. Last night I was looking at the elastic steel website trying to research different ways to stretch. But, alas.. I wound up playing WoW. Last night was the first night that I actually felt "burned out" and just didn't want to play.

Along with martial arts. I enjoy drawing, and making music. 2 things I never do because of WoW. I actually have other video games that are collecting dust because of WoW, and pretty much every interest I have gets consumed by that one thing. I know I want to do more martial arts.. I don't want to only train in class. How can I curb it so that it doesn't consume me anymore? Its not as easy as it looks...

 

[MJS]

I'm not sure this is just about martial arts.. but its the reason for posting it.

I'm not a "normal" person. I can't see myself doing a blue collar job for the rest of my life. Right now I am working as a help desk rep helping people with computer issues (I despise what I do). I am one of those people that cannot take passion in my job unless I enjoy doing it.

Right now my time is consumed by video games, mainly the online multiplayer type (WoW). I seem to spend over 50% of my day playing.

My day goes..

- work
- go home and get ready for class
- class
- give son bath, eat get son to sleep
- spend about 30 minutes with the wife until her bed time
- play WoW for 4 hrs til I go to bed

My ultimate goal is to open my own martial arts school here. I've always been about having non normal goals. (acting, musician, artist). However, as of late I have pretty much done nothing with my spare time other than play WoW. I've always been told that I shouldn't stop doing something I enjoy doing. But, how do I curb it? I want to open a school in the future, and I feel that I need to be working on my martial arts more than anything else. For example. Last night I was looking at the elastic steel website trying to research different ways to stretch. But, alas.. I wound up playing WoW. Last night was the first night that I actually felt "burned out" and just didn't want to play.

Along with martial arts. I enjoy drawing, and making music. 2 things I never do because of WoW. I actually have other video games that are collecting dust because of WoW, and pretty much every interest I have gets consumed by that one thing. I know I want to do more martial arts.. I don't want to only train in class. How can I curb it so that it doesn't consume me anymore? Its not as easy as it looks...

Likewise, I've always said that its important to be happy with what you're doing, because if you're not, you won't give it 100%. This goes for anything in life.

As for finding the time...easier said than done, I know, but you need to make training a part of your daily schedule. Nothing wrong with playing online games, but perhaps try cutting the time from 4hrs. to 1 or 2 to start. That'll leave you 2-3 hrs. to train. Do you have to train for the entire time? Of course not, but right away you'd be cutting down the game time and making more time to train. While watching tv, every time there is a commercial on tv, get up and do a kata or a few techs. Train while you're watching tv. Obviously you won't be able to really focus on the tv, and it'll be more background noise than anything, but afterall, isn't the goal to be finding more time to train?

 

[Cirdan]

Nothing wrong with playing a little WoW but I know it can be addictive. I deleted the game on my own computer yesterday. Decided I don`t want to spend money or time on the new expansion they release in a month or so. Also, it may be fun but after a point WoW is just more and more grinding and repetition of the same. Now is the time to quit if you want to spend your time on something else.


:uzi:

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

World of warcraft and the life of online games is like a vampire draining your lifeforce.

If you wish to make more time for martial arts spend more time doing so.

In the simple manner when waiting in line stand in a stance. Practice footwork.

Having the wife hide the computer may help.

Not playing a whole week and then playing online once a month may help.

 

[Cirdan]

By the way, it is always easy to get locked out of the game for two days by swearing at another player and have him report you :uhyeah::uhyeah::uhyeah:

 

[bluekey88]

The advice you've gotten is pretty good. Mt questions is this...you say the time spent playing WoW is enjoyable. If it is truly enjoyable, why question it? Is it as really as enjoyable as when you first started or has it become more a part of your routine?

Here's what i've done to cut back on video games...(I've avoided MMORPGs because I know how consuming they would be for me). I prioritized my life. What I HAD to do, What I wanted to do, all the rest. I HAVE to work. I have to take care of my family. I Have to excercise/train. I have to play music/play games/read, etc.

Ten I created a schedule and I worked really hard to stick to it. I have game time put aside a few times a week. Hell, when i get vacation days, I may schedule a whole day and tell everyone else to leave me be . The poitn is, everything else has to get done first. Gaming is my reward.

If you want to be a school owner, profession musician/artist...whatever...you need to map out a plan to achieve that. With that plan you can then see the steps you need to do get what you wnat (along with a rough time line)...from there it gets really easy to see how much time you have for what needs doing.

Peace,
Erik

 

[terryl965]

Follow your heart and not a routine, remember each one of us only wants to be happy.

 

[shesulsa]

First I want to acknowledge the honesty and responsibility with which you posted your daily schedule. That's a good indicator that you can analyze things fairly well.

I think, especially as your children get older, you will become to see the swift passage of time and gain the realization that you will *never* have wasted time back. And what you will view as "wasted" then might not be what you view as "wasted" now.

Time is a resource so very many of us squander - I've done more than my share, I assure you. Now that you've realized how much time you spend on WoW, perhaps you can ask yourself what you will gain from your investment in 5 years?

 

[tshadowchaser]

My suggestion is throw the game away and start practicing the martial arts
find a game to play which is not as additive

 

[Sylo]

Yeah. I don't feel like it should be something I completely toss out into the cold.. because there are still "games" I like and want to play. I just want to spread my time out, where its not just taken up by that one thing. But like you have said.. its become a routine.

I have to set a schedule so that I can fit everything in..

maybe something like..

Monday
-----
TKD class
Movie with the family
stretch/forms
console gaming til bed

Tuesday
-----
no class
stretch/forms
watch tv with family
wow til bed

Wednesday
-----
sparring class
draw or band practice
console/wow or movie.

Thursday
------
class
stretching/forms
watch a movie with family
wow raid.

Friday
------
No class
stretching/forms
watch a movie/go out with the family
late night gaming either wow/console

Saturday
------
morning run
<open day for chores, yard work, family functions>
night for band shows
late night gaming, console with friends from work.

Sunday
------
morning run
<open day for movie watching, drawing, martial arts research>
<night for cooking dinner with the family, possibly playing some family console games>
<late night for wow>

hmm... thats not that hard.

 

[tshadowchaser]

That looks like you have it figured out

 

[shesulsa]

That's an awful lot of gaming, still.

 

[Sylo]

That's an awful lot of gaming, still.

Your right, and I thought that too..

but if you look at the time line in which it would be taking class..

there's really not much else I could be doing..

other than other stuff thats just as useless.. ie... TV, surfing the net.

any of that game time can and may be substituted for something else depending on my mood... but normally this would be around 9..

there's not too many productive things I can do around that time.. if you know of any.. please share.

 

[MJS]

That's an awful lot of gaming, still.

I was thinking the same thing.

Sylo,

While reading your breakdown, a few things came to mind. 1) its good to see that you have a schedule in place, making time for things that you want to get done. 2) On the other hand, will the gaming cut into the activity that you're doing prior to that? For example: Monday, you're going to stretch and do forms and then game. Will the desire to game take a priority over the prior activity? Will you cut your time on stretching/forms, to get to the game faster? If yes, then perhaps you should trim the game time down even more. If not, and you don't feel it'll interfere, then you're all set.

Mike

 

[Sylo]

I was thinking the same thing.

Sylo,

While reading your breakdown, a few things came to mind. 1) its good to see that you have a schedule in place, making time for things that you want to get done. 2) On the other hand, will the gaming cut into the activity that you're doing prior to that? For example: Monday, you're going to stretch and do forms and then game. Will the desire to game take a priority over the prior activity? Will you cut your time on stretching/forms, to get to the game faster? If yes, then perhaps you should trim the game time down even more. If not, and you don't feel it'll interfere, then you're all set.

Mike

let me expand a little further..


Monday
------
7 am - 3pm = Work
3pm - 4pm = ride home
4pm - 4:45pm = shower/eat/surf the net/feed dogs/etc.
4:45-5:15pm = ride to class
5:30 - 6:30pm = TKD class
6:45 - 7:30pm = eat, bathe son, help son get to sleep if applicable
8:00pm - 9:00pm = watch tv/movie with wife (if movie.. stetch to 10 pm.. she normally goes to bed at 9)
9pm - midnight = gaming/wow/martial arts net surfing/stretching etc.

somewhere in the 9-12 timeframe is "my time" to do what I want..

I've got to figure out how to give more time to my martial arts and other activities and less to gaming.

 

[jks9199]

It's real simple.

Turn off the computer and the TV.

Another option would be to get up 30 minutes earlier, and do some drills and training in that time frame.

 

[Brian King]

“7 am - 3pm = Work
3pm - 4pm = ride home
4pm - 4:45pm = shower/eat/surf the net/feed dogs/etc.
4:45-5:15pm = ride to class
5:30 - 6:30pm = TKD class
6:45 - 7:30pm = eat, bathe son, help son get to sleep if applicable
8:00pm - 9:00pm = watch tv/movie with wife (if movie.. stetch to 10 pm.. she normally goes to bed at 9)
9pm - midnight = gaming/wow/martial arts net surfing/stretching etc.

somewhere in the 9-12 timeframe is "my time" to do what I want..”

I have to be honest but it seems a little odd to me spending one hour with your wife and three hours gaming, it seems a little backwards to me. That said I am not married and have no idea of the relationship you have with your wife.

The excessive gaming seems to be making up for something that is perhaps missing from your life, this would also account for your dissatisfactions. You asked what one can do that is productive during those hours other than gaming, I might suggest going into your child’s room and reading softly from a book to them while they sleep. The book does not have to be children’s book but one that you can gain from such as a bibliography/autobiography of a person that you admire or that has done great things with their life. Spending an hour alone with your sleeping son/wife pondering your (you and your wifes) and your son’s futures can be very fulfilling and will help you to become the father, provider, and protector that you wish to be. Spending time in the quiet thinking, while not easy at first is a great way of becoming a deeper better person. A simple way of starting is to find a thread here on MT that has made you think and spend only fifteen or twenty minutes in the quiet thinking about that thread, form arguments for and against in your head and give those the some serious thoughts. There are all kinds of adult learning opportunities out there many of which are online (I am thinking business courses since you say that some day you wish to open a school). You are not happy with your job, well who you are today, what you are doing today will be exactly the same five years from now except for who you meet and what you read/learn.

Escape is good if it is healthy, I am not so sure that excessive gaming as an escape is so healthy (I have not read any late testing/reports so it is just my opinion) Being an adult means that sometimes you need to do for others rather than for yourself, yet it is perhaps ironic that by bettering yourself it can help others even more than it helps you.

Good luck
Warmest regards
Brian King

 

[Sylo]

I have to be honest but it seems a little odd to me spending one hour with your wife and three hours gaming, it seems a little backwards to me. That said I am not married and have no idea of the relationship you have with your wife.

The excessive gaming seems to be making up for something that is perhaps missing from your life, this would also account for your dissatisfactions. You asked what one can do that is productive during those hours other than gaming, I might suggest going into your child’s room and reading softly from a book to them while they sleep. The book does not have to be children’s book but one that you can gain from such as a bibliography/autobiography of a person that you admire or that has done great things with their life. Spending an hour alone with your sleeping son/wife pondering your (you and your wifes) and your son’s futures can be very fulfilling and will help you to become the father, provider, and protector that you wish to be. Spending time in the quiet thinking, while not easy at first is a great way of becoming a deeper better person. A simple way of starting is to find a thread here on MT that has made you think and spend only fifteen or twenty minutes in the quiet thinking about that thread, form arguments for and against in your head and give those the some serious thoughts. There are all kinds of adult learning opportunities out there many of which are online (I am thinking business courses since you say that some day you wish to open a school). You are not happy with your job, well who you are today, what you are doing today will be exactly the same five years from now except for who you meet and what you read/learn.

Escape is good if it is healthy, I am not so sure that excessive gaming as an escape is so healthy (I have not read any late testing/reports so it is just my opinion) Being an adult means that sometimes you need to do for others rather than for yourself, yet it is perhaps ironic that by bettering yourself it can help others even more than it helps you.

Good luck
Warmest regards
Brian King

I only spend an hr with her because she goes to bed at 9. regardless. We are constantly going with the baby from the time I get home.. we don't actually get to relax til 8. So, basically I get 3 hours of "me" time.. to do whatever.

 

[Mimir]

I know how hard it is to just "turn the tv or computer off" If you can do some practice after your wife goes to bed without distrubing her or the child, then why not do that right after she goes to bed instead of going straight to the console or computer? I know once you start, it is hard to stop playing (I have the same problem sometimes).

Something else you might try is looking for a different job. You obviously hate the one you currently have, and this might be fueling your need for gameing. If you had a job you enjoyed more, perhaps you wouldn't need the escape so much. Of course this is just my opion and I might be way off base.

 

[Sylo]

I know how hard it is to just "turn the tv or computer off" If you can do some practice after your wife goes to bed without distrubing her or the child, then why not do that right after she goes to bed instead of going straight to the console or computer? I know once you start, it is hard to stop playing (I have the same problem sometimes).

Something else you might try is looking for a different job. You obviously hate the one you currently have, and this might be fueling your need for gameing. If you had a job you enjoyed more, perhaps you wouldn't need the escape so much. Of course this is just my opion and I might be way off base.

I do hate my job. but the only job that I am not going to hate, is one doing something I enjoy. I can't do that til I start getting better at something I enjoy. Unless I am gonna get paid to play video games.. my plan is to open a school and to supplement it with some other "enjoyable" job using one of my many talents.. just gotta put the games down for long enough to work on them.