The Most Radical Thing I’ve Done Lately (and Why You Might Want to Try It Too)
Spoiler: it doesn’t involve Everest, but it does take guts.
Last night, I made a decision that felt almost rebellious. Not because it breaks any laws or involves a parachute—but because it goes completely against how we’re conditioned to live in this dopamine-drenched, entertainment-obsessed culture. I decided to give up TV and iOS games for a whole month. 😱 Wild, right? Not exactly skydiving-level adrenaline or the danger that comes from climbing a mountain, but in today’s world? It’s practically revolutionary.
It says a lot about our 21st-century lifestyles that I even questioned for a moment whether this was too radical. But let’s be honest—streaming platforms are designed to keep us glued to our seats, and games on our phones are built to be bottomless. Autoplay. Infinite levels. Tiny dopamine hits that keep us from dealing with… well, anything else.
Some of you might be thinking “so what?” while others are clutching your remote controls in horror. Fair enough. But if you’re anything like me, you’ve had those evenings where the day slips away into “just one more episode” or “just one more level,” until suddenly it’s midnight and that thing you meant to do never got done.
I read a book decades ago (30 years back now!) about the effects of TV on the brain. It talked about how we essentially hypnotise ourselves with the constant flicker of the screen. And now we’ve got endless content, games, apps—all designed to keep us passive, distracted, and comfortably numb.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-TV or anti-tech (That would be weird, as an ex-software engineer, and someone who’s fascinated by new tech and its applications!) Some of it’s fun, even nourishing (there’s even studies to suggest that playing Tetris might help with folks with PTSD). I’ve written before about how nothing is inherently “bad” unless it’s being used to cover something up. But lately, I’ve noticed that the same part of me that once numbed out with food and alcohol (I’m 3 years sober on June 2nd this year! 🥳) has found new ways to hide—mainly in screen-based distractions.
And if I’m serious about becoming the version of me that’s capable of doing big things, of helping more people and making a real impact, then I have to start acting like them. I can’t keep slotting the important work in the leftover gaps of my day, wedged between Netflix episodes of House, M. D. and Two Dots levels. 😳
So I’ve gone radical.
No TV. No iOS games. For one whole month.
Instead, I’m leaning into systems that support the version of me I want to become. I’m using the Seinfeld Chain Method on a wall calendar to track my streak, and I might even rope in an accountability buddy if I start to wobble.
And I’m not suddenly becoming joyless or boring. There’s still plenty of space in my week for fun, rest, socialising and inspiration. It’s just not going to come at the cost of my dreams. ❤️
So here’s my gentle nudge to you: what’s one “radical” thing you could do this month to commit to Future You? Not the big, flashy stuff—but the small, intentional decision that might just shift everything.
Hit reply or leave a comment and let me know what you’re choosing to subtract—or add—in service of your goals. Let’s be radical together. 🚀
Speaking as a person in recovery the temptation to swap one reliance for another is really crucial to what you're saying here in my view. As you rightly say nothing is inherently good or bad it's how we interact with it that is.