How I Overcame My Gaming Addiction and Built a Love for Reading in Just 30 Days

I never thought that reading is much more fun than playing games

Jan 17, 2025

Gaming was my escape.

It consumed my free time, ruined my focus, and left me feeling empty in life. While I enjoyed the achievements like leaderboards, deep down, I knew it wasn’t me. I know that I can do better than win a game.

But what could possibly replace that?

My Struggle with Gaming Addiction

I’ve been addicted to playing games for about 4 years.

It became my way of refreshing myself after a long day, especially after school. I would spend hours glued to the screen, ignoring assignments, deadlines, and even my relationship with girls.

I wanted to change, but every time I tried, I started to go back and play even more hours than I used to.

My Failed Attempt to Replace Gaming with Reading

At first, I thought I could simply swap gaming for reading.

I forced myself to pick up books, hoping that I would forget gaming. And yeah, you guessed it.

It didn’t work, and what’s even worse is I played more than I used to.

I usually play for 3 hours.

But after trying to force myself to stop, I played 5 more hours.

Rather than loving to read and hating gaming, I hated reading more and stuck even more with gaming. I’d sit with a book, but my mind was on something else. It felt like I was punishing myself, and the harder I tried, the worse it got.

A New Approach

So, I decided to take a different approach.

Instead of forcing myself to read for hours, I started small. I committed to reading just a single page or paragraph before gaming. I didn’t quit gaming cold turkey because I use gaming as a reward after reading.

The formula was this.

After playing games, I would go back and read for a few minutes (or at least something productive).

I called it the “sandwich method.”

Reading, gaming, then reading again.

Planting the Seeds of a Reading Habit

At first, it felt like a chore.

But over time, something unexpected happened. The stories and ideas in the books started to stick with me. I found myself thinking about them even while gaming.

Slowly but surely, the seeds of curiosity and love for reading began to grow.

I started to quicken my gaming time and pick up books. Sometimes, while I queue for a match, I read a couple of sentences or paragraphs.

Falling in Love with Reading

As my reading sessions grew longer, gaming started to lose its fun.

I started to crave more knowledge and growth. Now I understand progress in real life rather than in the virtual world. I don’t crave gaming too much anymore.

Gaming became less of a reward and more of a distraction.

Quitting Gaming and Embracing Reading

Within 30 days, the shift was unexpected.

I no longer felt the urge to game for hours. Reading had become my new escape. One that fueled my mind and helped me stay ahead in college.

And to be honest, I didn’t realize I was thriving in college because of reading.

I thought that I was just diligent in studying, but I was not. I only love to read and crave knowledge. That habit and identity start to flourish in other aspects like relationships, hobbies, and more.

Reading helped me not only to quit gaming.

But it helped me to change my life entirely.

Building a Habit and a Mindset for Success

What started as a small experiment turned into a life-changing habit.

Today, I’m an avid reader with a library of lessons and stories that helped my daily life. I still remember some knowledge and wisdom from many books I have read. And that helped me to avoid pitfalls that could have been easily avoided.

Takeaways from My Journey

If you’re looking to replace a habit like gaming with something more productive, here’s what worked for me:

1. Start small: Don’t aim for perfection. Just aim for progress.

Finishing one book in a week. ❌
Finishing a sentence a day. ✅

2. Reward yourself: Pair reading with something you enjoy to create a positive habit.

Gaming on the weekend after a full week of reading. ✔️
Gaming after reading for a couple of paragraphs. ✅

3. Find the right books: Start with topics that genuinely interest you.

Reading something that is complex and hard to understand. ❌
Reading something that is fun and joyful (like fiction). ✅

4. Be patient: Building a habit takes time, but the rewards are worth it.

30 days, become an avid reader and replace gaming permanently. ❌
30 days to become a reader with a life-changing mindset for other habits. ✅

Conclusion

Replacing my gaming addiction with reading wasn’t easy, but it transformed my life.

What started as a simple experiment turned into a passion that helped me grow and succeed every day. If I could make this change, so can you.

Start small, stay consistent, and watch as reading transforms your life.

Happy reading, and I’ll see you soon!

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Essential Resources for Your Journey 📚

The Mastery of Reading (Paid) | Download here
A Step-by-step Guide to Mastering Your Reading Habit from 0 to 100
The Habit of Reading (Free) | Download here
A Step-by-step Guide to Building Your Reading Habit from 0 to 1
30-day Simple Habit Tracker (Free) | Download Here
Track Your Daily Habits with Customizable Months
Life-changing Blueprint (Free) | Download Here
How to Change Your Life with Implementation Guide
My Booknotes (Free) | Download here
Understand What You Read with Implementation Guide