About a month ago, my wife and I celebrated an incredible moment in our household. No, she wasn’t pregnant. There wasn’t a new job, promotion, or any other life event. No, what tipped the scales that evening was me finally uninstalling Candy Crush on all devices.
I love puzzles. Love solving problems. It’s one of the main reasons that Candy Crush appealed to me. Each game made me think strategically and was a nice diversion from the stress of the daily routine. Frankly, I was good at it. I ‘finished’ the game faster than any of my friends, many of whom often gave me their phones to solve levels for them.
I wasn’t addicted by any stretch; I mainly played during downtime or small windows (like waiting in line). Nowhere near the stories you see online, such as this woman who stole money from her own mother to play. However, the probem with the game is there’s no reward for winning yet the social aspect of the game persuades you to keep playing, stoking your competitive fire to beat friends. The time spent playing, even small pockets, could be better utilized such as strategizing or fueling creativity on new business ideas.
I’ve used the time since I stopped playing to finally put this blog together, master WordPress, PHP, and a few other hard skills that will be important down the road.
There’s nothing wrong with playing games, watching TV, checking facebook, or sending out one more tweet. But if your long-term goals are not being met, it’s helpful to reassess where your time is currently going, and how it could be better spent to get you back on track.