Just because I quit something, it doesn't mean I won't restart them but for now, today, these are the things I quit and will likely continue to do so.
01 - Quit buying ebooks — I find no value in ebooks. You buy it, read it, leave it on your device and then nothing - yes, the value of a book is something but if you've read a crappy book, where's the value or where can I sell it without committing a crime? If you don't know, when you purchase an ebook, you purchase the right to read it but you don't own it so selling an ebook, even if you brought it, is not legal.
So maybe reading borrowed ebooks from my public library is not a great solution either because they have to purchase rights to the ebooks and those rights do get expired which often is fine unless you're reading a book series and then it's either you read audio books (instead of ebooks), skip a book or two in a series, start a series with the third or tenth book because the first couple of books are no longer available, place a hold on an expired rights book and wait for it to be available in about a year or never or not read the last book of a series. I think it would be better if publishers/authors allow libraries to have perpetual or permanent rights to ebooks they purchase so they can have it in their permanent collection like they do with paper books. But that will never happen because that means they make less money and we all know they wouldn't agree to that.
02 - Quit reading books I'm not enjoying — I used to finish every book I started unless I only read two pages which don't really count. I think after reading more than 20%, you will have read enough to judge a book and whether to quit or to continue. Some people might think 20% is not enough to judge a book and to that I say, keep that thought to yourself.
Also, I quit reading series I'm not enjoying. I think now I will never finish any series I start because 99% of books (I read) are series so the chances of finishing them all is zero. And those who say you shouldn't judge a series by the first book, I say, shut up. People like what they like and people can quit what they like.
03 - Quit chocolate — I only like to each chocolate during the cold season. I find eating them while I'm sweating not that great. Before this year, I might had been eating them every winter but now, I don't seem to care for them. But I've never been addicted to chocolate, I don't think, I didn't like them until much later in life so not eating them doesn't affect me much. Except for those times when I crave sweets and think of chocolate.
04 - Quit watching Korean dramas — It used be Korean shows are only one season and the series is complete and you don't have to slug through 5 or 7 seasons to get the answer but now with multiple seasoned shows, I just don't care to watch. The one-season was why I watched these shows. There is such thing as too much of a good thing. And besides, I rarely seen any second season being as good as the first. But mostly, the service I use to watch Korean shows keep offering romance shows and I don't like to watch those.
05 - Quit buying digital tv shows and movies — unless I really love a show/movie, there is no chance of buying a series or movie in digital form. Like ebooks, you are purchasing the rights to see the show/movie so you don't own it even if you actually purchase it.
06 - Quit paying for subscriptions to anything most especially tv streaming — Just like ebooks, tv/movie streaming also purchases rights to allow viewers/subscribers to watch shows/movies and when the rights are expired and if the provider does not renew them, viewers have no luck in watching or rewatching them. (This is true for the service I had used so I don't know if this is true for all streaming services). This is one of the main reasons that I find annoying - you can't rewatch your favorite shows because their rights have expired. Some of which does not make sense when the provider is also the owner but I don't want to waste time talking about that.
I also quit (more like never started) on becoming members of any youtube channels and pay to watch early video releases or exclusive members-only videos. I don't want to be a member of anything that involves having to pay to be a member. I think the benefits does not outweighed the cost.
07 - Quit shopping online at new places — I still do buy things online now and then and only at a few places but I'm never going to shop (or open a new account) at new web places. With almost all my favorite brick and mortar stores closed, I'm reduced to shopping online for most things. I used to love shopping online but somehow that love had faded away when I keep getting badly damaged packages/products, mixed up orders that took too much time and patience to get right but mostly they are closed - some of the web places I used to shop just closed down their website without notice which is annoying because they still have my information and who knows if they might get hacked but I choose to believe they did the right thing and erase all their customer's data. And if not...
08 - Quit multi-tasking — I only maybe half quit doing this but it's better to quit half than nothing. I had been multi-tasking because of time constrain but now it's become a habit so it's not easy to quit. I've experienced stress from multi-tasking so I try not to do it often. Naturally the lazy side of me likes multi-tasking because if I finish a couple of things all at once, I'll have time to procrastinate.
09 - Quit blogging consistently — It used to be I post at least five times a week, then it's down to three or four times a week, then it's twice a week and now it's whenever I feel like it. Even when I have posts written and finished with finished artwork, I still somehow managed not to post anything. I like bloggers who can be consistent even if I can't but that didn't mean they have to post on a schedule or all the time. I think blogging is a post-whenever-you-want vocation. If you're a blogger, you don't have to post all the time but you should do it enough so people know you're still alive and kicking.
What have you quit that you are glad or not glad about?

I love your illustration for this post! I'm a big believer in quitting stuff that no longer brings us joy nor serves our interests. Of course, we can't entirely do this while earning a living but what the hell, now I'm retired! But quitting chocolate? That's just crazy talk.
ReplyDeleteWe got rid of our TV subscriptions forever ago. They were getting to be so expensive! I still have Crunchyroll for my anime, but we mostly watch movies if we sit down in front of the TV. I also only blog when I have time so it doesn't feel like a chore or a job I have to complete. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?
We quit our TV subscriptions even before online TV was a thing. In the last century actually ;) never a minutes regret.
ReplyDeleteI have quit - with regrets - some word games (e.g. Wordle), because NY Times began locking some of them behind a sub, even though they promised not to.
With no regrets I've gotten rid of some old stuff and habits this autumn/winter. Not worth telling of, but quite good for me and the family.
I quit my daily word puzzles I don't miss them
ReplyDeleteI would like it if I blogged more consistently, but I just don't have that much to say. So, I'm all for blogging when you feel like it. I have often said I'm happy that I don't have to depend on blogging for money.
ReplyDeleteI don't blog - i read blogs - and I love chocolate so in the balance of things i will take up your slack.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to be able to choose e-books that are free (bookbubdotcom) and as I finish each one I just delete it from the kindle. I'm also glad that I don't want to eat chocolate as much as I used to.
ReplyDelete