Despite not being Catholic, each year for the last several I have given something up for Lent. Sometimes more than one something lately. This year I plan to eclipse my previous attempts: in addition to going without alcohol or tobacco (the occasional cigar, as required of someone who writes noir-style hardboiled fiction), and giving up lunch (the hardest thing I did last year makes a return as I start doing OMAD — one meal a day), I’ll be giving up political news and other website distractions.
These things aren’t good for me anyway. They take time away from everything I really should be doing instead of them.
I’ve hit a year straight and change of doing German lessons every day on Duolingo in a large part thanks to the self control I’ve developed by doing these little challenges for myself. Let’s see how I do and how much self control I can build up over the next forty days and change. (I don’t take Sundays off during Lent.)