Well, I fell into a similar rut during my PhD (not playing poker....but simply surfing, playing video games, and doing basically anything but getting my thesis together)
At some point I just noticed that it was immediate gratification vs. the looming mountain of work (and possible threat of failure). I looked at myself and saw someone totally failure averse because I
knew I could 'beat the games' I was playing (or argue circles around the people I was arguing with on the net)
So there's - in my view - a couple ways to go about it
1) Slow withdrawal. If you're the kind of person who can make a plan and stick to it (I can't) then make such a plan. X hours computer turned off and work on thesis, then Y hours playing
2) Cut the cord. Uninstall any and all gaming software. If you have the cash go on a retreat where you have no internet connection.
3) Get a deadline from your PhD adviser (e.g. deadlines for delivering each chapter). Deadlines work wonders to sharpen the mind (and ruin your health....but that's just temporary until you hand in the thesis
...after that you should alread plan ahaed for taking 3 months off or something
). Don't work from home.
(I did 2 and 3 ..except the 'retreat' thing)
Here's another thing I've seen someone do: Bet your parents that you won't touch a game until you're finished by date X. Some amount that really hurts. Made for a nice gift when he actually did finish on time.
Last edited by antialias; 05-16-2018 at 04:31 PM.