A few months ago, I decided to blank the slate to start a few long term projects. I didn’t have a set target in mind, more of an impression of a kind of person I would want to be. One thing I’ve noticed is that those who make radical life changes and stick to them tend to embody these in a way that suits them as a person. It’s not merely enough to have a set goal, but instead be the type of person for whom the goals are just a matter of time. For me, it’d be proud to be a builder, an environmentalist, and a lifelong learner
Riding on the bus to work everyday for an hour and a half combined got me thinking. If I have to pay this price of time every single day when I go to work, what should it before? When you spend everything else you have a choice of if you buy things that cost you in the long run or if you buy stuff that helps you live effectively. You have to spend this commodity regardless of any decision, so why not live with the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen. It’s where your only aim is to get 5% better every year. Even if it’s a little bit at a time, it all adds up as long as you commit to it as a part of you’re life.
So that’s why I left social media and the like. There’s all this noise, both good and bad out there that not only takes a good chunk of life to go through, but also makes you feel close to people you wouldn’t otherwise likely see. To me after spending years behind a screen gawking at people’s photos of a forgotten nights bar hopping and reading a vaguebook rants I just wanted to make a clean break and just live, as much as I can, like before all these time vacuums creeped into all our routines.
Not to say that there aren’t things I won’t miss, like people’s photos from their happiest moments, from weddings to photos of their newborns. All of that still goes on, and it’s a wonderful thing to share both the triumphs and hard times for the people you’ve met along this grand journey. It’s just for me, I would like to get to see those things in person as much as I can. So I’m trying to use that anxiety of feeling like I’m missing out and motivate myself to activity go reach out to people more. I’m trying to make it all quality time instead of making it feel like I’m watching someone’s personal channel.
Back to the question of, how can I use my time best? If it’s a commodity I am buying, what would get me to be where I want to be? I want to be someone that’s not constantly burning time and not getting stuff done, so now I use that forty five minute ride each way to focus on something. Either clearing out emails and other reading work, or filling out the planner for the day ahead. If I’m in a good place, I can play Breath of the Wild too. You’re paying for that time, so make sure it’s for something you really enjoy.
So this is what I am doing, actively making the most of it and trying to show anyone who’s interested how that’s going. So far I think we’ll hit a few milestones along the way that can answer:
How to live well without screwing over other people
How to start woodworking
How to build an art empire (long term goal)
Enjoy,
Gabe
