Hi Michael - really enjoyed your thoughts on entropy and let's say, avoiding equilibrium (pchem pun). I definitely align with your thoughts on renewal and always having an open ear to learn in all environments. Though, due to this open ear and taking my hobbies/career seriously to always improve, I think I've lost the meaning or purpose of relaxation. I've developed the mentality of: I could always be doing something to further 'insert topic.' How do you justify relaxation to yourself or take your time off things of the sort?
-writing down your day, what worked, what didn't work - i have so many random thoughts during the day it's hard to keep track sometimes, but i feel like i process and get so much more mileage out of my experiences when i write them down
I think rest + time off is important for any sort of development. Similar to how we need sleep, we need to relax sometimes and let our bodies/minds heal. Slowly create and iterate on systems in your life that explicitly allow you to take time off (e.g. call a new friend or your parents every saturday at 12pm).
There needs to be a balance between deliberate self-improvement and relaxation. Also keep in mind that relaxation and improvement aren't mutually exclusive. In the process of building something valuable (learning a new language or creating an app or writing a program or building a house or writing about your day etc.) you can find yourself enjoying the process.
Hi Michael - really enjoyed your thoughts on entropy and let's say, avoiding equilibrium (pchem pun). I definitely align with your thoughts on renewal and always having an open ear to learn in all environments. Though, due to this open ear and taking my hobbies/career seriously to always improve, I think I've lost the meaning or purpose of relaxation. I've developed the mentality of: I could always be doing something to further 'insert topic.' How do you justify relaxation to yourself or take your time off things of the sort?
Hey what's up Vishnu! That's a good question, and maybe I'm not the best person to ask it. Things that have helped me relax:
-exercise (running and taking your mind off of things)
-reading (if you want to relax and let your mind wander, try fiction)
-talking with friends and getting social contact, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2N5a7XZWg8&t=266s&ab_channel=MattiasPilhede
-writing down your day, what worked, what didn't work - i have so many random thoughts during the day it's hard to keep track sometimes, but i feel like i process and get so much more mileage out of my experiences when i write them down
I think rest + time off is important for any sort of development. Similar to how we need sleep, we need to relax sometimes and let our bodies/minds heal. Slowly create and iterate on systems in your life that explicitly allow you to take time off (e.g. call a new friend or your parents every saturday at 12pm).
There needs to be a balance between deliberate self-improvement and relaxation. Also keep in mind that relaxation and improvement aren't mutually exclusive. In the process of building something valuable (learning a new language or creating an app or writing a program or building a house or writing about your day etc.) you can find yourself enjoying the process.
Be wary of short term happiness (short term hedonistic) and work towards long term happiness (https://www.inc.com/abigail-tracy/your-happiness-might-be-impacting-your-health.html). Savor things that matter (http://www.paulgraham.com/vb.html). Hang out with your family! https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html
Constantly be curious about the world, there is so much to learn and experience and it's a miracle that everything is at our fingertips.