Why is my time so full, and how can I make the most of it?
This is a contemplation.
I had a habit of writing diaries (mostly monthly reviews) back in high school, but ever since attending college I haven’t written them consistently. Why the former succeeded and the latter failed was not because I don’t have the time in college — I reckon I always have plenty of time; however, I just couldn’t find the urge to do so, unlike in high school when I shared my diaries with the girl I loved.
I have gained a lot of courage since starting at Northeastern University (really appreciate that!), which gave me the courage to start this blog in December 2024. And now it’s been nearly two years. My 24th Birthday Review is my very first public diary entry. Looking back at this entry reignited my enthusiasm for bringing back my diary-writing habit, preferably at least once a month. Therefore, today’s essay will be another diary-flavoured one. Hope you enjoy the read.
I have been asking myself this question today:
“Why is my time so full, and how can I make the most of it?”
This reminds me of a Genshin Impact radio program I watched the other day, where the legendary voice actor Hiro Shimono shared that he had been playing Genshin Impact every morning at 4 a.m., before getting to work later in the morning. Given his packed schedule, I find this incredible. I’ve been very busy since joining my current company, without much time to relax and have fun; I never thought someone could manage his time this efficiently.
Maybe it is just like what the Chinese writer Lu Xun said, “Time is like water in a sponge: if you are willing to squeeze, there is always more.”
I have many things I want to do. Some are interest-driven, some are habitual, and some are more ambitious and difficult to sustain. While I have been pretty self-disciplined, everyone’s favourite excuse “I don’t have time” also helped me dodge most of the tasks. Once you don’t have the time to do one thing, you lose interest in it really quickly — and that is most unfortunate because you cannot really delve into something without putting a large amount of time and effort into it. Learning Japanese is one great example: my Duolingo already has a 700-day streak, yet my Japanese hasn’t even reached N5 level.
Today, after a good amount of contemplation, I have summoned enough courage to face this issue. Looking more closely, I found three areas where I could make a change:
Make use of my two-hour commute, to reclaim unused time. I’m often on public transport, every day for at least 2 hours. While Ms. Mukund, an admired professor at Northeastern once said she spent the time listening to radio programs, she probably listens in her own car. For me, maybe reading is the key. It makes full use of the time spent waiting for or riding public transport, plus it doesn’t require an internet connection. And in the future, I can start listening to Japanese radio programs once I have learned enough Japanese, as Ms. Mukund suggested.
Make sure of proper sleep, to restore my energy. Every day after work my brain is exploding and I really lack any energy to carry on more work. That could be attributed to my lack of sleep. For me, I need about eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, as I did before starting this job; I have not been getting enough sleep ever since. Now that I think about it, it really is a bad habit and would come at the cost of my health in the long run if I continue this pattern. As a resolution, I should just go to sleep at the earliest opportunity. Midnight is the latest I should turn off the lights, while 10 p.m. is the future goal (I often get home at 9 p.m.).
Set up weekly planning, to direct my attention to where it matters. While Saturdays and Sundays are when I have the most free time and I’m fully available to do most things I love, I don’t really want to schedule anything on weekends, so instead, I am planning to have a “Monday morning resolution” and a “Friday night contemplation” each week going forward. Monday morning could be the time for my weekly resolution to form, mostly looking at the “Next 7 Days” tab in TickTick and assigning dates to tasks I want to do during the week. Friday night could be the time to contemplate and reflect on what I haven’t done, perhaps write one new blog post if I so desire.
Hmmm, this already sounds ambitious enough.
I have laid down several rules I intend to follow, and none of them seem too unrealistic… Still, I am a bit worried about whether or not I can actually live up to this somewhat demanding plan. But rest assured, as Matthew 6:34 says: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I’ll leave the answer to that question to tomorrow’s me.