Struggle with life purpose / project schedule

[jordankingbn2]

When working on something like a personal development project or life purpose.

If I schedule a rest time at the end of the day, say at 8pm i clock off and relax, whether it be watching a movie, going for a walk, listening to music, reading a book or researching something, 

Also, when I have the 8pm clock off time, it makes me want to work even less because now it feels like my day is just about enduring through to 8pm til I can. (it creates this distinction of work (not fun) and rest (fun).

i've also tried scheduling those times during the middle of the day, but then I never want to get back to working again after taking one of those rests so that does't work

By the way, I go to the gym during the day and cook etc, so it's not like i'm working the entire time til 8pm

 

but i feel like I should have some kind of rest, but don't know how to incorporate it
 

[The Renaissance Man]

@jordankingbn2 You could start by adjusting to a schedule you can actually manage. End the day at 4pm instead of 8pm, and enjoy yourself for the rest of the day. Are you happier? Are you more, or maybe equally productive?

This solution doesn't waste your entire day like a break in the middle of the day, yet it's not as extreme as working until 8pm.

[jordankingbn2]

The thing is, 9-11am I work on the life purpose, and then from 4-8pm.

The reason I structure it that way is because of my circadium rhythm, from 11.30/12 - 2 or 3pm I have an afternoon slump so I naturally feel tired for LP / Personal development type work, which is why I use that time to apply for jobs, and to the gym.

And then around 3 or 4pm - 8pm is when I continue the work I was doing at 9-11

This is broken up by food in between etc, so I’m not working the entire time

Also because a lot of my work is deliberate practice, I work in really short bursts doing drills and have lots of mini rests in those 4-8pm periods

 

Edited March 13 by jordankingbn2

[LordFall]

Why do you feel like you need some kind of rest? Because you're exhausted or because society told you?

The book So good they can't ignore you by Cal Newport will help you a lot. It talks about different intensities of work. Watching a tv show/movie vaguely related to your industry and relaxing while getting new ideas is like .5/10 productive but it's also relaxation. I find pure entertainment extremely boring unless I'm very high on weed and even then I think about my life purpose and different fantasies I wanna accomplish in life.

The book relentless also talks about how some people are built different. For some people 2 weeks getting drunk in Cancun would be amazing. For some others it would be boring and anxiety inducing if anything. 

[The Renaissance Man]

@jordankingbn2 No problem, you could do 4-6pm instead of 4-8pm. Same ideas I shared. At 6pm, it's time to live and have fun:

23 hours ago, The Renaissance Man said:

and enjoy yourself for the rest of the day. Are you happier? Are you more, or maybe equally productive?

What do you think?

[The Caretaker]

On 3/19/2025 at 11:24 AM, Michael569 said:

What the LP course doesn't fully tell you, I feel, is how miserable working on your LP often is  The results are amazing and those moments when you feel like its working and you are on a path towards something greater than yourself is the best feeling ever but the hours and hours and hours of manual grudging work that nobody praises or rewards you for is frustrating and disheartening.

On 3/19/2025 at 11:24 AM, Michael569 said:

How do you measure progress in your work? 

How often do you take time to reflect on past period? 

Do you have a mentor or someone to help you create a structure or navigate path forward?  

When was the last time you've taken a holiday? 

How do you celebrate success albeit a small one? 

@Michael569 Quite an underappreciated statement and questions. From what I've noticed, you feel proud and even impressed only when you compare yourself to what you've done years prior. 3-6 months is usually enough for significant growth, but you get so immersed in the process that you lose track of change.

Btw, how would you respond to these questions? I even remember once a student of mine just asked me "how I feel?", and I shit you not, I got a brain lag for a straight minute I didn't know how to answer. This is how much we can get caught up in the self-improvement pipe of doing and doing