Great essay. I’ve always been obsessed with how we use our time, especially as someone who is time anxious. In your experience and your move away from a structured 9-5 role, how have you found having ‘total’ control of your time? Has it been liberating or have you had to put in place guardrails?
Hey Alex, well it's been over 16 months so there's been ebbs and flows. In the beginning, the total freedom wasn't even registered as that. I became my own manager and held myself to rigid and strict schedules. Then in the middle, I had a much more open, intuitive approach where I was still quite active, but kept most of my day unscheduled. Now, in this current season, most days feel like I'm doing exactly what I want, and it's quite fixed. What I mean by that is I have intentionally chosen what to commit to and I stick with that. So my days look pretty routine (deep work mornings, social hangouts + coaching sessions in the afternoons), but all of these are careful choices that I made. Which makes me think that perhaps the whole point of total freedom is in being able to consciously make those decisions for yourself.
haha I was about to say oh sweet we can go on walks together in the morning in july but then I realized that a big reason why we (at least I) do it is because of that solitude
it definitely is louder and lately has been loud. there's an elderly Chinese woman who wails to the void at 7ish am every morning. she stands at the top of the hill and screams. unclear exactly what that's about but it's a vibe
hah ditto, it's that being alone together energy with the other people in the park that I love. excited for you to experiment with your routine here in July!
we do a scream into the void aka the ocean every 1st of the month during the cold plunge – it is indeed a vibe, intriguing that she's doing it solo. perhaps some deep emotional processing 👀
Thank you for reading! I appreciate the kind words. Here's to trusting the process and continuing to remind ourselves that we are where we need to be :)
"...different group of uncles shoot hoops, their thick gardening gloves worn either to keep their hands warm or clean. Despite bricking nearly every shot, their rare successes are met with shouts of glee." I can see this view right now. Way to capture the moment Matt :)
What would you say has been the biggest paradigm shift you've come to since leaving the 9-to-5?
There's been so many! I don't think I can just choose one. I learned more about myself, found a way of being that feels right, discovered new work that energizes me, met new friends, and so much more. I believe leaving the 9-to-5 was without a doubt the right decision for myself AND I also look back and see how I could've been much kinder to myself when I was in the thick of it.
Great essay. I’ve always been obsessed with how we use our time, especially as someone who is time anxious. In your experience and your move away from a structured 9-5 role, how have you found having ‘total’ control of your time? Has it been liberating or have you had to put in place guardrails?
Hey Alex, well it's been over 16 months so there's been ebbs and flows. In the beginning, the total freedom wasn't even registered as that. I became my own manager and held myself to rigid and strict schedules. Then in the middle, I had a much more open, intuitive approach where I was still quite active, but kept most of my day unscheduled. Now, in this current season, most days feel like I'm doing exactly what I want, and it's quite fixed. What I mean by that is I have intentionally chosen what to commit to and I stick with that. So my days look pretty routine (deep work mornings, social hangouts + coaching sessions in the afternoons), but all of these are careful choices that I made. Which makes me think that perhaps the whole point of total freedom is in being able to consciously make those decisions for yourself.
we have eerily similar morning routines – Sunset Park sounds like a slightly louder version of SF 😆
haha I was about to say oh sweet we can go on walks together in the morning in july but then I realized that a big reason why we (at least I) do it is because of that solitude
it definitely is louder and lately has been loud. there's an elderly Chinese woman who wails to the void at 7ish am every morning. she stands at the top of the hill and screams. unclear exactly what that's about but it's a vibe
hah ditto, it's that being alone together energy with the other people in the park that I love. excited for you to experiment with your routine here in July!
we do a scream into the void aka the ocean every 1st of the month during the cold plunge – it is indeed a vibe, intriguing that she's doing it solo. perhaps some deep emotional processing 👀
This post resonated with me. Now on a similar journey and am inspired by your reflections.
Thank you for reading! I appreciate the kind words. Here's to trusting the process and continuing to remind ourselves that we are where we need to be :)
"...different group of uncles shoot hoops, their thick gardening gloves worn either to keep their hands warm or clean. Despite bricking nearly every shot, their rare successes are met with shouts of glee." I can see this view right now. Way to capture the moment Matt :)
What would you say has been the biggest paradigm shift you've come to since leaving the 9-to-5?
There's been so many! I don't think I can just choose one. I learned more about myself, found a way of being that feels right, discovered new work that energizes me, met new friends, and so much more. I believe leaving the 9-to-5 was without a doubt the right decision for myself AND I also look back and see how I could've been much kinder to myself when I was in the thick of it.
“You’re not lost. You’re just on your way. You are here (for now).”
I am here. You are here. We are all just out here.
Hope ___ is treating you well! (idk if you're public about where you are rn, but it looks like it's been fun!)
Oh yea I'm back home in Toronto hehe
I'm in nyc until end of month, the bay for june + july, and then nyc for rest of the year, if we end up overlapping HMU!!