Between the demands of work, life, and the never-ending cycle of bills, we often put our development, learning, and self-improvement at the bottom of our daily to-do lists.
When I was younger, I typically justified this in two primary ways:
- Lack of Control – I believed I didn’t have a choice. Things were beyond my control. Excuses like “I’m just so busy,” “My boss is unfair,” or “I’m just not as fast as my colleagues” were my go-to justifications.
- Fear – I was afraid of not being next in line for a promotion, of not getting my next raise, of not being enough. Although I never missed a promotion, I wasn’t exactly the healthiest individual. Years later, burnt out, overworked, and with no sense of who I was outside of work, I collapsed.
It took years (and thousands spent in therapy) to realize both excuses stemmed from the same place—a deep-rooted insecurity.
Self-Worth & Work
Unbeknownst to me at the time, my self-worth was directly tied to my job. My value depended on what my boss thought, how hard they saw me working, and how much time I spent in the office (this was clearly before COVID).
As I’m sure anyone in a similar situation can attest, I allowed the allure of winning to eclipse everything else in my life including myself.
For those who are good at it, business is fun. Winning contracts, pursuing leads, figuring out a new code base, it’s all exhilarating! But that excitement wasn’t enough to compensate for everything else I was losing.
In the grand scheme of a universe that’s at least 13.8 billion years old (and likely older), it’s silly to think anyone including your boss, can dictate your self-worth or justify your existence.
Think about it. For all the great philosophical minds that have come before us—Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, Confucius, the ancient Greeks—no one can definitively explain why we are here, as a species or as individuals.
Before You Freak Out
Years ago, this uncertainty would have terrified me. The not knowing used to bring anxiety.
Now? I’ve realized it’s one of the best parts of life: No one can tell me or you why we are here. Which means we get to figure it out for ourselves—if we choose to.
Most of us got to where we are today by doing what we were supposed to. By following the rules.
But in doing so, we likely left pieces of ourselves behind. Pieces we miss even if we don’t realize it yet.
The good news? You can start rediscovering those pieces today by setting aside time to learn something new.
30 Minutes of Mastery
Taking just 30 minutes a day to learn something new improved my mental health, sharpened my skills, and, most importantly, helped me find myself again.
Here’s how you can do the same:
Step 1: Identify Your Peak Time
Find the time of day when you’re at your sharpest, most alert, and most capable.
- For most, this is an hour or two after waking up.
- Others hit their peak right after lunch.
- Observe yourself for a few weeks. Track your energy levels throughout the day in a journal. Your peak time will naturally reveal itself.
Step 2: Block 30 Minutes for Learning
Once you’ve found your peak time:
- Block 30 minutes of it on your calendar every day.
- Only schedule a week at a time to allow flexibility for unexpected changes.
- Set a recurring meeting with yourself—just like you would for an important client or project.
Step 3: Show Up & Protect Your Time
This is the hard part.
- Show up every day (at least three times a week, minimum).
- Don’t let distractions cancel your session.
- Don’t use holidays or busy schedules as excuses.
- Don’t waste this time responding to emails or texts.
Instead, use it to learn something meaningful, robotics, graphic design, mindfulness, coding, creativity, whatever calls to you. Trust your intuition.
Step 4: Observe & Adjust
As Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
By prioritizing yourself and daily learning, you’re making an investment that will pay dividends for you, your career, and society as a whole.
After all, if we’ve all left pieces of ourselves behind along the way, maybe it’s no wonder that life isn’t as fulfilling as it could be.
The choice is yours are you ready to reclaim those lost pieces?