My social life was, and still is, hectic. I always thought I had too many social obligations and very little time for myself. Time to spend with my own thoughts, time to simply exist without guilt. So I did something about it.
I acquired one of the most liberating superpowers: the ability to say ‘no’ to things I don’t want to do. A realization that a quiet Saturday night with a book isn’t missing out on anything.
An interesting conversation with one friend over a coffee brings me more value than a large party. A movie at home is often more fulfilling than a night out at some new ‘happening’ place.
I would sometimes catch myself looking through the window at a gorgeous day and deliberately stay at home. Just so I can detrain my mind from this culture obsessed with optimizing every microsecond of our lives. Not every moment needs to be productive. Not every experience has to be shared. Sometimes I just want to be gloriously unproductive.
Some call this YOLO (Joy of missing out). I call it, reclaiming my time.