I'm slowly leaving my phone behind and just trying to be present. Actually experience reality and not get my brain busy all the time.
Because of that I'd say, just don't try to be productive at all times. That "downtime" you're trying to cram another podcast into is actually necessary.
But your brain needs rest as well. Stop trying to keep up in the rat race, all the things you try to cram into your brain have a short half-life and will be forgotten or archived into the "things to half-remember and you'll need to look up anyway" anyway.
I mean if you enjoy listening to podcasts while commuting, have at it, I won't judge / you're allowed to have and enjoy things. But if you feel like you HAVE to, it'll cause problems down the line.
Don't feel guilty about "wasting time" either, if you enjoy watching TV, playing video games, or sleeping instead of doing a 5 AM run, have at it. Don't deny yourself too much.
I like to work and study, but doing either of it for more than 8hrs is not sustainable for me. I expect to be writing the modern-day equivalent of Fortran when I'm 60. All the young bucks will look down on me for not advancing in my career, but I think I'll be happy. That's all I need.
Everyone has their own balance point. John Carmack can work 12hr days and improve at various subjects continually, so his balance point lies somewhere else. Don't try to be Carmack if you're not and you can still live a fulfilling life :).
So, if you're working a proper full-time job, it means you're incapable of learning or working on anything other than your $dayjob for 5 days a week.
I think this is the root for the "productivity drive" - you spend yourself out at work so you can survive, and then... there's the rest of your life, that you would also like to live, not just experience. For many (myself included) it's kind of a trap. Productivity here literally means autonomy - the things I do or build or learn after work are literally... my life.
Thanks, I needed this.
http://bookofhook.blogspot.com/2013/03/smart-guy-productivit...
My thoughts exactly. When I'm about to die, I suppose this is all that will matter.
Your parent is making this point about how when you go to the office, in addition to your commute, there's an extra 30 minutes of stuff like getting dressed and making coffee.
OK - 30 minutes.
This year, I went from an average of 4.5 hours a day of phone time to less than 2.5 (it's still dropping).
Two more hours every day to do whatever I want!
Show me any other "time hack" that saves 14+ hours per week.
I think I'll get my phone time down to 60-90 minutes eventually (basically just time spent eating meals alone, plus a few essential app tasks).
My days feel positively endless now. I finally read books again. 250 pages this weekend on a whim.
You can squeeze a phone addiction or a commute into your day, but not both. Of course preferably you have neither...