a drive away from hustle culture this break

i’ve again been grateful for having the resources and ability to push myself to keep doing what i love! these past four months could probably act as a testament to how a lot is possible if you just keep pushing your personal definition of hard/impossible. i’ve talked about finding my balance in my last post; it’s definitely an ongoing journey

i’ve been very busy this semester; trying to manage your time is no easy feat! adulting, taking 6 courses (5 + 1), being part of 3 clubs (methacks, game maker’s union, algorithms and coding club), all the while pushing myself to keep doing things i like outside of school and talk to friends; i’ve been trying to find the right balance between academics, my own mental and physical health, as well as the interpersonal relationships i have with friends and social circles. it’s definitely taken a lot of work, but i’m so proud of myself to have continued the push. things seem to be in a much better place than 4 months ago. it’s so wild to think about how much has changed in such little time!

the recaps and a year in review
the entire spiel: spotify, reddit, youtube, and even beehiiv! i got an insight into so many things i’ve been doing over the year, (some of which was spending way too much time on social media </3). one that’s caught me off-guard was my bereal recap for the year 2024. for the first four months of the year, i was still in my second semester at trent! having fun with friends, witnessing my first winter semester, slowly getting into the gist of what university was meant to be like. the next 4 months, i was back home, spending time with family and working on getting better as a programmer and person. i cannot believe how far we’ve come from then. it really put into perspective how fast time flies by and how i should be valuing every day that comes. i feel like these thoughts come by every year, but looking back, i’m always a different person than i was the year before.

what i’ve been able to experience over the past few months:
- cooking food and getting (marginally) better at it
- adulting (incl. dealing with an incredibly painful landlord)
- getting better at managing my time

the winter break has been some healthy time off from the busy day-to-day. i seem to always have plans to keep working and get ahead during the break, but i tend to forget how much i’m pushing myself to get things done usually, and how much i appreciate the break after. over this winter break, i got the chance to:
- meet friends
- socialize with club friends and see the winter markets at north york
- hang out with my cousin doing common household chores
- GET SICK (and spend a week recovering through new years)
- but it’s okay because i got to catch up with some good cinema :)

not everything has to be so hustle culture. trust me, i’m trying my best to make it too. if you’re going through something similar, don’t beat yourself up over not being so productive; taking a break is one of the best things you can do for yourself. i hope you’re doing okay, and have had some time to de-clutter those thoughts.