Sometimes Tokyo feels a bit numbing, people tend not to look at you on the street or in shops. A complete lack of acknowledgment. It’s just a matter of of course here.
It may not feel that way to tourist visiting because they’re in sightseeing mode, they hardly speak the language and they are a bit of an atteaction for locals, but once you start building a life here, it can ironically feel extremely less welcoming….alienating, not specifically as a foreigner, but just as a resident.
Add to that, the idea that “being busy is good”, and people here fill their schedule to the brim. They exhaust themselves. If work doesn’t take up all the time, they’ll make sure their play does. For most people, there’s no such thing as playing it by ear. Everything is scheduled.
That being said, I’m extremely happy I moved back here. It’s something I just realized today.
Had I been able to distract myself with my version of a good time anytime I wanted, I don’t think I’d have developed this beast mode I currently have in my aresenal.
Japan doesn’t do efficiency or flexibility very well, but it does discipline, focusand dedication extremely well.
I learned efficiency and flexibility on my own over the course of a decade or two. Then since I came back to Japan, I’ve been practicing focus and discipline, not allowing myself to be districted when there is work to do, getting into flow state while working and staying in that state as long as possible.
I am capable of producing work at 5-10x the speed I used to be able to, and at the same level of quality as if I took my time.
I need breaks, just like anyone, but I can take a break from one project by working on another. I shift from a high intensity task to a low intensity one but one that works towards the same goal.
Today I woke up and made a checklist while eating. Then I immediately started recording chapter 3 of the audiobook version of “Confessions of the Damaged”. I finished faster than I had planned so I continued to record Chapter 4.
I knew I could keep going but it was a beautiful day so I took my guitar to the park and practiced a new song for an hour. Still no lyrics but the vocal melody is coming together. I got back home and had an hour before class so I recorded half of Chapter 5.
Then I made a short video of the new song I was practicing, a demo version, and put it up on youtube :
Message from a Dream
Then I started writing this post right before my only class today and now here I am finishing it!
Before sleep I hope to start thinking of lyrics for this new song and then do a little exercise.
I don’t even like to think of myself as productive, because everything I am doing is completely out of passion, not out of obligation.
I can only imagine what the future holds now that I am able to do so much in a day without tiring myself out. It’s hadd to get tired becuase I’m just doing what I love 🔥
