I just wanted to share some things in my life that the people around me would always point out as backwards to the norm but have proven to be beneficial to me. Some variation of this comment is made consistently enough to me that I wanted to see what other people think.
When I was attending classes, I would prefer to study the course on my own time and do the homework in class. This is especially useful if you have a breakdown of the lessons and course syllabus available to you. I would study the lesson at home prior to attending the class meant for it and arrange the homework questions in an order that reflects the arrangement of the lesson’s topics. Having studied the lesson prior the additional review with questions allowed me to reinforce my contextual metacognition and practice thinking about the proper academic approach to the subject in question. Of course I still had to do the longer assignments and papers on my own time. By noting where I had difficulties applying what was being reviewed to the question or problem I was working on, I was able to ask questions that were much more relevant to me and immediately take action on my weaker topics preventing unnecessary frustrations. This in turn fostered a love for academia. My test scores were also higher because I knew going into the lesson where my weaknesses lie and immediately addressed them.
Around the same time in my life, I also made the conscious decision to emphasize walking as my predominant means of travel. So long as my destination is approximately six miles from my point of origin I will opt to walk unless traveling in a group. The reason I do this is because it pretty much guarantees I will make my predicted arrival time. Aside from the obvious health benefits, this has consistently and directly been the reason why I was considered a high performer in some of my jobs which opened up channels for taking on higher paying assignments or promotions. The so-called “leg express” is not subject to delays caused by traffic or public mass transit. While I was not the only employee to always arrive on time, I was the only employee who never participated in the banter and exchanges regarding why I was rushing in through the door to make it on time or how that one road is always jammed up or how that bus never makes it on time. I also don’t have to participate in exchanges regarding strategies to make it past rush hour or how I always set my clocks five minutes ahead. Due to being unable to participate in these exchanges the impression of my never having any problems with commuting to work became larger in a manner of speaking. While that was accurate to my experience, I suspect I was not the only individual who had no struggles with making it to work on time. The nonparticipation created a noisy kind of silence; I was never in a rush.
I also habitually make work the last thing I do on any given day before commuting home and ending my day. By making work the last thing I do, upon waking up I can dedicate an amount of time and energy everyday towards prioritizing the things I want to. Usually this is working out, studying, developing a hobby or interest, or cultivating the skill set needed for a higher paying position or job. Scooby Werkstatt made an article where he explains that if you have spare time it is better to cultivate an interest of yours to the point where you can monetize it instead of working more hours. It can be found here: https://scoobysworkshop.com/how-to-get-rich/. The goal is eventually your work will consist of something you would do in your free time anyway. By making work the last thing I do, I further guarantee that I do not arrive late. I don’t have a need to set an alarm. I thought this approach would cause me to sleep in a lot, which I wouldn’t mind, but it had the opposite effect. I look forward to waking up knowing that I get to start my day off doing something that excites me and end up waking up early.
Since I have ample time before working, I almost always get to cook for the day so I don’t have to compromise on the quality, nutritiousness, or cost of the food I consume. I also always get to eat whatever I want instead of being subject to choices. A lot of these benefits are in the context of health which further reduces the amount of stress in my life. This then adds to my having a relaxed persona at work and everyday life which is beneficial. When taskings and promotion considerations are made, generally it is the ones who are not stressed by their current responsibilities that are chosen since they most likely are ready to accept a larger work load.
My commute back is also a walk that I often use to listen to an album for the “unwinding” component of my day before I go to sleep, I generally don’t find myself blasting my skull with television, netflix, or youtube before going to sleep. I am also sufficiently tired that I do not need to induce an insulin spike with junk food. And since I live such a stress free life I don’t have any desire for drinking, smoking, or drugs. I was able to invest more of the money I earned into myself and my well being since these approaches to life cut a lot of superfluous costs as well.
Ultimately the main benefit is a sum of these little benefits. They add up to consistently giving me the time, health, energy, resources, and patience to always prioritize the well being of my friends, family, and community as well as enjoying more of the fullness life has to offer.