I have gone back to reading physical books. It all started from a holiday when I decided to take nothing with me except my iPhone, Nintendo 3DS with the Phoenix Attorney Trilogy, and a Stephen King paperback I bought a few moments before boarding my plane. I didn’t miss any of my devices; I had amazing sleep and I enjoyed time playing the game I wanted to finish for a long time, and reading a paper book — something I never thought I would do again. I switched to digital books after I got my PocketPC computer, and since then have been using e-readers, Kindle, and lately just reading from my iPhone. But it all changed since I realised that I can’t decide what I should take with me on holiday. It was just taking too much of my energy. I had this idea to only take a book with me.

Lately I’ve been seriously working on my sleep routine. One of the important steps is a rule I have. No screens after 8 p.m. These evenings I find myself reading a paperback, and I hope it’s good for me. It is certainly enjoyable although I do miss watching TV with my wife after the kids are asleep. My behaviour sets a good example for my kids; subconsciously they started to copy me and are spending more time with a book than usual. This rule — no more screens after 8 — worked better than Screen Time restrictions. Perhaps I could use my Kindle, but something tells me that an act of physical owning and reading a book is a superior experience.

Finished reading: Make Something Wonderful, Steve Jobs in his own words by Steve Jobs 📚

“Don’t be a career. The enemy of most dreams and intuitions, and one of the most dangerous and stifling concepts ever invented by humans, is the “Career.” A career is a concept for how one is supposed to progress through stages during the training for and practicing of your working life.

There are some big problems here. First and foremost is the notion that your work is different and separate from the rest of your life. If you are passionate about your life and your work, this can’t be so. They will become more or less one. This is a much better way to live one’s life.”

A holiday is finishing, and I found some time to work on this blog and continue to work on a personal project. My family tends to wake up late, I can wake up a bit earlier, and that’s a one-two hour period I could spend on my laptop every morning. I only regret realising it towards the second half of the holiday and not doing it every day.

At the same time I’ve been finishing reading the book and that’s where I discovered the quote. I now understand what Steve meant. There’s no healthy work-life balance for some of us. True meaningful creative work requires you to dedicate your entire life. When my family doesn’t need me, it is my time. The time I owe to myself. There can be no rest or holidays, there can be no stopping. Now I know it’s not just me. I don’t need to change. Because days when I did nothing for myself, I felt a little depressed, sometimes even angry. Because I knew I missed a day where I could advance a little, I missed a little opportunity to make some progress. Every day counts.