I’m not a J person, and my life is not always well-organized.
But I do have a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder and enjoy things being well-organized. (So having obsessive-compulsive disorder and being lazy at the same time is the most terrifying thing in the world.)
My recent lifestyle - thematic living.
This is not new. I have had similar experiences before, including thematic reading and thematic movie watching. The reason I chose this lifestyle is due to a recent problem I have: my life is too chaotic.
There are too many things I want to experience, and I don’t have enough energy to handle them all.
Moreover, I have this kind of experience:
First, when I first come into contact with anything, it is the most exciting time for me. I always regret why I didn’t experience such a wonderful thing earlier. But then, during the long learning curve, I gradually lose interest, and the threshold for excitement that can keep me going gets higher and higher.
Second, when I pursue many interests at the same time, not only is the cost of money and energy high, but it is also easy to neglect one thing for another, thus causing myself a burden.
So, I’ve decided to organize my life properly.
Thematic living - as the name suggests, it means packaging the interests and hobbies you want to experience into a concept (this concept can be a grand collection), and then focusing on experiencing two to three of them in each time period.
Of course, writing this, it seems like I’ve just fabricated a lifestyle: it’s not really a particularly rare lifestyle. For many people, this might be their daily life. Some people are naturally good at dealing with problems one by one patiently, like an elegant single-thread CPU. While others, like me, just spend their days exploring and rushing around in the pursuit of novelty: Is there something fun? Sign me up! Before you know it, you’ve accumulated far too many To-Dos.
So, this article is mainly aimed at people like me - those who have too many things they want to do and don’t know what to do, and end up choosing to give up. (Mentioning this only now seems a bit late?)
Let’s focus on this “special topic”.
It might also be called a “theme”. If we were to make a metaphor, it’s not the kind of main trunk with many branches as one might understand it literally (I’ve sketched a simple illustration, as shown in Figure a), but rather a “point”, or a “focus”, which can be connected with other points around it (as shown in Figure b), or be included.
The reason for emphasizing this is that if one understands it as the relationship between a main trunk and branches, it’s very easy to get trapped in the trap of conceptual definitions, and it becomes difficult to find a suitable word to summarize the interest points one wants to explore under the same theme (sometimes it’s simply impossible to find one).
However, if one understands it as a “focus”, the burden will be lighter.
For example, if you are recently interested in “games”, you can include game music, game plots, game worldviews, etc. into the special topic to experience. Although they may not always be completely within the set of games, for instance, when researching game music, it may involve knowledge of music genres; when researching game plots, it can also lead to knowledge points in the literary world.
In this sense, the interest themes connected by “points” and “lines” can better expand the depth of the theme.
This also gives new interest points of the theme an opportunity to be discovered.
So, in the end, what’s the point of going through all this trouble to create a “thematic lifestyle” and make things so complicated for yourself?
Firstly, the most direct benefit is that it makes your life more organized. This might sound like a no-brainer, but for people like us, it’s like a lifesaver. When your mind is filled with thoughts like “I want to learn about photography composition”, “I want to finish that new game”, “I also want to finish reading that book about ancient Roman history”... these thoughts are like a pile of unsorted clothes all crammed in your brain. The result is that you look at this mess and just collapse onto the bed, starting to browse short videos. Thematic living is like giving you a wardrobe and telling you, “This month, let’s just focus on sorting out the shirts and pants. The sweaters and socks can wait; they’re not going anywhere.” This kind of “permitted” neglect can greatly reduce your mental stress.
Secondly, you can gain a deeper experience of your interests. The biggest problem for many people is that they “dabble” in everything. They jump into every pit but never dig deep. Because excitement comes and goes quickly, you just experience the beginner’s benefits in field A, but before the charm of field B shows up, your attention is already snatched away by field C. But when you bundle several related interests into a theme, they create a wonderful chemical reaction. Just like the example mentioned earlier, when you study game music, you might casually learn a bit of music theory; when you study game plots, you might look into related myths or literary works. These knowledge points connect and verify each other, weaving a web of knowledge. This web will firmly hold you in place, allowing you to find new joy in the steepest and most boring parts of the learning curve because you can see the connections between different nodes. You’re no longer that kid who peeks into each field, takes a bite, and runs away. You start to truly delve in and see the scenery inside.
Finally, I think it can help you find a “sweet spot” from consumption to production. Pure consumption, like playing games or watching movies, is fun, but often leaves you feeling empty after. Pure production, like writing articles or making videos, is very fulfilling, but the entry barrier is too high, and it’s easy to give up due to fear of difficulty. Thematic living strikes a balance in the middle. When you deeply “consume” around a theme, various viewpoints and connections will naturally form in your mind. This “synthesis” process itself is a light form of “production”. You haven’t started writing a ten-thousand-word article yet, but you’ve already begun to construct your own knowledge system in your mind. You start to shift from a mere receiver to a unique interpreter. This feeling is both relaxing and fulfilling.
So, how exactly do you go about it? It sounds rather mysterious.
In fact, it’s extremely simple, especially for those who don’t even know where their interests lie. The first step is to compile your interest list. Don’t feel pressured; it’s like shopping at a supermarket. Just throw anything that catches your eye into the cart. You can check IMDb for high-scoring movies and books, browse different field bloggers on YouTube, or even click the “Random Article” button on Wikipedia. Write down everything that makes your eyes light up and your heart itch. Things like “Introduction to Vinyl”, “Road Movies”, “City Strolls”, “Whiskey Tasting”, “Ancient History”, “Independent Games”... Just write them down first.
The second step is to try to prioritize them. I know it’s hard, it’s like asking you “Which of these delicious foods do you want to eat first?” Don’t overthink it; just go with your first instinct. Which thing makes you itchy right now, makes you think “If I were doing this right now, it would be great”? That’s your No. 1. The rest can be simply divided into “Really Want to Do” and “Seems Okay”.
The third step is to find a place to write them down. Don’t try to remember them in your brain; our brains don’t have enough memory. Use whatever you like, a phone memo, a dedicated notebook, a sticky note, as long as you can see it anytime. The key is to externalize it and not let it clutter your mind.
The last and most crucial step is to pick two to three from your “most wanted” list as your current focus. Why two to three? Because one is too monotonous and you’ll get bored easily; more than four is too much and you’ll return to the original chaos. Two to three is just right; they can balance each other out and keep you focused.
Then, start. For this month or this quarter, these will be the “stars” of your life. Other interests aren’t abandoned; they’re just sitting in the audience for now. When you’ve experienced your current focus enough, bring out new stars from your interest list.
The most important thing isn’t how much you’ve accomplished, but that you’ve finally started enjoying the feeling of being immersed again. The sense of control over life is gradually regained from here.