Happy Tuesday!

Last week, I admitted to myself that I'm struggling to adjust back to school life.

So, to find my stride again, I "pressed the reset button" 4 times last week:

1. I rant journalled for 2+ hours on Monday
2. I spent my Friday morning at a Buddhist temple instead of working
3. I celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival with my classmates on Saturday evening—even though I usually use Saturday evenings to prepare for class
4. I spontaneously grabbed brunch with a friend on Sunday and we eventually talked for almost 2 hours

From the experience, I found 4 truths:

1. You need the reset more than you think
2. You won't "fall behind" in the long-term
3. You don't need to abandon your responsibilities
4. Your discipline will grant you freedom

What is "pressing the reset button"?

In the short-term, it's:

Doing an activity spontaneously—often disrupting your usual routine—to get an area of your life back to a clean slate.

For me, I needed to reset my mind.

My thoughts were getting increasingly negative.

My migraines felt like they could come back at any moment.

Which leads me to the first truth:

1. You need the reset more than you think

Before my first reset, I was skirting around the problems I was facing.

I wrote about them in my daily journal entries, but never delved deeply into how I truly viewed and felt about everything.

The main reason? I felt that I "didn't have the time".

My thoughts started to race and stew. I became more anxious and frustrated as the week went by—until that Monday at 1pm, when I decided to postpone preparing for my 8pm class and rant instead.

By 3pm, I felt A LOT better.

I also gained immense clarity about:

• where I stood in the situation
• how I could tackle my problems

If the idea of a "reset" ever pops into your head—don't dismiss it.

Especially because:

2. You won't "fall behind" in the long term

I'll admit: I scrambled to find back the time I used on rant journalling.

• I finished preparing for my Tuesday morning classes in the nick of time.
• I sent my newsletter 40 hours later than usual.

By Thursday, however, I was back on track.

And it wouldn't be possible without the better headspace my reset had created.

3. You don't need to abandon your responsibilities

When the idea of a reset first appeared, I also had two assignments due.

I wanted to complete them on time. So, coupled with the fear of "falling behind", I decided to postpone my reset to next week.

And then I postponed it to the next week... until I couldn't take it anymore.

When I finally did my resets, I realized that they can be small—as small as a 30-minute nap.

As such, doing a reset:

• Could require me to postpone my responsibilities, but never abandon them
• Puts me in a better position to tackle my responsibilities well

When you spot the chance to do a (much-needed) reset, make full use of it.

4. Your discipline will grant you freedom

Discipline equals freedom.— Jocko Willink

I had clear plans for what I'd do after each reset.

• After rant journalling, I had to continue preparing for my 8pm class.
• After visiting the temple on Friday, I had to finish at least one task before I slept.
• During the weekends, I had to finish my newsletter.

I don't have discipline all the time. My Instagram usage averages to 36 minutes per day.

But being disciplined when I needed to had granted me the freedom to press the reset button whenever I wanted.

The same could be said for long-term resets:

• If you're disciplined financially, you'll have the freedom to navigate any economic downturns as you see fit
• If you're disciplined intellectually, you'll have the freedom to craft a career on your own terms