How to do the one thing you love the most for the rest of your life without burning out?

To answer this question, we first need to ask another: Do you have a hobby that you want to do for the rest of your life? If the answer is no, maybe this post isn't for you, but I encourage you to think about it. Think of something you love, something that may be stressful at times but still fulfills you. I can't give you the exact answer to that, but I can help you avoid burning out.

The things we love in life aren't always relaxing tasks like meditation or yoga. The things we love the most — like learning new languages, reading books, doing sports, or improving ourselves in ways that make us feel happy and purposeful — are often challenging. As you can see, sometimes we’re not consistent with these activities. If you’ve tried to create a habit and failed within the first two months, maybe the problem is that you’re trying too hard at the beginning. But if you start by setting a small goal — let’s say 3 minutes every day — you’ll see progress.

I know, I know — the "start small" principle is something everyone knows, and I agree with it. However, as human beings, we’re not always accustomed to slowing down just a little bit. So, start small. You might think that 3 minutes isn’t enough, and you’re right. The key is to increase the time gradually every day. If you feel like you’re doing too much, decrease the time or keep your average time steady.

For example, let’s say you want to study Japanese for 45 minutes, but you feel like 45 minutes is too much because you’re not used to that amount of time. If your average time is 30 minutes, stick to that average until you feel ready to increase it. If that’s already too much, you can decrease your average time just a little. It’s that simple: increase and decrease the time you spend on the task. The key is to maintain consistency and keep improving.

This is where an app like Ippodake can really help. With Ippodake, you can track your habit and set a  small, achievable daily goal, such as 3 minutes, and adjust your goal as needed. The app is designed to help you maintain consistency without burning out, making it easier to track your progress and stay motivated. By using Ippodake, you can gradually increase or decrease the time you dedicate to your hobby, ensuring that you’re always pushing yourself just enough to improve, without overwhelming yourself.

So, how do you improve while increasing and decreasing your time? The key is not to do less than your average every day. A warning: if doing your average time every day overwhelms you, you're likely burning out and need to rest. Remember, we’re talking about lifelong tasks. You don’t need to rush. Decreasing your time might be an option if you feel overwhelmed, and Ippodake can help you find that balance.

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