The mind and productivity; lessons learnt from living in Bangkok
From Bangkok to Melbourne. Moving from these two very, very different cities was more than just a change into stricter laws and starkly different cultures.
My productivity and personal efficiency were peaking in Bangkok, then I come back home, and have quite frankly lost it. The obvious reasons for this are that, in Bangkok, I was alone in my apartment, with absolutely no distractions except for food breaks; the party hub was only a few streets away; I had a small and like-minded social circle; all that could distract me in my apartment was the contents of a tiny 32 litre backpack — my computer and clothes, essentially. And the view.
However in this post I want to explore the psychological reasons of why I was so productive and success driven.
Renting out my own apartment for a month was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. It became a personal foundation to improve my skills in business, socialising and fitness. I did Muay Thai (Thai Kickboxing) lessons every second day, set out a schedule of habits and when I would put my head down to work, and then set aside time to go out and party/socialise. Eventually, after around two weeks in, the way my mind worked began to change. My initial habits dilapidated, then conformed to what I was thinking about the majority of the time — business. I became so hard working, constantly on the computer, learning and building my website, that on multiple nights I didn’t sleep at all. I kid you not. There was so much energy and determination to get things done, so much brainstorming and excitement about my goals, that I simply could not fall asleep. In hindsight I should’ve looked after myself, and set habits to help myself fall asleep. I wasn’t being sustainable. Regardless, I got A LOT done.
Having few distractions in Bangkok did help me, I’m sure. But there were two FAR more important factors, fueling me.
- My vision. I’d written pages about my goals for the month, for the next three months, and for the year. My vision of what I was working towards, and WHY I was working become CRYSTAL clear. I knew precisely where I wanted to be in my social life, in terms of my mountain climbing, and in terms of finances. AND, this vision I had, whenever I thought about it, I became super excited!
- I felt successful. For the first time in my life, I was living in my own apartment/home, on the top floor of the building, with awesome views over Bangkok. I was living in the place I wanted to live in, and moving precisely in the direction I wanted to go. I was being whom I wanted to be. I felt unique, interesting, successful. This constant buzz of being my own person gave me energy to work further towards my goals. It was an upward spiral effect.
After staying in Bangkok, I caught a flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. I bought a motorbike and drove it to Vientiane in Laos. Now back in Australia, I lost the habits, and more importantly the vision I once had. Furthermore, I’m back living with my parents. I don’t feel so interesting and unique anymore. I don’t feel the momentum that you get from feeling successful.
I don’t have a burning desire to reach my goals. I’m sleeping long hours, not at all being productive. But now I feel like I’ve narrowed the factors down to just two, so hopefully I can use that knowledge to my advantage.
That’s why I’m writing this.
