【推荐1】I considered an active social life as basic human necessity. Yet when it dawned on me just how much time I was spending socializing, I realized I may be taking it to an extreme. I calculated that, on average, I was spending 22 hours or more each week on social activities. So, to see what would happen to my work output, health and wellbeing, I decided to try and cut out my social life entirely.

I knew, at times, I filled my schedule simply out of fear of missing out (FOMO), but also as a way to shift focus away from my work. For one month, I declined all in-person activities with friends: going out for drinks; dinners; parties and non-work related events, to see if it would make me more productive, improve my focus and career prospects.

On day one of the month-long experiment, I had to fight some anxiety over missing out. But as the days passed, I started to relax. I only had one option to consider for Saturday night—to stay home—and this limitation left me more satisfied in my decision. I felt more content working, reading or watching TV.

While I found more time to work, I also noticed a change in my overall health. I found myself cooking more at home, doing daily exercise, getting to bed earlier each night, reading, and enjoying moments of rest and boredom throughout the day.

Having no social life left me more free time than I’d imagine. Such idle moments are vital for creativity, and mind wandering has been linked to creative problem solving. During the experiment I found myself regularly brainstorming new ideas and reimagining existing projects.

Of course socializing is an important way to build work contacts. While one month of no social life did not impact my relationship with existing clients, if I had continued, it may harm my ability to build new ones.

【推荐2】Whenever I was cautious about trying something new, my mom would always tell me one thing: you don't know unless you try. I've been holding this belief in my entire life. It lets me explore various opportunities that I would have missed.

Over the summer, I helped out at a preschool with the kids who needed some extra learning. At first I thought it would be super crazy with kids running around all over the place. I thought it would be a month of pure annoyance, but it ended up being pretty cool. They actually opened up to us, talked to us, and told us things they needed to get off their mind. They were so joyful to be around. I found myself happy that I was helping these kids, no longer afraid of the experience.

Again in middle school, I experienced this same belief. There were various school dances and school holiday events. I was not very fond of going to these events, thinking that I would either be made fun of or just simply be bored. I went to my first school dance in the 7th grade. It was a school welcoming dance. At first I really did not want to go but my mom forced me to go anyway. I was not happy with the choice my mom made, but soon regretted my doubt. The dance was really fun, with music, food, and friends. My mom was right. I never thought the dance would be enjoyable.

After these two events I gained more courage to try new things. I guess my mom was right. I'd never know if I never tried.

【推荐3】The meaning of the word “volunteer” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services”. Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.

Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta. The following is her story.

“I watched a video(视频) about her. I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that, after I graduated from a high school, I wanted to try her kind of work. So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks. ”

“I was asked to work in a home for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and passed our lunch. I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer them up. I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them. To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world. ”