Bolyn Weekly is published every week, sharing personal experiences, observations, and topics of interest—often just idle thoughts.
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Everything Must Be Consumed Twice
One concept: everything must be consumed twice. The first consumption is the simple act of spending money to purchase it, while the true consumption occurs afterwards. Only when you actually invest time and energy to use it do you truly consume it. For example, with a book, reading it after purchase is the real consumption; with a sports watch or running shoes, have you checked your exercise routine or actually used them after buying?
Counteracting Material Desires with Creativity
The pleasure derived from consumption is fleeting, while the joy from creativity is not only less costly but also lasts longer; in other words, actions speak louder than words!
For instance, I have more than a dozen pairs of shoes on my rack—all bought when I first got into running—but I only regularly wear two or three pairs. Many pairs haven’t been worn for half a year, representing useless consumption.
A more rational choice is to purchase items naturally during the activity, rather than expecting a purchase to drive you into action. Without that item, you might not even start, and after buying it, it could even become a hindrance—for example, you might only run after considering it’s time to change your running shoes, or you may decide not to run at all if you forget your watch.
In the process of trying to produce outputs, you naturally discover the necessary inputs. When you feel like writing but can’t find a topic, you end up reading; when you run frequently and realize your current shoes are inadequate, you naturally buy a more comfortable pair.
It is often said that output determines input, but the truth is that too much or too little input leaves you clueless about what to produce. Perhaps the most complete state is when inspiration strikes suddenly, and everything falls into place.
External sources of joy will never truly belong to you; only joy that comes from within continually nourishes you. And that is exactly what creativity offers.
What’s Next?
Always think one step further, ask an extra question. The first impression is only the surface—what happens after the purchase? What mechanisms lie behind it?
Reflections Based on a "Long Board" Perspective
Choosing Between What You Like and What Suits You
When it comes to long boards and short boards, is it better to have an exceptionally long board or a well-rounded one? Recently, I’ve been contemplating building a life system based on a long board. Those who dislike you won’t grow to like you just because you try to please them, while those who like you will appreciate you even more as you improve.
You should be in the right place doing the right thing, rather than stretching yourself in the wrong environment to adapt to unwanted tasks. You might admire someone for their strengths, but if they exhibit something you despise, no amount of positive traits will make you like them.
Finding what you truly like is difficult; conversely, identifying what you dislike is somewhat easier.
The Value of Taking Notes
The value of taking notes is not in remembering everything—no one can remember it all—but in capturing the moments when something resonates deeply, allowing you to record your most profound thoughts.
Perhaps you’ll forget them later, or perhaps not; either way, the act of writing down your ideas strengthens your thinking and helps you become a better version of yourself.
Rationality Is a Slave to Passion
Rationality runs along a gradually ascending line, while emotions cause occasional fluctuations along the same line. Without an endpoint, both rationality and emotion remain part of the same continuum.
Assigning each rational or emotional choice a finite endpoint transforms that line from a linear function into a quadratic or cubic one. In the short term, the difference might not be noticeable, but over a longer timeline, you will see the peaks and valleys distinctly.
Exercise
Last week, I ran 22 kilometers—barely passing—but I managed to stick to my routine of running every other day. On Thursday, I pushed myself with a high-intensity session.
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Progress on My Thesis
So far, the experimental part of my thesis is virtually complete; only one final set of experiments remains, which isn’t too challenging. It’s just a matter of tweaking some parameters and letting the computer handle the rest. The 3D images that were unresolved last week have now been perfectly sorted out. Next, I need to thoroughly study a few articles from my advisor and then incorporate my own insights, which is bound to be the toughest part.
Project Segmentation
I didn’t do well here. Last week, I spent the moment I woke up staring at code and running experiments, virtually ignoring everything else. That approach won’t work—especially if tasks start piling up. I’m not confident in handling multiple threads efficiently.
So I must take care of myself: eat well, sleep well, and exercise. Every project is compulsory and must reach at least a passing standard to succeed. Next week, I’ll try to take more time to rest.
One More Try
I have a good idea—now I just need a programmer. So I’ve decided to become that programmer myself.
Returning to the beginning: anything truly gains value only after it is consumed twice. In reality, many things in life are bought and then barely used, which is pure waste. Could I create an app that helps people track these items that require a second consumption, to better manage their spending?
A quick market research revealed two main types of apps: one type is simply a budgeting app, which many exist with similar functionalities, recording every single purchase; the other type is a showcase app that keeps track of your long-term assets, like your phone, computer, books, etc.
However, I haven’t yet seen an app that tracks second consumption—the kind that follows those things that require time and energy to be used meaningfully.
But is this a real need, or is it just a fanciful idea born from my imagination? Doesn’t really matter; after all, talk is cheap. For now, I’ll include it as a project with a one-year timeline, aiming to develop it and launch it on the App Store by the end of the year, with this note as a record.
Of course, if it isn’t completed, it won’t matter—it's as if nothing happened.