Embracing Solitude: My Journey of Simplifying Life and Time Management

[Intro – Opening greeting & purpose]

Hello, friends! Welcome back to my blog. In today’s post, I want to share my experience of living alone after my divorce. Over the past two months, I’ve been experimenting with time-blocking and simplifying my life. It has been a journey of rediscovery, and I believe it may resonate with anyone who wants to take back control of their life.

[Part 1 – The First Few Weeks Alone]

In early April, during the Qingming holiday, I moved into a small apartment just a fifteen-minute walk from my office. The space was tiny, with only the most basic facilities, but it freed me from years of long commutes and from the emptiness of living alone in a much larger place.

To be honest, even though I consider myself a rational and mature person, those first few weeks were painful. Every corner of the street, every subway platform, every familiar piece of furniture seemed to stab at me, as if asking: Look at you—what are you doing with your life?

One thing gave me comfort: the gym. The machines never speak, but they are always there. As long as I grab them and lift, they give me back exactly what I put in. In that period, training was the one place where I didn’t feel judged. I told myself: if the only thing I can control is my body, then let me start there—with consistent training, eating, and sleeping—while also striving to do my best at work.

[Part 2 – Implementing Time-Blocking]

By mid-April, I had set up a simple “Time Block System” using Notion. I divided each day into 15-minute blocks and recorded what I was doing every one or two hours, often adding short notes or reflections.

Surprisingly, it worked. It gave me a sense of security, because I could see exactly where my time was going. At first, I only logged what I actually did. Later, I added a column for plans—things that happened at fixed times every day, like waking up, meals, workouts, and work hours. The other column continued to record my real actions.

Each evening, it felt like reviewing the log of my own life program, spotting bugs and finding ways to optimize. Sometimes I even gave myself a score and left comments.

We may not be able to manage time itself, but at the very least—we can record it.

[Part 3 – Simplifying My Life]

When I moved, I brought only two boxes of clothes, one box of bedding, and three computers. Almost everything else I bought new—and only what was necessary, nothing more.

For food, I simplified my diet to a routine: flatbread with vegetables, burgers, boiled eggs, chicken breast, protein powder. It helped me control calories, keep digestion regular, and avoid wasting mental energy on unnecessary choices.

For social life, I registered a new WeChat account and didn’t add anyone proactively. I only reconnected with relatives or friends if they reached out first. After two months, I had fewer than thirty contacts—half of them new. From another perspective, do we really need such a vast social circle? Many so-called friends weren’t truly there for me anyway. I’m simply not the type to maintain a sprawling network.

As for entertainment, it was minimal: a bit of gaming, some shopping, good food, or a swim on weekends.

It may sound bare, but I’ve grown used to this simplified, manageable way of living. Not because I love it—simply because I’ve adapted.

[Part 4 – Reflections on Personal Growth]

Over these two months, I bought myself two phones, a smartwatch, and a pair of headphones—all the latest flagships from Samsung, my favorite brand. For the first time, I felt that I truly deserved the best I could afford.

I invested in personal training sessions and started taking my workouts more seriously. I also committed to studying English again.

Little by little, I stopped caring so much about external opinions. Each day, I smiled at my reflection in the mirror, watching him grow stronger, both inside and out.

[Conclusion – Moving Forward & Takeaways]

Who would have thought that at the age of 32, I would shift all my focus back onto myself—nurturing myself as if I were raising a new life from scratch?

When you find the courage to treat yourself with genuine care, everything around you begins to change as well.