Looking up suddenly, I realized the end of January 2026 was approaching. Since saying goodbye to the days of clocking in and out, time seems to have been put on fast forward – a small side effect of "freedom," I suppose: when you truly own your time, you realize how quickly it slips away.
At the beginning of the year, I solemnly wrote down my single goal for the year in my planner: Go all-in on freelancing, and earn my living expenses through my own products by the end of the year.
The goal is as clear as frost on a winter morning. But the question that follows is: How do I get there?
Throughout January, this question played automatically in my mind almost every morning when I opened my eyes. Today, I want to share with you two key insights I've gained this month regarding "Time" and "Path." They aren't earth-shattering principles, but more like tangible signposts I've groped for in the fog.
1. Making Peace with Time: From "Management" to "Coexistence"
In the past, I was an out-and-out "schedule tyrant." I was obsessed with filling every hour of every day, gazing at the colorful blocks in my calendar app as if they were productivity itself. The result? The next day, I was often chased breathlessly by the tight schedule I had set for myself, with the anxiety of incompletion hanging over me like a shadow. That feeling was like trying to measure a flowing river with a ruler – futile and frustrating.
This year, I finally "wised up." I realized that instead of obsessing over "managing" every minute and second, it's better to learn how to peacefully "coexist" with time.
I uninstalled the complex calendar app and returned to the simplest "to-do list + habit tracker." Every morning, I make a cup of coffee, glance at the two or three most important tasks on the list, and then, following my current "inclination," casually start one of them. Strangely, when I abandoned the obsession with "what must be done at what time," things actually progressed steadily in a more relaxed rhythm.
The image above shows my habit tracking for this month. As you can see, most items weren't checked "every day." In the past, I might have been frustrated by this, even starting to attack myself: "See, you didn't stick with it again." But now, my mindset has changed. I no longer see habit-building as an exam that must be passed with full marks, but rather as an invitation – an invitation for these good things to naturally integrate into my life.
I gradually discovered that the hour after breakfast in the morning is great for studying English; after playing with my child in the evening, picking up the guitar to practice for a while calms my mind. As for the other habits I want to cultivate, I believe they too will find their most comfortable "seat" during the day in the future.
I no longer use "hours worked" to prove my effort. Wasn't the original intention of freelancing to break free from the shackles of "office hours" and gain true "time freedom"? Why jump from one cubicle into another invisible prison of my own making? Now, I only care about one thing each day: Is today's most important task completed?
I've even let go of that perfect excuse – "I can't work after the child comes home." Now, if needed, I'll devote myself entirely to playing with him for half an hour first, and then return to my computer. The boundary between life and work is no longer a black-and-white wall, but has become a flexible wavy line.
This January, I finally grew up a little in my relationship with time. I no longer see it as an enemy, no longer try to imprison it. I've learned to focus my limited attention, like a spotlight, on the "blade's edge" most worthy of illumination at the moment.
Zhuangzi said: "My life has a limit, but knowledge has none. To pursue the unlimited with what is limited is a perilous endeavor!" I didn't understand this before, but now I deeply agree. How can one not be anxious chasing infinite increments of time with a finite life? Making peace with time means accepting its fluidity, and then, within that flow, steadily accomplishing the few most important things.
On to February, let's keep going.
2. The "Path" of Freelancing: From "Casting a Wide Net" to "Digging a Deep Well"
If time management is the "internal skill," then what to actually do is the "world" I need to navigate.
Initially, the "mainstream narrative" I encountered was highly tempting: to succeed with independent sites overseas, you need to test quickly, launch frequently. Through constant practice, train your "nose" for spotting needs, and let the snowball grow bigger and bigger.
I explored this path somewhat towards the end of last year. But this January, after constantly searching for so-called "pain points," I began to feel a certain discomfort. I found myself lost in a kind of "searching for the sake of searching"迷茫. I suddenly realized a fundamental problem: What I ultimately want is to build one (or a few) products that can be operated long-term and bring real value, not to own a bunch of fleeting "digital disposable goods."
Does that seemingly correct strategy of "casting a wide net" really suit me?
Over the past month, I immersed myself in Reddit and Indie Hackers, reading countless success stories. At a certain moment, I had an epiphany: All "methodologies" are maps drawn by successful people looking back at the path they walked. The maps are beautiful, but that doesn't mean that by starting from the same coordinates, you will reach the same destination.
Success stories are "bridges already built," while the explorer's path requires "crossing the river by feeling the stones" oneself. The southern walls you are meant to hit won't disappear just because you've read a hundred "pitfall avoidance guides"; the insights you are meant to gain are often born from your own direct involvement.
Thus, my thinking shifted. I turned from casting a "wide net" outward to "digging a deep well" inward.
What needs do I understand best? My own. Those inconveniences in my workflow that have niggled but were never well solved; those desires I have as a user, deeply anticipated but left unfulfilled.
I anchored onto a real pain point of my own and started sketching wireframes. At the same time, I stopped browsing aimlessly, and instead targeted relevant communities to find competing products, learn, interact, and gather feedback. The next step is to create a simple landing page, start a discussion in the forums, and validate whether this need is real, whether others are also troubled by it.
I call this path "digging a deep well": starting from my own real-life experience, digging downward until I hopefully hit the "wellspring of need" that might lie deeper and connect to more people. It might not be as lively as "casting a wide net," but it's more suitable for me at this moment – to focus my limited attention and passion, and pour it into a few things with long-term potential.
This process is full of uncertainty, but as Xunzi said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. A thing, no matter how small, must be done, or it will never be completed." No matter how near the path, you won't arrive without walking it; no matter how small the task, it won't complete itself without doing it. The path of freelancing is, in the end, walked out through "action," not figured out by "looking."
January Ends, My Freelancing Experiment is Just Beginning
My biggest gain this month is perhaps not how many tasks I completed, but two shifts in mindset: regarding time, moving from "rigid management" to "flexible coexistence"; regarding path, moving from "blindly following" to "inward exploration."
I'm not sure if I'll truly achieve that goal by the end of the year. But I do know that true freedom lies not in being able to do anything, but in being able to say no to most things and focus on the one or two that are truly important.
There is no standard answer on this road, only a constantly revised "mental model" of one's own. In February, I will continue this experiment and look forward to sharing new discoveries with you.
After all, "The path is long and winding, but perseverance will see you through." Encouragement to all who are on the road.
This article was originally written in Chinese and machine-translated into English.It has been reviewed for accuracy.