I Need To Learn Korean

Thesis: longer work breaks are inversely proportional to relaxation.

It really is the most ironic thing: the longer of a break I get, the lower my productivity. Or perhaps it’s just human nature: taking for granted the abundance of time we perceive we have and shoving our priorities into a corner. You could counter, “you should take time off for the things you enjoy!”, but it’s not so enjoyable once you glance at the pile of work building up in the corner.

And I have the worst procrastination channel possibly known to the South East Asian millenial with a laptop, internet connection, and hours to spend: Korean dramas.

Admiring Oppa with Red Eyes

It’s a vortex of binge watching without which you would feel incomplete because you have yet to discover if you predicted the ending right, dark circles, and a sluggish day. The drama sites consume all your available hours, creating a steep hole that only the tempting shovel of vicarious living can dig.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty content with life for the most part. I would even go so far to say that I love my life. But there’s something about living life through the lens of a female character being courted by dreamy men in sports cars and sharp suits, or experiencing a sweet high school romance again for the first time, that’s pretty hard to turn away from.

Pls

Writing this four days after my set weekly deadline, I’m beginning to wonder if all that is worth it at all. I stopped watching TV for the very purpose of avoiding this chasm and yet the easy manipulation of teenage rom-coms have sent me spiraling over the edge into “just one more episode”. Those five hours could have been invested into effort leading up to buying myself my own sports car while looking killer (infinitely better than the situation described in the above paragraph)  or writing a sweet high school romance of my own for more to enjoy.

Falling off the wagon is so much easier than getting back on it, but the joy of a fruitful journey is ten times the happiness of a figurative nap under the figurative shade. Boundless enthusiasm given the discipline of hard work produces results worth a hundred times more than the procrastination that kills it. Of course, if your passion itself is K-Dramas (or any activity relating to its addictive qualities), then by all means go for it. But if your passion is being neglected for mere distraction, let us cheers to a more productive day, week, and year!

Now, if I could just pick up Korean I’d be able to kill two stones at once (jk).

(If you’re a K-Drama fan, comment! I’d love to discuss more with you 😉