Most people turn to entertainment when they want to relax. They binge-watch Netflix for hours, endlessly scroll through short videos, or immerse themselves in video games to escape from stress. Interestingly, people sometimes become so absorbed in these activities that what begins as relaxation turns into another way of wasting their time and energy. However, relatively few people seek refreshment and enjoyment by doing their best at work or through demanding physical exercise.
What sets these people apart is that they are accustomed to doing something with eagerness and passion. More importantly, they have learned to feel a sense of achievement and enjoyment from the effort itself.
People who are deeply engaged in their work are usually interested in what they do because they genuinely enjoy doing it. As they put in more effort, they become better at carrying out their professional tasks. The quality of their work improves, which gives them a stronger sense of achievement and satisfaction. That satisfaction, in turn, motivates them to put in even more effort. A similar cycle can be found in strenuous physical exercise. Marathon runners often become increasingly immersed in running as their records improve and they begin to run faster.
On the contrary, people who have rarely experienced this kind of achievement may find it difficult to enjoy working, running, or doing anything that requires sustained effort. Instead, it is much easier for them to be entertained by watching Netflix or playing video games. As Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains in Flow, passive forms of pleasure are easy to obtain, but they rarely provide the same lasting sense of fulfillment that comes from being deeply engaged in a challenging activity.
Therefore, if we want long-term happiness, we need to intentionally engage in something that demands sustained effort rather than constantly surrendering ourselves to easy entertainment. This is not simply a matter of productivity. It is a question of how we design our lives, how we use our limited time, and ultimately what kind of life is worth living.
Recently, I deleted several entertainment apps and have been trying to read books and run more frequently. Interestingly, I have managed to maintain this intentional habit since then, although I still struggle with impulsive temptations. Sometimes, I need to distract myself from those temptations by turning to less harmful activities, just as smokers sometimes eat sweets while trying to quit smoking.
The temptation of easy entertainment will probably never disappear completely. But perhaps the important thing is not to eliminate every temptation. It is to gradually train ourselves to find greater pleasure in activities that require effort, concentration, and persistence.
It is time for me to think more seriously about what I should do to become a better version of myself and how I want to spend the remaining years of my life.