The Myth of the "Right Time" 🧙‍♂️

April 29, 2025

Hey there,

Ironically, given the headline of this issue, I was waiting for the right time to write on this topic.

Especially with things like this newsletter, something that I do out of my own volition, with no real consequences if I don't do it, I've really justified postponing many issues with "Nah, it's just not the right time now. Other things are definitely more important."

And sure, many things have been and will be more important than this newsletter — it makes sense. Yet, honestly, if I really only ever waited for a perfect time to write — well, this mail likely wouldn't have hit your inbox at all. 🤷

There's this saying about motivation that I really enjoy:

I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at 9 o'clock sharp.

It seems to align well with the hunch I've followed when it comes to such side-projects/hobbies/hustles — if we want it done, we should sit down and get it done, because the "right time" is something we can manufacture, especially on days when it's seemingly not the right time at all. ⏰

The funny thing is, the more often we "manufacture" the right time, the more naturally it seems to occur.

At first, it feels forced, like dragging yourself to the desk, or the gym, or opening the laptop when you would rather do literally anything else. But iteration after iteration, you stop debating whether you feel like it. You show up, you go through the motions. And weirdly enough, showing up creates the feeling you were waiting for.

Momentum, I feel, is generated when you keep running through that routine, no matter the conditions, no matter what the timing or obstacles at hand are, not by waiting for the stars to align.

It's a habit of trust and hope — not trust in inspiration, but trust in yourself.

A belief that even if today's not your best writing, not your cleanest sprint, not your most brilliant idea, it still matters, because consistency stacks. Effort compounds. And on a long enough timeline, the person who shows up consistently, motivated or not — wins. 🏆

What do you think? Are there some things that you postpone just because you're waiting for their time to come?

Weekly Insights

• When I make those 3-picture collages for the weekly insights, I realise that your phone gallery tends to be a good reflection of what you spend your attention on, at the very least. 🔍
• Personally, my gallery tends to have 3 main pillars — events/sights, projects, and everyday things like my coffee/my office workspace/the cloudy sky on the way to the gym.
• Last week was no exception — this time, the "project" shots were all car-related. Kinda unexpected, honestly. I thought I'd treat it like a simple A-to-B tool, not something I'd invest brainpower or time into. But I guess the engineer in me couldn't help it — I ended up tinkering with how to get the Bluetooth working in this 16-year-old Mazda, 3D-printed a custom phone holder, and gave it a proper clean, inside and out. 🧽 Turns out, old cars can also feel like side quests worth levelling up.

Book Highlight: Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins — one of the few books I had pre-ordered and eagerly awaited in 2025. 😬

It's the 5th book in the Hunger Games series, and, like the 4th one (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), it's a prequel to the main series (books 1-3). It follows the 50th annual Hunger Games, where the main character is Haymitch Abernathy, who we previously know as simply the mentor of the main characters in the original series — a drunk, pessimist, and cynic. The book introduces us to his 16-year-old version, his family, his life before the Hunger Games and how all that unravels as he gets sucked into the antagonists' schemes.

Plot-wise, it resembles the 1st book in the series, as it follows the same storyline more or less: pre-games, games, post-games. Also, since it's a prequel, we know how it'll end even before this book, so it's more of a journey exploring the details, and not so much providing entirely unexpected plot twists.

I'd say I enjoyed this book a lot (listening to its audio version on Audible within a day and a half), but I still enjoyed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes more. Maybe it comes down to how interesting I found the main character, or maybe I just had very high expectations for this one, but it didn't hit me emotionally as hard as the other one. Nevertheless, it's a great book, and I'd argue you could enjoy it even if you haven't read the previous books/watched the movies. Solid 7/10, and now I have some time to kill until its movie's premiere in November 2026. 🍿

Worth Watching This Week

Your phone was never the problem by Tom — a sharp reframe on screen time, attention, and the deeper habit underneath the doomscroll.

This book made me a happier person by Matt D'Avella — a calm walkthrough of the small mental shifts that quietly add up over time.

Closing Thoughts

Till next week, stay safe, stay curious, and keep kicking. ✌️