Jinius Lee

Productivity

I’m exhausted

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Lately, I’ve been working full-time, and I don’t think I fully understood how tiring it would feel until actually living it.

Before starting, full-time work sounded simple in theory. It’s just a standard schedule that millions of people follow every day, so how hard could it really be?

But experiencing it is different.

What surprised me most is not necessarily the work itself, but how much of your energy gets consumed by the structure of the day.

Waking up early, commuting, staying mentally engaged for hours, being “on” throughout the day, and then returning home already feeling drained adds up quickly. Even if the workday goes relatively smoothly, there is still a certain level of energy being constantly spent.

By the time I get home, it sometimes feels like the day is already over.

There are still things I want to do outside of work, personal projects, going to the gym, editing videos, organizing my finances, taking photos, spending time with people, or simply having time to think clearly. But after a full workday, even small tasks can feel much heavier than usual.

That has been one of the biggest adjustments.

You start realizing how valuable your free time actually is.

A few hours in the evening suddenly feels extremely limited. Time that once felt abundant as a student or during lighter schedules now feels much more intentional. If I want to work on something meaningful outside of my job, I have to consciously protect that time.

Otherwise, it is very easy to default into pure recovery mode.

Eat dinner. Scroll on my phone. Watch videos. Sleep. Repeat.

And honestly, sometimes that is necessary.

I think working full-time has made me understand why routines matter so much.

Without some kind of system, it becomes very easy to let days blur together. Work begins to dominate your schedule, your mental energy, and eventually your identity if you let it.

Because of that, I’ve been thinking more intentionally about how I spend the hours outside of work.

Even small things feel more important now:

  • going for a walk
  • getting outside
  • cooking something decent
  • writing things down
  • making progress on personal goals, even if it’s small

These things help me feel like my life is still mine.

I think that is the challenge I’m learning right now: figuring out how to work hard without letting work become the only thing I do.

I’m still adjusting.

Some days I feel productive and balanced. Other days I feel completely exhausted and just want to do absolutely nothing.

But maybe that is part of the process.

Working full-time has made me appreciate rest more, respect time more, and think harder about what I actually want to spend my energy on.

I’m tired, yes.

But I’m also learning a lot from it.

Budgeting Is a Skill Everyone Should Learn

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For a long time, I avoided budgeting because I thought it would make spending feel restrictive.

I associated budgeting with cutting out everything fun, tracking every dollar obsessively, and constantly worrying about money. It felt like something only financially disciplined people did.

But after becoming more intentional with how I spend, I started seeing budgeting differently.

Budgeting is less about restriction and more about awareness.

It is simply understanding where your money is going and deciding whether your spending actually reflects what you value.

Why I Started Budgeting

As expenses started adding up, I realized money disappears faster than expected when you are not paying attention.

Small purchases rarely feel significant in the moment:

  • grabbing food outside
  • online shopping
  • subscriptions
  • transportation
  • drinks or snacks

Individually, none of these feel like major decisions.

But over time, they compound.

Without tracking anything, I found it difficult to answer a simple question:

Where did my money actually go this month?

That alone was enough motivation to start budgeting.

Apps I’ve Tried

Over time, I experimented with different ways of tracking expenses.

Notes App

At first, I kept things simple by manually writing expenses in my phone’s Notes app.

This worked surprisingly well in the beginning because it was frictionless.

Every time I spent money, I could quickly jot it down.

The downside was that it became messy quickly and hard to review over time.

Budgeting Apps

I also tried dedicated budgeting apps.

What I liked:

  • automatic categories
  • cleaner dashboards
  • monthly summaries
  • visual spending breakdowns

These apps are helpful because they reduce effort and make spending patterns easier to understand.

However, I personally found that relying too much on automation made me less engaged.

Sometimes transactions would get categorized automatically, but I was not actively thinking about my spending.

Why I Prefer Excel

What I personally use most is Excel.

Not because it is the “best” budgeting tool for everyone, but because I prefer having full control.

Excel lets me customize everything:

  • categories
  • monthly spending limits
  • savings goals
  • recurring expenses
  • yearly tracking

More importantly, manually entering expenses forces me to be intentional.

Typing out purchases makes spending feel more visible.

It is harder to ignore patterns when you are the one recording them.

My spreadsheet is fairly simple, but it gives me clarity.

That alone makes a huge difference.

Budgeting Changed How I Spend

The biggest benefit of budgeting was not saving more money immediately.

It was becoming more conscious of my habits.

Budgeting helped me:

  • notice unnecessary spending
  • feel less guilty about intentional purchases
  • prepare for future expenses
  • understand my financial priorities better

Instead of wondering whether I can afford something, I usually already know.

That reduces a lot of mental friction.

Final Thoughts

Budgeting is one of those skills that seems boring until you start seeing its benefits.

You do not need a perfect system.

You do not need advanced spreadsheets or complicated finance apps.

You just need a way to understand your money.

Whether that is:

  • a budgeting app
  • Notion
  • Notes app
  • Excel

does not matter nearly as much as consistency.

For me, budgeting is no longer about restricting myself.

It is simply a tool that helps me make better decisions.

And honestly, that is a skill worth learning.

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