I’ve been working from home, on a computer, for 12 years now, and the autonomy my job affords has allowed me to sand all the rough edges from my routines. By most measures, I’m a model of health, efficiency and productivity. I spend every morning in undistracted, email-free “deep work”, and I long ago purged social media from my life. I maintain a steady sleep-wake schedule, exercise daily and home-cook most of my meals using whole foods. I’m married with children. I have friends, and I spend time with them. I travel and read books. None of this has allowed me, at 41, to avoid the gradual onset of mid-life melancholy, which I’ve come to believe is a consequence of my overly routinised way of life. I don’t think I have the wrong habits; I think I have too many of them. And they are suffocating me.
我已经在家用电脑工作12年了，工作的自主性让我能够打磨掉日常生活中的所有粗糙边角。按照大多数标准来看，我是健康、效率和生产力的典范。我每个早晨都会在没有电子邮件干扰的情况下专注于“深度工作”，而且我早已把社交媒体从我的生活中清除。我保持着稳定的睡眠-清醒周期，每天锻炼身体，大多数饭菜都是用全食材自己烹饪。我已婚并有孩子。我有朋友，也会花时间与他们相处。我旅行，阅读书籍。然而，所有这些都没能让我在41岁时避免逐渐陷入中年的忧郁。我开始相信，这是我过于规律化生活方式的结果。我不认为我有错误的习惯；我认为我的习惯太多了。它们正在让我窒息。