📝 The 2025 "Hard Reset": How I Escaped the Grind in China

Look, I’m not here to sell you a course or some magical manifestation nonsense. This time last year, I was stuck in a cramped apartment in Shenzhen, dealing with a dead-end business and zero momentum. By the end of 2025, I’d completely flipped the script. I’m not saying I’m a billionaire now, but the mental fog—the severe "internal friction" (精神内耗)—is gone.

If you actually do this—not just read it and add it to your "Favorites"—your December 2026 self will thank you.

The core logic is simple: Your environment (the apartment) and your gateway to the world (the phone) dictate your brain chemistry. In a high-pressure environment like China, you have to fix the baseline first.

Phase 1: The Great Purge (断舍离)

Stop buying "storage boxes" from Taobao to organize your clutter. You don’t need more organization hacks; you need less shit.

The 2-Year Rule: If you haven’t touched it in 24 months, it’s dead weight. I threw out 15+ bags. Clothes from when I was stressed out? Gone. Random cables from 2018? Gone. Gadgets I bought on a whim during "Double 11" (11.11)? Gone.

The Psychological Hook: Keeping "low-energy" items keeps you anchored to your "low-energy" self. Ditch them to break the loop.

The Deep Clean: Do it yourself or hire an Ayi (cleaner) for a day if you're drowning. Once the grime is gone, the mental drag drops instantly.

Stop buying "filler": Don't buy cheap junk from Miniso or Pinduoduo just to fill a gap. If you can't afford the high-quality version you actually love, wait. Buying cheap replacements to "make do" is just telling your brain you don’t deserve nice things.

Phase 2: Nuke the Phone

In China, your phone isn't just a tool; it's your entire life operating system. If it’s a mess, you’re a mess.

Delete the dead apps. Turn off all non-human notifications.

The Home Screen: I only keep 3 folders now—Daily, Work, Learning. No infinite scroll feeds (Douyin/TikTok, Xiaohongshu) on the first page.

The "Red Dot" Anxiety: Mute the noisy WeChat groups. Unsubscribe from those official accounts you never read. Cancel the video memberships you’re too lazy to verify. It’s a "tax on being disorganized."

Phase 3: The "Lazy" Health Fix

Forget 5 AM runs for now. Just stop living on Waimai (Delivery).

I started buying simple ingredients and actually using my kitchen. Most people in the city rely on heavy oil and sugar from takeout to cope with stress. Stop it. Just steam or stir-fry some veg—it takes 5 minutes.

If your body is stable, your plans will actually stick. If you’re running on caffeine and delivery food, you’re fighting an uphill battle.

The "Me Zone"

Set up one tiny corner. A chair, a lamp, a book. No phone allowed. I spent 20 minutes a day just sitting there to think. That’s where my side project (which actually pays the bills now) was born.

The Controversial Bit

Throwing out sentimental stuff feels cold. People will call you heartless. Whatever. I’d rather be heartless and focused than "sentimental" and stuck in a loop of regret. Results speak louder than old movie tickets or souvenirs.

I did this while dealing with the usual headaches here—the intense "Involution" (Neijuan), the economic uncertainty, and the noise of the city. It’s doable.

Has anyone else tried a "hard reset" like this? What was the hardest part to let go of? Or am I just delusional and this is all placebo?