Releasing the Pressures of Life

I am sometimes afraid of reducing my responsibilities and taking time off / having free time since I am afraid of using that time unwisely, for instance, by watching TV, playing video games, or scrolling through Facebook. And I know that this is the case for many people. Upon reflection, this is because initially, my extrinsic motivation to do work decreases because I have relieved myself from my deadlines and responsibilities.

However, having more time for myself because I don't have responsibilities allows for more reflection time (to make diagrams like this), which would lead me to find what intrinsically motivates me, so if I end up exploiting my intrinsic motivations, I would be more productive. There is a delay in this part of the loop, and because of that, I would in fact initially be less productive if I relieve myself of my responsibilities.