Resigned to pursue a "sustainable lifestyle." Reading | Work style | Parenting | Habit formation

Hello.
I am Himari Tokimoto.

It has been over two years since I started posting on note every day.
During these two years, my state of mind has changed in various ways, and this summer I resigned from the company I had declared I would "never quit for the rest of my life."

I have been writing about that process on note all along, but I thought I would introduce myself again.

For those who always read my posts, please feel free to stop by.

A brief self-introduction

Himari Tokimoto (not my real name)
In my 40s, female, mother of two (both in elementary school).

Family structure
Husband, eldest son (born in 2016), second son (born in 2018)

Place of residence
A downtown area in the metropolitan region (prefecture resident)

Work
President of the Sleep First Church, President of the Committee to Eradicate 8-Hour Workdays (both self-proclaimed and unpaid) ← In other words, just a hobby

Hobbies
Reading (at a pace of 3-4 books a week), writing (diaries, note, planners), traveling

Things I like
Sunlight, spending time at home, time alone, playing card games with my family, reading aloud, early to bed and early to rise (sleeping by 9 PM, waking up at 4 AM), cleaning ← New!

Things I am not good at
Having plans in the evening, drinking parties, tasks with no clear end time.

Collections
My books and my children's books (maybe about 600 in total?), SMAP CDs (all singles)

How I have been spending my time recently
"Discarding" and "cleaning"

From when I started writing on note until today

I read "Output Zen" and thought, "I should output something!" and started posting every day in February 2023.

While practicing "Sleep First Parenting" encouraged by Dr. Naoko Narita's books, I realized, "If I dedicate 8 hours a day to work as a company employee, won't I be unable to achieve other things I want to do?" and started thinking about my "priorities."

Rather than career or money, I want to prioritize "parenting, which can only happen now."
Reaching the conclusion that I wanted time more than anything else,I left my "full-time employee life" that had lasted over 20 years at the end of July 2025.

Did I do a side job on note?
Did I monetize on note?

It wasn't that kind of economic support; for me, note wasultimately a tool that "supported my decision."

*When I was a company employee, side jobs were prohibited.

Now, I am living modestly on my husband's income alone.

By the way, in conjunction with my resignation, I paid off my portion of the apartment loan in full (getting my affairs in order).

It's not that I succeeded in investing or inherited a large amount of assets.

I've always been the type of person who doesn't really want anything in particular (lol).

Articles that received a lot of feedback on note

Here are the articles that received the most feedback regarding parenting, work, and time management.

Written during my time as a company employee, the ultimate ideal ↓
I am currently exploring ways to pursue this ideal.

A discussion on how the act of "waiting," which is the most important part of parenting, is incompatible with the life of a company employee whose working hours are strictly fixed, right? ↓

I feel like many moms fall into self-loathing, thinking, "Oh, I said 'hurry up' again..." without realizing this gap.

I have fallen into self-loathing many times myself, but in the first place, dropping off infants at daycare by around 8:00 every morning, returning home around 18:00, and putting them to bed early... is against the laws of nature.
Let's just accept that balancing it all is impossible!

A book review of Rieko Nakagawa's "Children Are All Problem Children," which I read when I was feeling frustrated about the fact that "company work rules" were prioritized above all else ↓

I was encouraged by Ms. Nakagawa's assertion that "parenting = cutting-edge business," and "resignation" became increasingly realistic.

A story about thinking about what my boss said to me when I was a company employee: "Isn't it a huge contradiction to want to be useful to society but be a full-time housewife?" Isn't it a huge contradiction?

I reached the conclusion that "Right now, I am just passing off parenting and housework to others in order to be a company employee." and "I can be a company employee because there are people who take on parenting and housework."

And my current conclusion regarding "parenting."

Life as of 2025

Wake up around 4:00
Muscle training (Pilates, yoga) -> Daily note posting

Around 8:00
I accompany my second son (first grade) to school, chatting while we walk every morning.
Recently, the trees in the park have gradually been turning red and yellow, and I can feel autumn.

I greet the neighborhood association president (in his 70s) who is in charge of waving the flag and the principal who watches over us at the school gate every day, and sometimes we have small talk.

How I spend my alone time (approx. 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM)

1. I'm throwing away tons of stuff, calling it my "unemployed decluttering festival."

2. Currently learning about minimalist thinking.

3. I'm doing three volunteer roles at my child's elementary school.

・PTA officer
・Storytelling volunteer
・Library volunteer (organizing the library, helping with classes)

I'm especially passionate about "helping with library classes" right now.

I often watch politicians' YouTube channels as background noise while doing housework.
(Minister Onoda is trending lately)

Things I want to do from now on

1. Systematizing sustainable housework

・Creating a system where the whole family participates in housework so Mom doesn't have to do it all alone (putting away laundry, tidying up, pre-washing dishes, etc.)

・Standardizing meal plans to reduce time spent worrying about what to cook.

・Creating a list of daily necessities and their stock levels to ensure nothing is forgotten.

・Increasing my repertoire of time-saving and hands-off cooking methods (using rice cookers, microwaves).

2. Habitualizing a healthy lifestyle

Increasing my strength training time and relearning nutritional knowledge.
I also want to learn about training for children.

3. Regarding children's studies

Instead of "studying = cram school," I want to create a system where they can learn at home through fun, low-cost play.

I find it so much fun to spend time thinking up games like this ↓

A story about how I belatedly realized that "modern textbooks and workbooks are just as comprehensive as correspondence education" ↓

4. I want to create a society where children are happy

With the declining birthrate in a serious situation, I am most heartbroken by the fact that child suicides are also on the rise.

I don't know the cause and I think it's difficult to pinpoint, but as written in Rieko Nakagawa's book, isn't the fact that the period during which children can spend time as "childlike children" is shortening one of the causes? I personally feel that way.

Not limited to the exam industry, children's lessons and preschools are also lowering the starting age more and more to lock in customers.

From early childhood, long hours of childcare from morning to night plus cramming in lessons.
Once they reach elementary school age, they start attending cram schools from the lower grades.

The fact that "time for children to spend freely" is decreasing.
Like me, we live in an information society where parents feel anxious, thinking "I have to make them do something!"

I wonder if things like that are also related...

Of course, I think the children themselves have their own wishes, and I am not denying the entire exam industry.

I simply feel skeptical that there are no regulations on businesses that hinder "a child's healthy life," such as elementary school students studying at cram school until around 10:00 PM or holding 22-night exam training camps during summer vacation.

And the field of public education is also in a quite difficult situation.

There are still schools without air conditioning and heating, and the number of teachers taking leave or resigning is increasing, leading to situations where "a homeroom teacher cannot be assigned at the start of the new school year."

If you trace the root of this situation, you arrive at politics, and I want to find politicians who think more comprehensively about children and the future of Japan, rather than just superficial measures for the declining birthrate like "XX allowances," and create an opportunity to spread their claims and have many people take an interest.

December 1st update: I am participating in the Amazon Associates Program

Although it is currently under review, I have registered for the Amazon Associates Program.

Having been saved by books in my teens, I have always wanted to work with books someday.

As someone who reads 3 to 4 books a week, I would like to introduce many books that I want to recommend to many people.

And so.
It ended up being longer than I thought, but I would like to conclude my "Self-Introduction: Autumn 2025" here.

I don't have any particular skills or know-how, but I have an infinite number of "things I want to do," so my note topics tend to be all over the place💦

Please feel free to come back and visit again.
I tend to take a day or two to reply, but I am incredibly happy when I receive comments.

I look forward to your continued support.
Thank you, as always!