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"Tomorrow, I Have to Work Again—How Can I Keep Loving My Work Without Burning Out?"
— Lee Da-hye, author of The Commuter's Mantra, on "How to Work Consistently Without Losing Yourself"

To Build Resilience Day by Day and Overcome Small Hurdles
How many people truly feel light-hearted on their way home? As years of work accumulate, regrets over unfulfilling days and anxieties like "Tomorrow can’t be like today" often weigh heavily on our steps. While rest is essential after an exhausting day, the reality remains: tomorrow, we must work again. So, how can we avoid losing our affection for work?

Lee Da-hye, whose previous book The Commuter's Mantra resonated deeply with countless working people, returns with another insightful discussion about work. This time, she focuses on "how to become someone who works steadfastly every day, overcoming small hurdles consistently."

Quietly Doing Your Best Between "Want to Do" and "Have to Do"
Having worked long-term in one organization while building multiple careers outside it, Lee is often asked, "How do you work without getting tired?" Her answer is always the same: "I just do it. I try not to overthink it." She emphasizes that avoiding overanalyzing "want to do" and "have to do" has been key.

"I’ve tried to reignite the feeling of 'wanting to do' something, and I’ve also attempted to use the sense of obligation as motivation. But ultimately, I now strive to focus on 'just doing it.' (...) This is my quiet, steadfast resolve as a working adult." (From the text)

Lee advises shifting our focus from the distant future to the present: "Spend less time dwelling on what’s lost or unattainable, and start with what you can do. Instead of expecting the world to change overnight, live each day diligently, crafting it with intention." In doing so, you may suddenly find your heart filled with satisfaction and happiness. It may not be dramatic, but is there a more reliable solution?

Riding the Waves of Work—Good and Bad
In work, neither good nor bad times last forever. Yet, we often fixate on the one thing we did poorly rather than the nine things we did well. When a wave comes, ride it; when the sea is calm, stay afloat and wait for the next wave. That’s all there is to it. Lee shares her thoughts on navigating work’s waves:

"Some waves will be too fierce to ride, while others will feel tailor-made for you, lifting you effortlessly. Every wave is unique, and eventually, they all pass. If you persevere without being swayed by every high and low, you might just stay afloat—whether in calm waters or towering waves." (From the text)

Emotional Strength, Crisis Management, and Career Guidance to Empower Your Work Life
The Mind on the Way Home also offers emotional support, crisis management strategies, and career advice for those who wish to continue loving their work:

"Living 'Today'": Discusses how to handle your "ordinary self" to stay faithful to the work process, and how to create a personal manual and routines to maintain your baseline well-being.

"Before You Quit, Become a Top Performer First": Encourages re-examining why work feels difficult and reveals how regaining confidence and passion often lies in small, unexpected details.

"Those Who Shine in a Crisis": Explores essential crisis management skills as your career progresses and how to adapt to changes within organizations and relationships.

"Before You Lose Yourself, Before You Burn Out": Advises recognizing the signs of slump and burnout—inevitable for all workers—and taking time to think about your future self in one year or ten years, not just tomorrow.

"How to Prepare for the Next Stage of Your Career": Offers guidance on making work come to you and how to gauge your own standards and decision-making criteria.

Keep the Long Run in Mind
Lee reflects, "Even the moments of wandering eventually become part of a meaningful history. You must survive to arrive anywhere." And the one message she wants to share with herself and her loved ones is this:
"Don’t fret over work that isn’t progressing as fast as you’d like; instead, focus on the long haul."

Isn’t this the very encouragement we, who clutch our hearts as tightly as subway straps on our way home, need to offer one another?

Lee Da-hye

Lee Da-hye is a writer and a journalist for Cine21. She has made writing and speaking her profession. Her long-term career goal is to remain active in her field for a long time. She hopes to explore ways to move forward sustainably with like-minded individuals.

She has previously hosted various programs including the CGV Cine Library's 'Lee Da-hye's Book Club', the podcast 'Lee Da-hye's 21st Century Cinema Fix', and Naver Audio Clip's 'Lee Soo-jung & Lee Da-hye's Crime Movie Profile'. She currently co-hosts the KBS Radio show 'Lee Da-hye's Cinema & Jeong Yeo-ul's Library'.

Her published works include:
The Commuter's Mantra
Becoming an Adult Marked the Start of Greater Confusion
No One is a Good Writer from the Start
My Work for Tomorrow
Words of Travel
Morning Thoughts: Things I Thought While Eating Breakfast
Anyway, Thriller

Prologue: Your and My Everyday Feelings

1. Living "Today"
Quietly Doing Your Best
Building Resilience Day by Day, Overcoming Small Hurdles
The Heart That Loves, and the Heart That Wants to Love
Trust Begins with Yourself
The Person Who (Seems to) Enjoy Their Work
Let's Focus on the Nine Things Done Well
Saying No This Time, Yes Next Time
The Survivor's Rule
A Manual for Using Yourself
Creating Routines to Maintain Your Baseline
The Revenge of Habits
Growth Means Making Room for Others

2. Before You Quit, Become a Top Performer First
Who is a "Top Performer"?
Getting Paid to Learn
The Correlation Between Innate Personality and Work
Does Aptitude Truly Exist?
Everyone Has Worries
In Search of Something New
Goodbye to Coincidence
The Secret of a Core Team
Lord, I Did Not Schedule This
How Memos Become Useful
For the Clarity of Business Emails
The Basics of Making Your Words Powerful
Elaborate Nasty Remarks and the Enemy of Self-Reflection
How to Give Your All, Knowing You Might Fail
How Can You Know When It's Time to Give Up?

3. Those Who Shine in a Crisis
The Art of Failing Less
What Comes After a Mistake Matters More Than the Mistake Itself
How to Spot a Doomed Task
Let's Believe "This Too Shall Pass"
Who Feedback Comes From Matters
That is Their Task
The Illusion of Teamwork
Success Hides Many Problems
When Existing Relationships Are Overturned
Jealousy, or the Leap of Trust
"Why, Among All Those People, Did You Choose Me?"
A Calamity (One of Many) That Befalls Freelancers
When a Strength Becomes a Weakness, What to Do?
Is Flawless Judgment Possible?
The Person Who Works by Principle

4. Before You Lose Yourself, Before You Burn Out
There is No Job Worth Harming Yourself For
Practicing Running Slowly
Serious Dedication
The Signals of a Slump
Recommended Coping Methods When Burnout Hits
It's All Because of Loneliness
My Principles for Human Relationships
Then, When Do I Rest?
A Vacation Should Feel Like a Vacation
The Me of Tomorrow, The Me in One Year, The Me in Ten Years

5. How to Prepare for the Next Stage of Your Career
Let Work Come to You
The Proposal Method of "I Must Do This Very Work!"
The Challenge of a Veteran Adapting to a New Organization
Who Are You Mentioned Alongside With?
Broadening Weak Ties
Do You Have a Rival?
Companions for Those Who Work Alone
For Those Who Work Project-to-Project
The Hell of Self-Promotion
The Way of Self-Promotion
How to Decide Whether to Do It or Not
When Extensive Experience Holds You Back Instead
A Word for Those Who Only Prepare