What are you optimizing for?
Answering the question: ‘What are you optimizing for?’ has got to be one of the most honest conversations you can with yourself. We all have different answers, but is your answer in line with your actions? Let’s discuss.
One thought: What are you optimizing for? 💭
Life
You are in control of your life.
Any of us, pre and post-Covid can pack up our suitcase and fly to another country, we can leave that job we hate so much, and we can catch up with friends that we’ve not spoken to in years with a press of a button.
Whenever I think about things like this I have two lines of thought:
It makes me feel very small… how can I kick up a fuss with my own problems and worries when I’m just one person walking around on this planet, in a multiplayer game where 8 BILLION other people are the same as me?!
That I can - and should - take more ownership with my life. If there is anything right now that I’m unhappy about or unsure of, I should really just address it face on because life’s too short.
Have you fallen out with someone? Is a client being a pain?
You can do something about both of them… yet usually, we just accept that '‘this is the way it is’ and leave things as they are.
Work
What am I optimizing for?
This question hit me like a tonne of bricks recently. In last week’s newsletter, I tracked my time for a whole week because I was working through far too many weekends. I was constantly saying to myself:
“I know things take time to get off the ground, but this was never my goal.”
So what are you optimizing for when it comes to work?
Truthfully.
In psychology, you have System 1 and System 2 thinking. Your ‘System 1’ is the brain’s automatic response to things, for example, if I asked you what your favourite colour is, you’d instantly think of a colour. Red. But is that true?
We have this system to conserve energy and to be able to make quick decisions when the outcome of the decision does not have a consequence.
On the other hand, your ‘System 2’ is the brain’s slow and controlled way of thinking. This is when you pause and consider the decision at hand to come to your answer, for example, should I walk to work or take the bus? In this scenario, you’ll weigh up the pros and cons of both decisions to come to your answer.
I mention this, because when we go to answer the question: “What am I optimizing for?” I believe our System 1 defaults to the favourable answers:
Happiness
Time
Relationships
Great - but are our ACTIONS congruent with this?
My answer was time. I want to have enough money coming in which allows me to have a LIFE. I place a strong focus on relationships and being a good person and my decisions are based on the factor of happiness, not money.
HOWEVER. If I implement System 2 thinking and compare my answer to my current actions, I am not optimizing for time right now, I am actually doing the exact opposite!
I find this really interesting and I encourage you to answer this question. What are you optimizing for, truthfully, and allow your System 2 to think through this.
The Odyssey Plan - Try this exercise
If you want to answer this question truthfully, you might also enjoy this exercise called The Odyssey Plan.
Write out, in detail, what your life would look like 5 years from now if you continued down your current path.
Write out, in detail, what your life would look like 5 years from now if you took a completely different path.
Write out, in detail, what your life would look like 5 years from now if money and social obligations were irrelevant.
I’ll write down my answers to the above questions in next week’s newsletter.
Talk soon,
Joe
Content tip of the week 🚀
Get into the capture habit! There are so many handy tools like Save To Pocket and the Notion Web Clipper that allow you to capture interesting things you come across into one central location. This makes generating ideas really easy.
Book of the week 🕹️
The concepts of System 1 and System 2 thinking are from the book ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ by Daniel Kahneman. I’d highly recommend Googling psychology studies by Kahneman and Tversky.
This Week’s YouTube Video - Subscribe here! 🎥
I finally found the time to start a new YouTube series and I would really love to hear what you think! I’ll share every high and every low of this rollercoaster with you.
I’m Joe, a content marketer passionate about personal development and psychology. Every Sunday, I write an email newsletter with 1 thought, 1 content tip, and 1 article I’d recommend. Usually, I go over-board and provide a little more 😁