The world we live in glorifies the hustle. Hobbies, fitness, relaxation, work—every single part of our life can be tracked and optimized. The problem is, as we strive for more, we can then get stressed, struggle with perpetual dissatisfaction, and even burn ourselves out.
Let’s take a look at five common ways many of us are over-optimizing, and what you can do instead to gain balance:
Obsessively Planning? Prioritize Instead
It is all too easy to spend hours crafting the perfect to-do list, ensuring you’ve found the perfect space and time to handle your tax return online, meet all your work deadlines, pick up groceries, and rearrange your junk drawer.
Whilst this can feel productive, it’s actually often procrastination disguised as efficiency,
What to do instead: Figure out which tasks have the highest value (financial, emotional etc.). Then, embrace tools that simplify the tasks, rather than complicate them. Set limits on how long you’ll spend on those tasks so they don’t grow to include multiple unnecessary side missions.
Hustle Culture Toxicity? Rethink How You Measure Success
Fitness trackers, in-phone apps—you can measure everything these days, but how meaningful are those metrics? Being busy doesn’t always mean you’ll be impactful with your time or efforts.
Additionally, arbitrary goals can have a negative impact, especially when the true objective behind them is to talk about them on social media and compete with others.
What to do instead: Define success on your terms. What truly matters to you? Is a goal successful if it makes you feel better? If you enjoyed it? Does the activity even need to be measured at all? Ultimately, the validation of apps, or the public, is not a measure of success or worth.
Stressing Over Your Metrics? Ditch The Devices
These days, many of us are measuring everything, right down to our sleep patterns. In other words, we’re not even giving ourselves a break when we’re unconscious! Leisure and relaxation are somehow becoming competitive sports.
Some studies have even shown that the more we attend to any goal, the more we train the brain to worry about that goal, which can then cause us to compulsively check our tracking devices.
What to do instead: Actively plan ‘no-agenda’ days that focus on having no plan at all. Most importantly, turn those trackers off for that time.
Feeling Unfulfilled? Find One Goal To Rule Them All
If you’re trying to optimize absolutely everything you do, it’s easy to unintentionally spread yourself too thin, never really reaching any of those goals.
This can feel perpetually dissatisfying, leaving you feeling like you’re working hard without ever really getting anywhere.
What to do instead: Try choosing a single goal that inspires you. For example, if improving your health is the priority, invest in consistent habits around food and exercise, and track all the metrics in that area.
Most importantly, celebrate every little goal you reach—you deserve those wins. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Forever Chasing Certainty? Let Go Of Control
We can all be guilty of wanting to control all the different aspects of our lives. From setting rigid workout routines to planning every element of the photos we share, we think we’re making our lives more stable, but it’s more like boxing ourselves in.
It could also be helping us hide from the deeper reasons behind our need to be in control, like fear, past traumas, or low-self esteem.
What to do instead: Embrace adaptability. Instead of micromanaging, prepare for change by focusing on the core values you hold. When unplanned challenges and opportunities arise, you will be more flexible and able to respond with confidence, rather than stress.
It’s time to redefine success and embrace imperfection—you’re only human, after all!
