Hey Reader,
We all have those moments when we feel the need to make the most of everything.
People often exhaust themselves from pressure to maximize their routine with hacks, trackers, rules, etc.
With little or no room to breathe, think, and experience the joy of being present in what they do.
In today’s issue, we’ll explore the relief and sanity that come from letting some parts of your life stay simple and humanly imperfect.
💭 The day nothing went as planned
A while back, Brian Chesky shared something interesting from the early days of building Airbnb.
He said there was a period when he was trying to squeeze everything out of his day.
He optimized every hour of his routine so he could “perform at his best.”
Then one random morning, meetings got cancelled, calls got moved, and his entire schedule fell apart.
At first, he didn’t know what to do with himself.
A whole day with nothing structured was unusual for him.
He said in an interview later: “I ended up doing nothing. I walked around. I doodled. I sat and stared. And by the end of the day, I had the clearest idea I’d had in months. I realized I’d been over-optimizing everything. Creativity needs space. Not a tighter schedule.”
It reminds us that some of our best thinking comes from the days we don’t try to optimize everything.
🧠 It’s a trap
A lot of high performers say the same thing in different words: “I feel like I can’t just be. Everything has to count for something.”
This need to make the most of everything is a subtle trap that turns simple routines into a big checklist.
Optimizing how you work, rest, eat, exercise, read, think, spend your time, and even how you take a coffee.
You take a casual walk, and still feel the need to track your steps.
Suddenly, you feel upset that it wasn’t better than the previous day or week.
You rest and feel a small wave of guilt.
You’re eating and tracking calories.
You’re with people you love, but your brain is still tracking the day.
Don’t get me wrong.
Some of these things keep us in check, but not everything needs to be optimized.
It quietly takes away the joy of being present in it.
It creates unnecessary tension and restlessness.
And it can strangle how adaptable you are.
Wins may not feel enough anymore because you’re evaluating everything instead of experiencing it.
You miss the fun, dopamine, and excitement.
There’s no room for curiosity or room to follow your instincts.
So everything becomes tight, predictable, boring, and exhausting.
❤️ There’s joy in spontaneity
Some things are meant to be experienced as simply as they are.
And that’s it.
No need to add anything else to it.
When you do certain things without trying to get something out of them, you enjoy being present in them.
You allow room for freewill, impulse, play, and curiosity.
You become more flexible and adaptable because you do well with spontaneity.
You reconnect with the pleasure of doing things for the love of it.
You open up to more creativity and confidence that make you unashamedly you.
Your intuition gets sharper.
You're more relaxed and excited about even the smallest wins.
You become more grounded, more human, and you perform better because you’re not squeezing the life out of yourself.
🤲 Live a little more
I’ve experienced the tension of trying to optimize everything I do.
And I learned that it feels better to live in the moment.
Here are 3 practices that can help you normalize joy in spontaneity:
- Do some things purely because you enjoy them. Regardless of whether they add progress to your goals for the day or not. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. It could be a stroll with your dog, tending to plants, or even a long, aimless drive. Experience the thrill of spontaneity.
- Know when to let go. The moment you feel the need to improve a simple routine, or you go from enjoying something to suddenly wanting to make it less boring, that’s your cue to fall back. Drop it instead. Go explore something else you’ll enjoy.
- You can leave some part of your routine unstructured. Pick a small window, like the first 15 minutes of your morning, or the last 20 minutes of your evening, and do whatever comes to mind that brings peace. It’s a way to remind your mind that it doesn’t have to control everything.
🎯 Be present in the moment
What simple part of your routine do you still try to make the most out of?
Think about the joy of creativity you’re missing by trying to structure everything.
Some things need to stay beautifully human.
As Alan Watts said, “Life is not a problem to be solved, but an experience to be lived.”
You’ve got this.
With appreciation,
Huw.
|
|
Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
|
