What are you optimizing for? Do you know?
Every morning I go for a walk.
Most mornings, I’m mildly uncomfortable.
Not because I enjoy suffering, or doing some cold exposure protocol - just dressed too light for the weather.
I throw something over whatever I’m already wearing and head out.
When I’m visiting my parents, my mom always asks,
“Why don’t you wear something warmer? Something comfortable? Why walk around cold?”
She means well.
But she still doesn't get it about me,
Comfort isn’t what I’m optimizing for.
Freedom, simplicity, thinking deeper about fewer things are.
The fewer decisions I have to make in the morning, the more energy I have to think about interesting things. Like things I want to write about.
So I wear the same few outfits all year round.
Not because I don’t have options, but because I don’t want to spend my choices on things that don’t matter to me.
Am I cold sometimes? Sure.
Do I care? Not really.
Mild discomfort is a price I gladly pay for the ability to drop into deep thinking right away.
It’s a trade-off I’m choosing, on purpose.
Here’s a lesson that might help you understand the world, and the people around you, a little better,
Everyone is optimizing for something.
And most of the time, you don’t know what it is.
Your coworker who triple-checks every email?
Maybe they’re optimizing for safety.
Your partner who wants to plan everything in advance?
Maybe they’re optimizing for certainty or control.
Me, walking around underdressed in the cold?
I’m optimizing for cognitive space and creative flow.
When you understand someone’s parameters, their quirks and behaviors make a lot more sense.
They’re not “weird”, they’re just optimizing for things you don't get.
Here’s a question that might shift your next conversation, team meeting, or even a first date:
What are you optimizing for?
It might be the most underrated question on all the assessments.
PS Also a great thing to know before getting into any partnership, negotiation or project.