I obsess over finding ways to do things optimally. If there’s a way to save even a pinch of time, energy, or money… I want to know about it and I want to make it a part of my lifestyle asap.
Because of this obsession, I have a very redundant typical day. I have optimal:
- Sleep and wake times
- Chore and personal care days
- Workout strategies and regimes
- Eating windows and food choices
- Work flows and compartmentalized work times
…If there aren’t any extenuating circumstances or unique variables in the day, I could very well live the same day, day-in and day-out without missing a beat. And I would be totally fine with it because in my mind, I’m doing things in an optimal way… why change things to a less than optimal way?
…Here’s the catch.
It isn’t very long until an extenuating circumstance intervenes or a unique variable interrupts.
These past several weeks in particular have thrown my normal, redundant schedule for a loop. I’ve travelled to California and Pittsburgh; attended Martial Arts tournaments and music festivals; slept in cars, at friend’s houses, and in hotel rooms; etc…
Optimal exits the conversation real quick under circumstances like these.
And what I’ve had to remind myself these past few weeks is that optimal doesn’t have to be defined within the confines of one day. Optimal can be defined within the context of seasons.
Some days you reap; some days you sow…
Some days you produce; some days you recharge…
Some days you get it all done optimally; some days you’re better off optimizing for one thing in particular based on the season you’re in… like sow, recharge, or rest.