Too much of a good thing?

What to maximise and what to optimise

Mar 09, 2023

My happiness spikes twice on any given Tuesday. Once in the morning as I struggle for air in my weekly cardio workout. Then again in the evening as I inhale my supermarket snack of the week and undo the morning’s good work.

Both activities give me joy—but one is unadulterated while the other laced with guilt. The thought that goes through my mind when I’m gasping for breath—mid-box jump or high kick—is: this is an unequivocally good thing. This cardio workout is good for my body, my mind, my sanity. And the more of it, the better.

When I’m munching through my evening packet of crisps, though, I’m thinking: I’m really happy right now, but I should stop. I’m negating months of work that got my body to where it is. Snacking may be good for my soul, but there can be too much of a good thing.

Too much of a good thing

Most things in life are only good in moderation. Eating is good, but stuffing ourselves silly every meal isn’t. Working is good, but routinely pulling 12-hour days isn’t. Going to the cinema is good, but watching every single release isn’t. Having the odd beer can be good, but alcoholism isn’t.

The trick to living a good life, then, becomes finding the right amount for these good things. How much should we eat? How many hours should we work? How much time should we allow for leisure activities? How much should we indulge in vices—snacking, alcohol—that bring happiness at the expense of health?

Anecdotal evidence suggests we’re not very good at this. When we should be aiming for “just enough” food, work, leisure, snacks, alcohol, etc.; we instead go for “the more, the better.” We overeat, overwork, overindulge, over-everything.

In other words, we’re maximising things we should be optimising—and in the process turning good into bad. Food that should nourish fuels obesity. Work that could give our life meaning enslaves us. Joyful relaxation spirals into addiction.

Which is why it’s so important to ask ourselves one simple question that will help us reverse this process, turn bad back into good:

What activities—like my Tuesday cardio session—should be maximised? And what activities—like eating and working—should be optimised?

What to maximise and what to optimise?

This question cuts through the complexities of life that too often confound us, and the resulting two lists—activities to maximise versus optimise—provide an unambiguous rule to live by: always do more of these, and only do just enough of those.

The answer to this question can motivate us to do more of what’s good for us, and help us rein in activities that we’re overdoing. If we decide sleep is in our “maximise” list, then we can stop ourselves the next time we’re about to binge on Netflix until the early hours of the morning. Conversely, if we decide work is in our “optimise” list, then we know we shouldn’t be answering emails at midnight.

Everyone’s two lists will differ based on preference and particular life situation. What’s on your “maximise” list might be on someone else’s “optimise” list, and vice versa.

As you start thinking about your two lists, let me share mine:

Maximise: Working out, walking, reading, writing
Optimise: Eating, sleeping, working, watching Netflix, using social media, socialising

Since asking myself this question and seeing my life activities definitively divided into these two lists, I've already begun to do more of what’s good for me, to not cave into temptation when I want to bail on the gym, call a Grab bike when it’s not too far to walk, scroll aimlessly through Instagram when I could read a book, or put off writing to another day when I’m “in the mood.”1

On the flip side, when I find myself snacking to excess—see: Tuesday crisps—or vegetating to Netflix each time I have a free hour, I remind myself that these are activities in the “optimise” list, that there can be too much of a good thing.

Asking this question—what to maximise and what to optimise—helps me live a better, more straightforward life. Maybe it can help you too.

What do you think?

You know what question I’m about to ask this week:

What to maximise and what to optimise in your life?

What activities are “the more, the better” in your life, and what are “just enough”? Which list does “work” fall in for you? Please hit “reply” or leave a comment—I read every response and I’d love to hear from you. Even better, share this with someone who’s got their priorities straight—we could all learn from their two lists.