Optimizing can be derived as a scarcity zero-sum game where you must take from somewhere and put it somewhere else, most notably time and energy. Optimizing usually takes the following form: you have multiple lines of play, i.e career improvement, family time, self-indulgence, and health in which you try to best arrange the following lines during the 24 hours in a day. You can think of optimization as local maximization of activities. That’s how most people live their lives. It creates the illusion of control. When one line breaks, it creates physic entropy in one’s consciousness. Additionally, juggling several activities usually results in a slower compounding effect of any.
Consider the typical day of an optimizer: waking up, going for a walk, enjoying a cup of coffee, doing yoga, working, eating, working some more, reading, and finally, sleeping. While this may seem like a well-rounded day, it's often characterized by a constant struggle to maintain equilibrium.
Maximizing, on the other hand, is an abundance game where the goal is to maximize self-actualization, i.e the time spent being fully attentive to the things that make you lose your sense of self and create further momentum. Maximizing sums up my personal philosophy perfectly.
It is misleading to believe success comes from anything but the shear amount of volume at a specific task for an extraordinary amount of time. Productivity is not a hack, because humans are not productivity machines. Thus, the only way to become successful is to exercise discipline in the face of chaos until excellence becomes a habit, not an act. Those who have forged their character through hard work and perseverance do not spend their days meticulously squeezing in 15-minute yoga sessions or other superficial optimizations. Instead, they evaluate their week and eliminate anything that does not align with their long-term vision. True optimization is about knowing what not to do.
I would much rather maximize: I’d rather get ultra drunk and wake at again at 6 in the morning, do the heaviest workout, and go crush the day than be gentle about putting in the effort and keeping my balance. That’s a personal life philosophy. I can understand why one might not enjoy a life that extreme.
Flow — a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter is harder achieved when juggling activities.
In an effort to maximize happiness, several people would rather optimize their time and energy rather than just maximize. As I’ve found out, maximizing is way more fun.
Maybe, that’s just me.