Optimization

[lillibet]

I've been having a productive morning. The laundry is sorted and the washer and dryer humming madly. I've cleared up the mess of coke pallets in the laundry room, breaking them down for recycling pickup tomorrow. I went through all the mail, shredded the garbage with numbers on it, recycled most of the rest, paid the bills and put a new pile of catalogs in the bathroom for Christmas shopping.

While all of this has been going on, I've been thinking about a conversation about goals and priorities that I've had with a friend over the past few years. He rarely makes the same choices that I would and vice versa and at one point he revealed that he is occasionally nervous that I think the less of him for that. I responded that after years of puzzlement, I had finally figured out that, unlike myself, he's not optimizing his life for happiness. He's perfectly willing to be unhappy with a situation rather than upset the balance of his life. Some people try to maximize money, or fame, or professional success, or creativity, or altruism.

So that's my question today--what are you optimizing your life for?

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

i think that this comes partly from what you think you can control. i'd optimize my life for painlessness if i had the least idea how, but i don't. so i actually go for two things: kindness and intellectual interest.

[ceelove.livejournal.com]

Before I even read the last line, I knew I was going to jump in and tell you what I optimize for. It's quite an interesting way to conceptualize one's life!

I'd say, "fulfillment of my potential", with a side order of "community."

[muffyjo]

Excellent question, preliminary results would suggest for safety and survival. I would like to think happiness would be up there as well and I'm surprised it doesn't come to mind sooner in response.

It's a good question to chew on for a few days.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

the mess of coke pallets

Are you dealing again? This can't go on, you know.

:-D

[ceo]

By the palletload, even. =:-O

[ex-misschili604.livejournal.com]

Satiety of my curiosity?

[palmwiz.livejournal.com]

....braaaaainnnnns....

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what, if anything, I'm optimizing for. I just want to be able to say, when all is said and done, that I have no regrets.

[bacall.livejournal.com]

Luxury. And by that I mean everything from cashmere socks to exquisite meals to snuggling under the covers on a rainy afternoon. Ahhhh...

[bookly.livejournal.com]

I don't know, but I'd guess that "knowledge" is high on the list.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

For a few years, it was for survival and trying to keep my sanity intact. These days, it's for happiness, good relationships with people important to me, and putting up with the least amount of bullshit possible.

[(Anonymous)]

richness of interaction

[dpolicar]

er... that was me.

[istemi.livejournal.com]

I don't know what I'm optimizing my whole life for. On the day to day level, I optimize to make things work better. I changed how engineering hands over code to QA and operations so there's less opportunity for mistakes or miscommunication. I reorganized the pantry cabinet because every time I neede a tupperware lid I spent ten minutes with the whole collection strewn across the floor.

Things like that chafe enough that I feel good spending my free time correcting them.

[feoh.livejournal.com]

Happiness and balance. I think those encompass all the other incredibly important things I can think of (good friends, lots of fun, having a love life, plenty of stimulation, intillectual and otherwise, sanity, safety, passion and compassion).