De-optimize your life

Last Tuesday morning, I felt pulled to “do deep work”, but that came with an anxious pressure to perform.

That’s the old way.

So I became aware of it and permitted myself to slow down. I let Claude define a two-week outline for my content workflow, and I accepted it for what it is. I can always adapt as I go.

The trap I fall into is thinking my systems need to be optimized from the start. But that’s not how things work in reality. They need to be STARTED at a bare minimum, meaning use the template I have NOW. Then adapt as needed and ONLY as necessary.

It’s simple and counterculture, but I can sustain it without burning out.

So why does the world and social media demand MORE from us?

More money. More AI agents. More anxiety.

This demand is like a programmed software “update.” And it’s been installed without our consent. It’s dangerous. We’re allowing these tech companies to invade our minds and alter our identity. It’s all happening subconsciously.

It looks like a desire for over-optimized routines. It might look like a Second Brain hooked up to AI or watching 100 videos on how to create the most productive morning routine. We think it has to fit perfectly before we’re ready to attack our “real” goal.

So if you’ve been paying attention to the speed of AI advancement, you might be thinking you’ll be left behind if you don’t keep up, or you’ll “get replaced” at your job.

You’re not completely wrong. AI is advancing rapidly. But it’s not worth destroying your sanity over.

You can still use AI responsibly without losing your mind. But it’s going to take some deep reflection and unlearning.

And you need to understand the enemy that’s “gone viral” in our minds.

When’s the last time you stopped to ask yourself:

Who decided a meaningful life looks like “outworking” everyone else? Then what? What happens when you “win”?

Alex Hormozi and the self-improvement camp say, “Well, you keep winning…bro.”

But at what cost, bro?

“Everything.” Your sanity, your family, your peace, and your sense of identity in something greater than yourself.

This isn’t speculation. It’s happening right now.

I’ve tried a multitude of productivity tools, and only a handful ACTUALLY work. We aren’t designed to tinker with digital tools 10 hours a day.

When I was creating consistently 2 years ago, I tried using Notion, Obsidian, Kortex, Zapier integrations, and more to optimize my content ecosystem.

I ended up so overwhelmed by the overhead cost required to maintain these systems, spending more time on setup than on using them well.

Sustainable beats scalable.

You’re not going to miss out on “your potential” without the latest productivity trend. You’re going to improve it year after year. Because even on bad days, you still have the energy to keep going because you kept things simple.

New hacks are interesting, but most of them are distractions that secretly destroy your peace and progress toward a grounded life.

It might sound ideal to use AI to summarize 100 books so that you don’t have to “waste time” reading them, right?

Wrong.

Your brain wasn’t built to hold a TikTok hour’s worth of information. Our brains aren’t so much different in structure from those of our ancestors 3000+ years ago. Digital dopamine from these platforms is designed to steal your focus. Constant stimulation makes deep focus feel 100x harder than it should be.

Attention is context-limited but trainable.

So what does this mean? You need to understand Mental Digestion. Instead of feeding your mind junk food like Instagram feeds, give it rich sources of deep nutrition.

And it’s not just about what you consume, like books, podcasts, and real conversations, but HOW you engage with them.

Your mind works like a plant. It can only absorb so much water. You can’t overfill it and force it to grow. But daily watering at its full capacity will generate as much growth as it can handle.

Your mind requires the same watering effect, so why are you drowning it?

Spend more time with the content to absorb it. Read one chapter, then think and write about it throughout the day. This goes a lot further, retention-wise, than consuming 31 videos on a topic you end up forgetting.

You’ve probably heard this advice before: “Stop scrolling and start reading.” But here’s something I’ve been working on.

Instead of scrolling social media, "scroll" the feed of your own mind in silence.

Start by reviewing old journal entries or notes. This gives you a glimpse of your thought patterns. You don't really "scroll," which implies passivity. That’s what infinite feeds on social media were maliciously designed for.

I use a technique called Meditative Journaling. It’s easy but powerful.

Like meditation, you set a timer for 10-20 minutes and focus on something simple like your breath. But instead of trying to redirect your attention within your mind, you write down those arising thoughts as they appear. Like this:

→ Add Mental Digestion concept to De-optimize newsletter.

→ Look up best riding lawnmowers, limit 1 hour.

→ Triggers and downhill effects appear when I watch dopamine-spiking anime.

Once written, that’s your signal to come back to your breath or whatever sensation you chose.

That’s it.

The technique isn’t as important as the intention behind it. You’re not just journaling because the self-help bros say it’s good or meditating because you’re chasing enlightenment. You’re reestablishing a natural rhythm that God designed you for.

It doesn’t look busy and hyperstimulated. It looks calm, grounded, and fluctuates naturally.

Optimization is for computers. Integration is for humans. Leave the digital death race to the algorithm and build at a natural pace.

Be still and know,

Brand Marz

A lot of resistance shows up when I sit down to write in the mornings.

So I’ve been practicing what I preach in this letter. I’m aiming to go more analog than digital. I’ve been studying Dan Koe’s old course and applying the relevant parts. Unlike before, I was too tied to results. Right now, I just want a daily rhythm that doesn’t burn out my nervous system.

I’ve been stuck for 3 days after writing this letter. I was supposed to make it into a YouTube video, but that nasty resistance showed up. The same pattern that causes me to quit and start something new.

Well, I’m going to keep writing because it comes more naturally to me. I sat down this morning, and nothing came. So I went to the toilet and all of a sudden I wrote a whole piece in my notes. Go figure. You’ll probably see that piece next week. A bit more raw and shorter.

Thanks for reading. Would be interested to read any of your thoughts in the comments!

Peace.