Knowing When to Push and When to Pause (Anti-Optimization Trend)

I was watching a video about anti-optimization the other day because I’ve been on this trend of de-optimizing myself.

If you’ve read any of my previous work, you know that I’ve been prioritizing monthly seven-day digital detoxes, not wearing any fitness-tracking devices, going more analog, and slowing down.

But as I’ve been sharing these insights, I’ve realized that the message might not always be received properly. Some people don’t need to slow down in certain areas of life; they actually need to speed up.

But when that message gets broadcast online, people who haven't built any underlying discipline use it to justify doing nothing. Anti-optimisation is a solution for driven people that gives lazy people an excuse.

It takes advice intended for high performers who need to dial it back and misapplies it to people who haven't even started working hard yet. The result is that people celebrate giving up before they've actually put in the effort.” - Chris Williamson

I wanted to write about this today not to call anyone lazy or overly stressed, but simply to urge you to be careful about where you take advice from.

Whenever I hear or read something good, I always like to ask myself: Is this serving the good parts of me, or the parts that don’t need reinforcement?

Because I know my flaws. I know I can work myself into the ground, run until I pass out, deadlift until a blood vessel pops (I’ve done that), and work out until I puke (done that, too).

I know my “gas pedal” can be pressed hard and for a long time.

What I’ve had to learn over the years is how to take my foot off the gas and even put it on the brake from time to time, or else I would get sick.

That is why I started doing digital detoxes four years ago, and why I still do them to this day.

So please take into consideration your own situation when you are looking to transform yourself. I’ll use body recomposition and fat loss as an example, as that is my field of expertise.

We’ve coached people who were stressed out of their minds with data, or who had extremely stressful lives and needed to learn to slow down, take less action, and do more of the right actions. On the flip side, we’ve coached people who were not action-takers and needed to get momentum going people who needed to be sped up.

Everyone is on their own journey, just like I am.

I grew up as a lazy procrastinator, transitioned into an action-taking machine when I was a caregiver because I had to be, and now I am learning to relax, slow down, and be smarter and more intentional with my energy and actions.

There will always be new lessons to learn as I progress, because that’s the beauty of life. As long as you are still breathing, you can keep learning (if you want to), and your life will keep getting better.

That is why when people ask me if they are too old to do our coaching program or start their transformation, I tell them: if you are still breathing, you can still improve and reap the benefits.

There is nothing to lose from strength training consistently to build muscle and strengthen your bones. There is nothing to lose from doing cardiovascular exercise to build a stronger heart. And there is certainly nothing to lose from adopting a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle to reduce inflammation and lower your risk of dealing with major chronic illnesses as you get older.

These are all things you should be doing regardless of your personality. How you approach them will be determined by the specific lesson you need to learn.

Start today. There is literally nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Sincerely,

Maxime

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