Slow maxxing while the AI world runs on optimizer mode
I want more focus, not more output.
I found myself in the whole Codex/ Claude/OpenClaw content bubble.
Optimizers, agents, automations, systems that promise to save hours every day. Tutorials on how to move faster, ship faster, think faster. How to build anything with AI under an hour, which will make you $1M/ARR.
Since December and the release of Claude Code everyone’s talking about automating their workflows to squeeze productivity out of every spare second. Even the morning commute. AI summarizing emails or planning your day before you even park the car. Assign task from your phone to Claude and you are done. “Why waste 45 minutes when you could be shipping features?” It bugs me. Because what starts as “automated” soon feels compulsive.
Somewhere along the way, I quietly shifted into optimizer mode for my whole life too. Wearing my Oura ring to optimize sleep even when I feel energetic. Tracking calories and daily steps to improve my health, even when I am not overweight. The person who always tries to solve problems, even when there are none.
It seems to me that the world is split into two types of people: those who struggle to ever solve problems, and those who don’t know how to stop.
It feels like the world splits into two kinds of people:
those who struggle to solve problems, and those who don’t know how to stop. - Chris Williamson
I’m clearly in the second group.
I love solving problems. I love even looking for problems to solve. It feels rewarding. You put in effort, you create something valuable, you see results. There’s something deeply satisfying about becoming more effective. The whole hustle culture is built on this idea that you earn the reward through optimization and discipline. Keep improving, keep building, keep refining and you will get to the finish line.
But here’s the tension.
If everything is about saving time and optimizing systems, what exactly am I saving time for?
To be more productive?
And if I’m more productive, what’s the end goal? It’s probably just more work and more tasks on todo list.
Isn’t the point of saving time to have more space for “life”?
It feels like we’re trying to optimize our lives so much that life itself becomes a project. Endless todos. Endless blocks in the calendar. Every gap gets filled. Even rest becomes scheduled performance.
Recently we went for a walk with my wife and our daughter. We talked about the week ahead. And instead of just walking, we found ourselves trying to squeeze in more into our calendar. More work. More building. More gym to boost our productivity. More output.
It made me think about this idea of “slow maxxing” — the opposite of constant optimization and automation.
Is there a way to live slowly but still effectively?
Don’t get me wrong - I believe in the compound effect. Consistency matters. Small daily efforts build real results over time. But with all the AI tools, Claude, Codex, agents, automation — maybe focus is more valuable than just saving time. Maybe attention is the real scarce resource. Every ping, every new shiny workflow tutorial, every “just one more AI agent setup” keeps me from doing the real work. And worse: the constant context switching is quietly killing it.
These tools promise leverage, and they deliver it. But leverage without focus only makes me anxious about falling behind, while others ship faster.
What if effectiveness is not about doing more in less time, but about doing less with more depth?
Taking a few extra minutes to make coffee slowly.
Going for a walk in the middle of the day without turning it into a productivity boost hack.
Letting parts of the day stay empty for some spontaneity.
That kind of “wasted time” might actually optimize the brain more than constant input/output. It creates space for discovery. It’s for thoughts that don’t come when you’re busy checking on progress or delegating more work to the agents. It makes room for ideas that surface in between tasks.
Maybe the goal isn’t to fill the empty space in the calendar with anything when you want to slow down and waste time.