The Two Levels of Optimizing Life

To optimize your life, there are two levels you need to work on: macro and micro.

Macro deals with optimizing the direction of your life, while micro deals with optimizing your day. You need both to fully optimize your life.

Macro includes things such as:

  • Finding your life purpose.
  • Finding your vision and how to get there.
  • Reviewing how your year has been.

Micro, on the other hand, includes things such as:

  • Having a good morning routine.
  • Using productivity tools (e.g. a to-do list) to get your tasks done.
  • Eliminating distractions to focus on the task at hand.

As you can see, both of them are important. If only your macro is strong, then you will move toward your destination very slowly. If only your micro is strong, then you may find yourself moving fast in the wrong direction. You need both to move fast in the right direction.

When I checked my life map, I saw that there are years that didn’t serve my long-term vision well. I did things in those years that didn’t fit my long-term vision. If I had a strong macro, I could prevent that from happening.

On the other hand, I also have many unproductive days. I procrastinated a lot in those days. Or I couldn’t focus well enough to get things done. Having a strong micro can prevent that from happening.

I want to keep improving myself in both, and I invite you to do the same.

Photo by Chris Beckett

3 Comments

  1. Susan Mary Malone
    Susan Mary Malone

    This is a great reminder, Chris. I’m often guilty of doing one or the other! Especially I can get into the slog of the micro 🙂
    Thank You!

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