The Death of Optimization

‘Simply In Letters’

If you’re still optimizing…

You’re already behind.

I know that sounds harsh.

But I’m saying it because I needed to hear it not that long ago.

I used to think the next app, the next routine, the next “hack” was the answer.

That if I just tuned the machine perfectly, I’d finally unlock the momentum I’d been chasing.

At one point, I had a Notion setup with 20 tabs, 5 planners, 3 calendars, and a color-coded system that looked like it belonged in a control room.

But despite all that?

I still felt like I was falling behind.

My mind was scattered.
My time was always spoken for.
And worst of all, my results didn’t match the effort I was putting in.

Maybe you’re in the same place right now.

You’re not lazy. You’re overloaded.

You’re tweaking the system…instead of questioning it.

You’re optimizing around chaos…instead of stepping back to simplify.

You’re sprinting faster…without checking if you’re even running in the right direction.

You might be telling yourself:
“I just need to be more disciplined.”
“I just need to push through this rough patch.”
“I just need one more tool to make it all click.”

But what if that’s not true?

What if the problem isn’t your execution…
Is it your environment?
Your approach?
The belief that more is the solution, when really, it’s what’s keeping you stuck?

Let me tell you something I’ve learned the hard way:

You don’t need more layers.

You need more space.

And that starts by subtracting, not stacking.

You’ve Probably Asked Yourself the Same Question

You’ve probably told yourself that if you just worked more,
if you pushed a little harder,
if you squeezed a few more hours out of the day…
you’d finally break through.

You’ve tried waking up early, staying up late, and saying yes to everything.

Thinking hustle was the price of success.

Because somewhere along the way, someone convinced you that being exhausted meant you were doing it right.

That burnout was noble.

That being busy meant you were getting closer.

But deep down, you know you don’t want to live like this.

You’re not here to stay trapped in a 9–5 mindset, reacting to everything, putting out fires,
spending your days chasing urgency.

While the work that actually matters never gets touched.

You started because you wanted to build something meaningful.

Something simple.

Something that helps people.

Maybe even changes lives. Starting with your own.

But somewhere along the way, the noise got loud.

You got stuck in a loop.

You started optimizing a life that wasn’t working…instead of stepping back to ask what needed to go.

Here’s the truth no one told you:

You don’t need to run 24/7.
Because it leaves no time to walk.

No time to breathe.
No time to think clearly.
No time to build something intentional, the way you always dreamed of.

You can keep sprinting in circles, hoping something clicks…

Or you can slow down long enough to choose your direction.

The choice is yours.

And when you finally choose clarity over chaos, you’ll realize:

You never needed to do more.
You just needed to do less, better.

Why Optimization Isn’t the Answer

If you're anything like I was, you’ve probably tried to fix the overwhelm by tightening the system.

You’ve read the books.
Watched the YouTube videos.
Heard the same advice on repeat:
“Make a better to-do list.”
“Time block more efficiently.”
“Add more structure to your day.”

And so you did.

You built color-coded calendars, upgraded your task manager, maybe even built an elaborate setup in Notion, or tried five productivity apps in one week.

But despite all the effort, something still feels off.

You’re doing everything right on paper…

So why do you still feel behind?

I asked myself that same question.

And I realized:
I wasn’t broken.
But my system was overloaded.

See, most of us are taught to optimize. To keep improving, tweaking, and adjusting what we already have.

But what no one tells you is that sometimes…the system itself is the problem.

No amount of fine-tuning can fix an engine that’s carrying too much weight.

That’s when it hit me:
I didn’t need better tools.
I needed fewer inputs.

So I started subtracting instead of optimizing.

I let go of the parts that weren’t moving the needle, even if they looked productive on the surface.

One calendar.
One project.
One priority at a time.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt clear.
I wasn’t rushing.
I wasn’t reacting.
I was focused, and I was finally moving forward.

The truth is, clarity doesn’t come from doing more.
It comes from doing less, but doing it with purpose.

So if you’ve been feeling the pressure to keep optimizing…
Maybe it’s time to pause.
And ask yourself not what can I improve —

…but what can I remove?

That’s where the breakthrough lives.

3 Quick Wins for Simplicity

There’s a point where the pursuit of productivity becomes the very thing slowing you down.
That’s what happened to me, and maybe it’s happening to you too.

When I finally stepped back and questioned the system itself, I landed on three powerful shifts that gave me my time back without sacrificing momentum.

1. The Trap of Tools

It’s easy to believe that a better app or a sleeker dashboard will fix your overwhelm.
But most of the time, new tools just become new friction points.

You spend more time syncing your platforms than creating progress.

Here’s what I realized:

You don’t need more dashboards. You need more direction.

Start with one or two tools that work. Then go deep with them. Mastery > variety.

The goal isn’t to build the perfect system.

The goal is to spend more time in flow and less time in setup.

2. The Subtraction Strategy

Most people try to systematize chaos.
They build complex processes to organize a life they haven’t even simplified yet.

Flip that.

Start with subtraction.
Audit your tasks. Cut the noise.
Then — and only then — build systems around what’s left.

What you remove is just as powerful as what you build.
In fact, removal creates room for the right things to work.

Less to manage = more energy to focus.

3. The Power of One

If your brain is bouncing between six tools, five goals, and three priorities…
You’re not doing deep work.
You’re reacting. Fragmented. Scattered.

But what if you tried this:

→ One calendar
→ One meaningful priority per day
→ One creative focus at a time

Your clarity would increase.

Your output would improve.

And most importantly, you’d feel like you’re actually moving forward.

Simplicity is not the absence of ambition.

It’s the removal of noise that blocks your true potential.

The Shift That Changes Everything

At some point, you realize that hard work alone won’t save you.
You can only sprint for so long before your legs give out.

If you’re trying to build something meaningful: a business, a brand, a better life, you have to shift out of grind mode and into leverage mode.

Because more input doesn’t equal more impact.

You don’t need to grind harder.

You need to build smarter.

In business, that means:
→ Leveraging your unique skills.
→ Designing systems that free you up.
→ Automating what drains you.
→ Turning assets into momentum.

In life, it means cutting what no longer serves your future.

Clearing space so your energy isn’t constantly divided.

This isn’t about doing less for the sake of it.

It’s about removing what distracts, drains, or delays… so the work that matters has room to grow.

You can’t hear your ideas clearly in the noise.

You can’t execute with power when you’re managing chaos.

Subtraction isn’t a weakness. It’s a skill.

And it just might be the difference between a scattered life and a focused one.

Next week, we’ll go deeper into environment design, how the spaces you live and work in silently shape your focus, energy, and output.

Until then, subtract something that doesn’t belong.
Create a little more space.
And keep building with clarity, not chaos.

Thank you for reading this week’s letter.
If it helped you see things differently, consider sharing it with a friend who’s caught in the loop of over-optimization.
They don’t need another app — they need clarity.

Stay focused,
— Noah

P.S. I’m building a free resource that will guide you step-by-step through creating your own clarity-first system, one you can actually stick to.
Subscribers to Simply In Letters will get first access.
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