What Is A Stoic Optimizer?

On the surface, the Stoic Optimizer looks just like any other human. You've passed by one on the street and probably didn't notice. Maybe you've even met one in person - they were hiding inside one of those ambitious A-type people who somehow seem to have a superhuman grasp on every aspect of their life. You might even be one in disguise!

(Don't worry if you're not though, reading this blog will get you there if that's where you want to go!)

It's easy to understand what an optimizer is and how they behave. They strive to get the best of everything, have a data-driven approach to their problems and can come up with lengthy explanations of why they made a particular decision. But just because you found the optimal solution doesn't mean that you optimized for the right thing. 

In contrast to a regular optimizer, a Stoic Optimizer strives not only to find the best answer, but also to ask the right questions. And there is no problem more pressing and important than how you choose to spend your time. That's because you can always get more money, to some degree you can even regain health once you've lost it. But wasted time never returns. 

To put it rather morbidly, you're dying a little every day. So why not make each day count? 

This leads me to the possible definition of the Stoic Optimizer:

Why did I say intention and not purpose? Because no matter what we choose to do, the Universe might have other plans. So fundamentally, our best thought out strategies can be merely intentions. (That's where Stoicism comes in - you need a philosophical framework to cope with the curveballs that life throws at you.)

How Does a Stoic Optimizer Run Their Life?

The Stoic Optimizer lifestyle is based on 4 pillars. Each of them gets its own category on the website. Let's briefly go through them:

1. First Principles: Think of these as guiding lights in the perilous sea of distraction and meaninglessness. They form the basis for answering the question "What should I optimize for (and why)?".

2. Human Bugs & Features: This section of the website aims to break the code of human nature to uncover which traits stand in your way and which propel you forward. They are relevant whether you're a Stoic Optimizer or not. You need to know these in order to be able to approach your mission strategically, because they define the playing field. They answer the question "What should I take into account before deciding on a strategy to reach my optimization goals?".

3. Optimal Solutions: To speed up your journey, this type of post documents what works so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel when you're struggling with issues that your predecessors have already overcome. It's up to you to decide if they apply to your situation, but you will learn a lot just by understanding how to break down the task at hand and you will be better equipped to design your own solution, if nothing else.

4. Last, but not least, someone else might have said it better than I ever could, or there might be more in-depth materials that you could find useful. I collect those under Resources, the last post category. 

I Want to Try This! How Do I Proceed?

To get an even more in-depth idea of what the Stoic Optimizer is about, check out the website manifesto linked below, or jump into the crash course on Stoicism to get a glimpse of the philosophical underpinnings that guide our shared movement. 

Alternatively, if one of the categories linked above caught your attention, take a deep dive into the topic using the navigation buttons. 

And don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter to receive an email every time I post new content. As a thank you, you will receive an exclusive e-book about the Dichotomy of Control (probably the most important Stoic principle you will ever learn). 

The path feels lighter if your friends are on it too.

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