
Jun 6, 2026·substack.com
The Optimization Trap
We are living in the golden age of self-optimization. Track your sleep, hit your macros, maximize your VO₂ max, read 50 books a year, cold plunge, red-light therapy, 5 a.m. wake-ups — the list is endless.
But according to Scott Galloway, this obsession with measurement and “maxxing” is not making us better. It’s making us more anxious, more perfectionistic, and less alive.