Optimize

Optimize. Optimize. Optimize.

Feb 22, 2026

Recently my high-functioning manager-level friend said to me, “It’s hard to imagine being even more tired” and I suddenly realized how tired I was too in that moment. I knew this year of the Horse, would catalyze major change and it was time to take the steps towards my future and I could sense my friend was feeling the same… But, it was going to be hard to take those steps feeling so depleted.

Even as managers and executives of solid standing for over a decade in a creative field, we’d been struggling to find a work-life balance. Lately, we’d found it difficult to execute upon everything we wanted to do in our days, partly because of all of the opportunity constantly falling into our laps. The lack of focus and exhaustion started to grow, galloping at a horse’s pace into 2026 with a roster of new clients, projects and callings, we simply couldn’t turn all the biz away… it would be foolish to do so.

I began to wonder how we could course-correct. How could we possibly set ourselves up for growth, all this sweet biz and find all the rest we needed in our day-to-day while manifesting wealth, abundance, creative? We needed to optimize.

Today’s era of excess has created a pandemic of unhealthy practices, a widespread lack of focus and leading many to question: is it (one’s current career/lifestyle) worth it? Optimization is “the action of making the best or most effective use of a situation or resource” and calls into further question, how does one utilize their limited ‘resources’ to best influence their own ‘situation’?

As entrepreneurs and/or ‘bio-hackers’ like Mark Cuban and Bryan Johnson are optimizing their lives and sleep with circadian tuned cabin lighting, vibrating wristbands, strict nutritional and exercise regiments, somatic and psychedelic healing, blood boys, stem-cells and more in order to optimize their schedules for the maximum efficiency… it made me wonder why artists aren’t embracing the same practices? Surely it can’t just be about spending millions of dollars? Can we just grab some supplements and dedicate ourselves to the cause? It seemed there was a clear path towards optimization right in front of us all along from these trailblazers.

Photograph: bryanjohnson_/instagram (featuring his son Talmage holding their blood vials)

I thought back to a friend on my college hockey team who once nicknamed me “Mr. Efficiency”, despite the unhealthy practices one might imagine when thinking about classic college party tropes. Even with those bad practices, the moniker of “Mr. Efficiency” was bestowed as I not only maintained decent health and strong school grades, but was one of the scoring leaders on our team and also balancing a burgeoning, but unfocused creative practice (in our school’s film department).

As I’ve gotten older and, truly more disciplined (?), mindfulness, meditation, yoga, somatic healing, nutrition and more “healthy” practices have positively infiltrated my life and noticeably made me a better hockey player and I hope, human. But, how much “better” could I be if I got more efficient? How much more biz could I balance? How much more could I really excel as an artist? Advance as a writer… a substack-er? Thought leader? Guru? Get absolutely shredded?? Could I still win the “Cup” again or is it too late for me? NHL legend Sidney Crosby is older than me and still one of the best out there. Am I “washed up” too soon? Or maybe there’s still hope… maybe I can still land an NHL tryout and become the oldest rookie to shake up the professional league! Maybe I can win the “Cup” in other ways still, even if not on the ice.

I thought of Mark Wahlberg’s famously disciplined lifestyle, waking up at 2:30am with prayer, vitamins, a cold plunge…

I want to really ensure I’m training not just to be the best Adult League Hockey Player I can be… but ensure I have enough time to balance my work-work and creative-work, my family, my desire to eat tasty meals, to be as healthy and efficient as I can be, to be the best artist. I don’t even have kids or play golf… is 30min really enough time for Wahlberg to golf? When does he play a full round? Or does he only go hit balls at the range?? Hockey takes me at least an hour and a half!!

With all of this, I’ve been wondering what my own optimized dream executive routine looks like. Being the best executive, athlete, artist and human I can possibly be feels essential in this new year of the horse. Maybe if I really commit, dive even further into the well of discipline, optimization can lead to not just pretty solid health and good hockey stats, but fame? Glory? Riches?

1st sleep 8-12
Mid sleep activities (yoga, dream journaling, housework, etc) 12-1
2nd sleep 1-4
1st breakfast and meditation 4-5
1st Workout 5-6
2nd breakfast and hyperbaric chamber 6-7
1st work 7-10
2nd workout and sauna/cold plunge - 10- 11
1st lunch 11-12
2nd work 12-3
2nd (light) lunch 3-4
3rd final work 4-5
Early bird dinner 5-6
2nd meditation and initiate phone/computer free time 6-7
Spend time with family before bed 7-8

This is just an initial stab. Obviously I’ve mentioned hockey a lot on this thread and that’s usually a 1-2 day a week practice at night… so nights playing hockey will undoubtedly impact my ability to go to bed by 8pm (given games tend to be later). Perhaps I need to also think about a day or two a week for more recovery… maybe it’s not feasible to just work out twice-a-day every single day of the week? Will working out too much (without accompanying hyperbaric chamber, cold plunge, IV drips, etc) derail the goal of getting swole mentally and physically? Do I also need to incorporate some prayer? It seems that’s working well for Wahlberg…

This also doesn’t factor in the likely evening events (screenings/parties/etc) I often attend for work which will likely keep me up late… or doesn’t factor in having any friends, or going to an occasional concert, a rave, a dinner out… What if I have a drink? Do I need to get sober? Do I need to stop having friends?

I’m also not really sure how to access fresh blood like Bryan Johnson since I don’t have a son who will offer me his blood, nor am I sure I want to de-age myself either after all of the hard work and time it’s taken to age-up. Maybe things will change in a few years? Maybe if I enter the sphere of ‘Fintech’ and land a multi-million, multi-billion dollar investment my mindset will change? But, then what? Do I become “illuminati”? Do I lose myself? Lose sight of my goals? Become like Zuckerberg and start riding a $12,000 surf board or do MMA? I don’t know how to surf yet, but it seems like it is easier to do when you have a fancy tech-surf-board.

Mark Zuckerberg riding a $12,000 surf board

Now that I’m writing this all out… thinking about these caveats, I wonder how I can actually keep up with this optimized practice. I’m thinking that I need an assistant to start. If you’re interested in being my optimization assistant you can apply below…

How do Wahlberg, Johnson, Cuban, Crosby do it all? Why the hell do I dream of an optimized executive or athletic routine when I’m not a professional athlete or running a multi-million, multi-billion dollar business or even quite sure what I want to optimize? Is optimization a result of the work or more of a reflection of one’s self? What came first… the chicken or the egg?

My goal of optimization has only lead to more questions. More concerns. If only I could optimize my mind and commit. If you know the answers to any of these questions above, then you are highly qualified to be my optimization assistant.

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