Optimization
I visited my primary care physician a couple of weeks ago for my annual wellness check-up. Medicare encourages this by providing the exam free of charge to the patient. I was asked to draw a clock face with a time of 11:10. I was required to remember the words “village,” “kitchen,” and “baby” for five or ten minutes and repeat them when prompted. I completed a questionnaire intended to assess if my home had hazards, whether I am a victim of elder abuse, and if I experience food or financial insecurity. Medications were reviewed and blood pressure was taken.
In the course of my conversation with the doctor, she asked if I was working full-time. I told her I was and explained that my definition of work includes assignments for which I am paid, those for which I volunteer, and other activities such as writing Field Notes & Reflections. I suspect that most of her Medicare patients are less active than I am.
As I thought about her question, it occurred to me that it is not necessarily the best way to inquire about the activity level of patients. It would seem to make more sense to understand whether individuals are optimizing the time and energy they are devoting to the entire spectrum of pursuits with which they are engaged. Those might be organized into four general categories: maintenance; growth; socializing; and productivity. These are not necessarily discrete categories; it is likely that there will be overlap.
I would note as well that the functions that fall into these categories should not be thought of exclusively with regard to the elderly. They are applicable to well-being at every age.
Maintenance. I was working with an attorney a few years ago to draft an advance directive document. He used language typical of similar documents that I had seen. I asked him to revise it because I felt it could be interpreted by caregivers to prolong my life well beyond the time when I could perform independently the routine tasks associated with daily living. These are the most basic of maintenance functions: eating, bathing, toileting, dressing, sleeping, and the like. Other important maintenance functions might include exercising, stimulating the brain through reading or doing puzzles, and meditating. Keeping appointments with healthcare professionals and taking prescribed medications also fall under maintenance. Engaging in leisure pursuits is important, too.
The purpose of some maintenance activities is to forestall the inevitable effects of aging on the body and mind. For most of us, decline is inevitable. Devoting time each day to these essentials is an effective way to slow this down.
Growth. We often refer to life-long learning in a work environment, an indication of its importance to maintaining and expanding skills necessary to effectiveness in an ever-changing world. The same philosophy should pertain to personal lives as well.
Here’s an easy test: have you been using artificial intelligence? For most of us, this is an easy question to answer in the affirmative since the response to many Google searches begins with an AI-generated summary. Those who are not seeing these summaries are probably insufficiently curious. Curiosity is the beginning of growth.
There are countless opportunities to acquire new knowledge and improve skills in familiar areas, but we tend to fall into the trap of following familiar routines. It is probable that we are designed to find comfort in the everyday. Comfort is deceptive, however, preventing us from reaping the rewards that come from exposure to the new and risky. I’m not suggesting that we all need to take up skydiving. Reading a book by a new author, listening to music of a genre that differs from what one liked in one’s 20s, trying new hobbies, and eating different ethnic foods are all ways to forge new connections in the brain. These and other growth activities also enable us to see the world through new eyes.
Socializing. I admit that I am bad at this. I do not prioritize getting together with friends and acquaintances. Most of my socializing takes place in the context of work or volunteering. This is better than nothing, I suppose, but research tells us that building and maintaining a strong social network makes a difference to quality of life at every age.
I had lunch with a friend last week and have lunch scheduled with another friend next week. Perhaps there is hope for me after all.
Productivity. This was the working title of this essay until I realized that productivity is only one part of what makes life worth living. The fact that this was not immediately apparent probably says something about how successful I am at balancing all four categories of activity. That having been said, I find that producing something is a source of great joy to me.
I dislike idleness. It is important to me that I have something to show for the time I am alive. For much of my adult life, I was productive at the job I held. I no longer have a paid position, but there are opportunities for satisfaction from volunteer roles, from writing this article, from cooking evening meals, and from doing the laundry each week.
Economists determine productivity by measuring output per labor hour. From a personal perspective, productivity is a function of outcomes: the satisfaction derived from accomplishment; the self-worth that comes from seeing the difference one makes, even from the completion of mundane tasks; the esteem one is accorded for investing oneself in assuring the success of group efforts. These are the indicators of both productivity and living well.
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During the last few years, I have come to realize that there is more I want to accomplish with the time I have remaining. To be as productive as I wish to be requires investments in maintenance, growth, and socializing.
It also requires subtracting, I have learned. I could have continued indefinitely in the interim position I held for the previous two years, but it limited my ability to devote time to other pursuits. I have begun identifying other activities I will give up in the next couple of years so I can channel that time and energy into the new endeavors.
It is unlikely that I will check off every item on my personal to-do list. I have a tendency to subtract one item and add another to take its place. I don’t think an apology is required for this, provided I achieve the appropriate balance among the four categories.
There are those who are maximizers, not optimizers. They try to do it all, cramming every moment as full as possible, looking for efficiencies and employing apps that will allow them to take on still more. As with all virtues, there are extremes of commitment that should be avoided if one is to have any hope of enjoying a bit of rest from time to time, an essential component of a life lived well.
Illustration produced with Bing Image Creator