Welcome back to savvy psychologist. I'm your interim host, Dr. Ellen Hendrickson.

As you know, the wonderful Dr. Monica Johnson recently concluded her time as host of the show.

So while the quick and dirty tips team searches for a new permanent host, I am delighted to be back at the

mic, alternating with Dr. Jade Wu for the next few weeks. And every week, we'll help you face

life's challenges with evidence-based approaches, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

For all of us, who have ever obsessed over our step count, turned a hobby into a

side quest, or tried to quote unquote perfect our morning routine, optimization is both a

hopeful promise and a permanent struggle. Optimization culture takes a toll. There is immense cultural pressure to, quote, be our best self. And it can be hard to know how to push back. Because what does it even mean to stop optimizing? Do we lower our standards and see if anyone cares? Stop tracking personal metrics and go on vibes? Lean into ephemeral qualities that can't be quantified?

If you feel like the point of living has become lost in perfection,

today we'll take a step back.

This week, rather than mindlessly working to upgrade and transform,

here are four questions to ask ourselves to help resist the urge to

optimize everything. Question number one. Is this meant to be optimized? Sometimes we try to

optimize things that aren't meant to be optimized. A client will call Katie was worried she wouldn't be able

to be in the moment on her long-awaited vacation. She wanted to maximize feeling carefree,

happy, and relaxed. But optimization implies control. And some things can't be fully controlled,

like our emotions, creative inspiration, level of focus,

whether people like us, other people's behavior, or, to Katie's dismay, exactly how she'd feel

while exploring a Caribbean island. Plus, even when something can be optimized, sometimes that misses the point.

We can optimize our vacation schedule for maximum bucket list activities, but we end up exhausted

and like we've somehow misjudged.

So, be judicious.

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