“Maxxing” is all over LinkedIn these days. 75 Hard. Cold plunges. Supplements. Sleep scores. Net worth trackers. The fantasy is simple: optimize everything and then life will feel meaningful.
It won’t.
Lifemaxxing is just productivity culture wearing spiritual clothes.
It promises control. It delivers anxiety.
Because meaning doesn’t come from winning at life.
It comes from choosing a life.
Lifemaxxing can’t answer the most fundamental question:
Why?
A meaningful life isn’t optimized. It’s committed.
- Committed to people who can disappoint you.
- Committed to work that might not work.
- Committed to saying what you actually think, not what performs well.
- Committed to paths you can’t spreadsheet your way through.
Optimization asks:
“How do I get the most upside with the least risk?”
Meaning asks:
“What am I willing to stand for even if it costs me?”
That’s why meaning feels scary. There’s no dashboard. No scorecard. No guarantee.
And that’s the point.
If you want a meaningful life, stop trying to max everything.
Pick something. Care deeply. Risk being wrong.
Let the friction teach you.
You don’t need a better system.
You need a clearer yes.