What I’m Optimizing for This Year (And Why)

Every year, my goals look more or less the same.

Get into a better fitness routine.
Grow in my career.
Read more books than I did last year.

And every year, I genuinely mean them. I do want to be healthier, sharper, more disciplined, more well-read. Those things matter to me. But I’ve started to notice that when I keep aiming at the same broad goals, I end up neglecting the things that actually change how my life feels day to day.

Lately, I’ve been thinking less about goals and more about direction.

Not what I want to achieve in theory, but what I want my energy pointed toward—what kind of year I’m actually trying to have.

In my twenties so far, every year has had a theme, whether I named it or not. There was the COVID year. The move-in-with-my-boyfriend year. The breakup year. The Europe travel year. The move-to-Boston year. Each one came with big, visible shifts—new cities, new identities, new versions of myself.

And for a long time, that kind of dramatic change felt synonymous with growth.

This year feels different. For the first time in a while, there isn’t a major upheaval waiting in the wings. No big move. No clean break. No obvious next chapter being forced on me. And instead of panicking about that, I realized something important:

This year, I want to optimize my ability to grow without dramatic change.

To stay motivated. To keep striving. To build momentum—without relying on chaos, pressure, or a burning-the-boats moment to push me forward.

Optimizing for Momentum, Not Pressure

When everything in your life is optional—when no one is forcing your hand—it’s surprisingly easy to drift. I’ve noticed that without some structure, I wake up most mornings quietly asking myself, What should I be doing today? I have goals, yes, but they can feel abstract when there’s no urgency attached to them.

So instead of trying to overhaul my life with rigid routines (which I’ve never been great at), I’ve been focusing on a few small rituals that create momentum without stress.

Right now, that looks like a warm cup of bone broth in the morning, actually savored, usually alongside a show or music. Three eggs and a piece of toast for breakfast—simple, grounding, reliable. A quick moment to write down the top three things I want to get done that day. Nothing elaborate. Just enough to orient myself.

And then I get going.

Some days that means getting dressed and heading out. Other days it means staying in and doing laptop work in my pajamas. The point isn’t aesthetic discipline—it’s movement. I’m no longer starting the day stalled out, negotiating with myself.

The one thing I’d like to add here is waking up an hour earlier, just enough time to fit in a solid workout before the day gets noisy. Not because I think mornings are morally superior, but because I want my energy to feel earned early on.

Optimizing for Community (Beyond What’s Comfortable)

Another thing I’m being more intentional about this year is community.

I’ve always had friends, plans, birthdays, dinners—things tend to fill up naturally. But I realized I’ve been relying a lot on what’s already familiar. This year, I want to expand outward.

That means saying yes to events where I don’t know anyone yet. Actually reading the newsletters I subscribe to. Showing up consistently to the same places instead of bouncing around. Letting routine work for me socially, not against me.

Since I plan to stay in this city, I want to build a life that feels rooted here. One where I recognize people, and they recognize me—not because it’s comfortable, but because it’s real. There’s something quietly powerful about becoming a familiar face in your own life.

Optimizing for Being Ready, Not Reactive

The last thing I’m consciously optimizing for this year is maintenance—specifically, beauty and self-care.

Historically, I’ve treated things like nails, hair, facials as reactive. I go when there’s an event coming up, or when things have gotten… noticeably bad. And then I rush, scramble, and feel slightly behind my own reflection.

This year, I want to flip that.

I want to stay on top of these things not out of vanity, but out of preparedness. I want to move through my life knowing I’m presenting myself the way I want to, without needing a countdown or an excuse. It’s one less thing to think about when opportunities pop up—social or professional—and one more way to respect the version of myself I’m becoming.

The Quiet Privilege of Optimization

None of this is lost on me. The ability to optimize—for routine, community, maintenance—comes from a place of real privilege and freedom. Time, resources, flexibility. I’m aware of that, and I don’t take it lightly.

But because I have that freedom, I feel a responsibility to use it well.

This year isn’t about becoming someone entirely new. It’s about learning how to grow where I am. How to keep moving forward without needing a crisis to catalyze it. How to build a life that feels intentional, steady, and quietly ambitious.

That’s what I’m optimizing for this year.

And for once, that feels like enough.