I have to remind myself that the goal is not to fill every last bit of space—every last molecule of air in a bottle.

The goal is not to maximize whatever you’re doing. You need slack. You need space.

There’s fluctuation in life. The best bridges aren’t the ones built of unbending concrete, but the ones that can sway and flow with the wind, that can flex through an earthquake. They need slack. They need flexibility.

Even a strong muscle will snap if it isn’t supple enough to stretch.

I notice I do this with my schedule. I’m grateful to myself today for having flown back from New York yesterday instead of on Sunday—the day before a full workday—to give myself a full day of rest, a day to wake up and breathe.

Part of my mind still says: “Keep going. Maximize every moment. Push. Fill the calendar. See all the friends. Do all the work.”
Forgetting that the point isn’t to block every hour, but to leave some open space—to just roam, to fart around (as Kurt Vonnegut would say), to simply be.

That space is what gives us the ability to bounce back. To respond when something beautiful or unexpected appears. To move with life instead of against it.

We don’t need to fill every second of our work or personal life.
We need flexibility.
We need slack.

Maybe the goal isn't to min-max life.
Maybe there is no real goal.
But leaving some air to breathe helps you move forward.