
The Busy Trap: Seneca on Why You're Optimizing the Wrong Thing | 373
From Stoic Coffee Break by Erick Cloward
April 7, 2026 · 14 min · Episode 373
About this episode
The episode discusses the dangers of over-optimizing life and insights from Stoic philosophy on managing time effectively.
Are you too busy? Are you working too hard to be productive with every minute of your time? In today’s episode I want to talk about the perils of over-optimizing your life, and what the Stoics had to say about managing your time. “So, concerning the things we pursue, and for which we vigorously exert ourselves, we owe this consideration – either there is nothing useful in them, or most aren't useful. Some of them are superfluous, while others aren't worth that much. But we don't discern this and see them as free, when they cost us dearly.” — Seneca
People in this episode
Host: Erick Cloward
Topics covered
- time management
- Stoicism
- productivity
- life optimization
- philosophy
Keywords
- busy trap
- Seneca
- Stoics
- time management
- productivity
- life optimization
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