Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, aviator and author

This is my favorite quote, and it applies so well in particular to our contemporary world, where we have access to anything at any time. Any piece of information can be in front of us in an instant, and also pretty much any physical object can reach our doorstep in a matter of days if we want it to. But having a lot of everything does not bring happiness – more often it just adds to the pile of garbage, be it in a physical form or of a more mental construction.

I love optimizing things. To me, it is a journey towards the truth. Having just enough, but not more, is what I seek in my work, in designing and building things where the construction material is thoughts and ideas that combine to form constructions of processes and software. I apply the same principles of optimization to myself, my physical body, my life and the physical around me.

This blog is a collection of small stories about how I optimized various things. Finding out what truly matters and focusing on the correct things, while leaving the rest out, leads to end results that can be described as elegant. This beauty can be found all over nature and physics, where things that have found their optimal state are often the ones that we humans describe as elegant and serene. My optimal might not be optimal for everybody. What fits my environment might not be the best fit everywhere. But hopefully the stories of how I got there can spark inspiration in others regarding how to optimize in their own lives, in their own surroundings and situations.