We have internalized the logic of the factory floor, applying it to our own minds. Every minute must be accounted for, optimized, and monetized. Even our hobbies have become 'side hustles.'
But intellectual history shows us that breakthroughs rarely happen during periods of intense, scheduled focus. They happen in the shower, on a long walk, or staring out a window. Unstructured time—time that feels 'wasted' by capitalist metrics—is the only soil rich enough to grow original thought. By optimizing every second, we are starving our own creativity.