I'm a big fan of the 37signals team. DHH, one of the co-founders, is famous for software development and racing cars. On a recent podcast he began chatting about his enjoyment of driving. This got me thinking about self-driving cars. I'm also a big fan of Tesla and they are at the forefront of self-driving with the irony of making cars that are also really fun to drive. Self-driving cars promise to optimize this "waste" of time.

But here's the thing – I actually enjoy driving. Not the mind-numbing highway stretches or frustrating traffic jams, but those peaceful moments when it's just me, the road, and my thoughts.

This got me thinking about our obsession with optimization.

We're constantly trying to save time, streamline processes, and make everything more efficient. But what are we really gaining? And more importantly, what are we losing?

I've seen this firsthand in my work as a designer and developer.

There was a time when I could let designs evolve naturally as I built them, watching them grow from static mockups into living, breathing websites. The "inefficiency" of wearing both hats – designer and developer – actually made the end product better. Now, in the name of efficiency, we've split these roles into separate assembly line stations. Everything's more "organized," but something valuable has been lost in the process.

The truth is, some inefficiencies are worth protecting.

Think about cooking. Sure, meal delivery services and microwave dinners save time, but they strip away the meditation of chopping vegetables, the satisfaction of timing multiple dishes to finish together, the proud exhaustion of serving something you created from scratch.

The "inefficiency" is part of the joy.

We see this pattern everywhere:

• Handwritten letters carry meaning precisely because they take more time than texts
• Physical books engage our senses in ways e-readers can't replicate
• Walking to a local shop creates unexpected conversations that Amazon Prime will never provide
• Film photography makes each shot matter in a way that unlimited digital storage doesn't

This isn't an argument against progress.

Self-driving cars will make long-distance travel safer and more accessible. Digital tools will continue to transform how we work. But maybe instead of asking "How can we make this more efficient?" we should sometimes ask "Is this something worth being inefficient at?"

There's a certain irony in how we save time.

We optimize tasks to create more free time, then fill that free time with optimized entertainment – algorithmic recommendations, binge-watching, endless scrolling. We've gotten so good at saving time that we've forgotten how to spend it.