{"id":60498,"date":"2022-04-15T17:56:37","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T09:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mindvalley.com\/?p=60498"},"modified":"2025-11-24T11:22:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T11:22:26","slug":"algorithm-controls-life-max-hawkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mindvalley.com\/blog\/algorithm-controls-life-max-hawkins\/","title":{"rendered":"Stuck in a rut? Here\u2019s a counterintuitive way to start living again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you\u2019ve been recently <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.mindvalley.com\/what-to-do-if-youre-feeling-stuck-in-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stuck in a rut<\/a> or if you\u2019ve long had the feeling that you\u2019re \u201cjust living for the weekend,&#8221; we\u2019re going to introduce you to a thought leader whose experiences breaking his routine in the most unconventional way could inspire us to live fuller, more exciting lives!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-perfectly-predictable-life\">The perfectly predictable life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Max Hawkins was living his \u201cperfect\u201d life in San Francisco as a software engineer for\u00a0Google. He had his morning routine, his fastidiously selected\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/goodness-exchange.com\/how-a-cup-of-tea-led-to-country-wide-human-kindness-with-guisepi-spadafora\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coffee shop<\/a>, his optimized travel route, and his regular Friday plans. He had created a life perfectly tailored to his interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One day, though, as he was reading a paper for his work about predictive analytics, his world was turned upside down. The paper explained how it was possible to predict with a high level of accuracy where a person was going or would go based on their previous GPS data. This got Max to thinking&#8230; had his life become this predictable? After some consideration, the answer was clear: yes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so Max embarked on a journey to randomize his life. It started with an app that helped him choose, at random, a place in San Francisco to visit, and he even went so far as to create a program that would randomly choose where he should live.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the process of randomizing his life, he realized something incredibly important about the way our preferences blind us and keep us from seeing an entire side of the world. So, what does it look like to put your life in the hands of an algorithm to decide what\u2019s next in life? Here\u2019s Max from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCAuUUnT6oDeKwE6v1NGQxug\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TED<\/a>\u00a0stage to show us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Max Hawkins: I let algorithms randomize my life for two years | TED\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eKkI6-HeWXo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-could-we-make-of-a-more-randomized-life\">What could we make of a more randomized life?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6378489\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">benefits<\/a> to having routines and habits like making <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.mindvalley.com\/healthy-habits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">healthier choices<\/a>,&nbsp;we can easily become attached to them without asking if they are still serving us, which can even become limiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/14640847\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a> found that our perception of time even changes when we are doing routine things. When participants were asked to recall their time spent doing non-routine things, they perceived them as taking longer than routine activities.\u00a0This explains why you probably recall a day of your vacation seeming so much longer and more eventful than a day spent going to work or participating in your normal habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My guess is that most of us can\u2019t put our lives into the hands of an algorithm and live life like Max Hawkins, but we can take some ideas from his example. <\/p>\n<cite>\u2014 Liesl Ulrich-Verderber, CEO of Goodness Exchange<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We can make time for random experiences: taking a day on the weekend to do something different or unexpected, trying a new exercise class, taking a new path to work, or going to a random event in your community. We can let serendipity guide our choices: going to the farmer\u2019s market and letting what\u2019s in season determine this week\u2019s dinner, saying \u201cyes\u201d to grabbing a drink with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/goodness-exchange.com\/experimenting-on-our-streets-people-not-cars\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a friend we bump into on the street<\/a>, setting aside time for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/maxhawkins.me\/work\/randomized_living.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a random stroll<\/a>, drive, or adventure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The more we become conscious of the way our routines hold us back, the more we can seek out ways to flip them on their heads and be open to new experiences. As Max pointed out, it\u2019s easy to create a life that only lets us see a world we are comfortable with. So perhaps part of our purposeful breaking of routine should be in the pursuit of some <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.mindvalley.com\/discomfort\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">discomfort<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-where-will-you-find-ways-to-break-your-routine-and-see-your-world-with-new-eyes\">Where will you find ways to break your routine and see your world with new eyes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you need a little inspiration on where to get started,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/maxhawkins.me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">check out Max\u2019s website<\/a>,\u00a0where he\u2019s got a few of his randomizers available for you to tinker with. Or, you can keep up with him by<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/maxhawkins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u00a0following him on Twitter<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you start with a randomized&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/6p21dRudS9FmcyGvKWPq2R?si=30fb516c28ea41fd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">playlist on Spotify<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/goodness-exchange.com\/finding-calling-in-weird-veggies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">get adventurous with your gardens this spring<\/a>, or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/goodness-exchange.com\/miss-kittie-bmx\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">throw yourself into a new hobby<\/a>, bringing a new rhythm into your life is right within your grasp. What will you try?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stay beautiful &amp; keep laughing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-embracing-the-unpredictable\"><strong>Embracing the unpredictable<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Breaking out of our routines can open doors to new experiences, perspectives, and even personal growth. While we may not all live as spontaneously as Max Hawkins, we can find small ways to invite more serendipity into our daily lives\u2014whether it\u2019s choosing a different route to work, trying a new activity, or simply saying &#8220;yes&#8221; to unexpected opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re ready to explore a life beyond routine and embrace the joy of spontaneity, Mindvalley offers transformational programs, like <em>Be Extraordinary<\/em> by Vishen Lakhiani and <em>Superbrain<\/em> by Jim Kwik, designed to expand your mind, unlock your potential, and help you create a life rich with new experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/home.mindvalley.com\/quiz?utm_source=blog_inline_link&amp;utm_campaign=quiz&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;otag=blog_quiz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sign up for a free account<\/a><\/strong> today and gain access to guided meditations, exclusive lessons, and a global community to support your journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8212;<br><em>This article was first published on <a href=\"https:\/\/goodness-exchange.com\/algorithm-controls-life-max-hawkins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Goodness Exchange<\/a> and is now being shared here in partnership with Mindvalley.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201cperfect\u201d morning routine, the \u201coptimal\u201d work schedule, the \u201cbest\u201d restaurants\u2026 It seems we\u2019re always striving for ways to grow our lives around what we\u2013or society\u2013 deem to work best. But what if all those conscious choices we make to achieve the \u201cideal\u201d life were the very things keeping us from living full, exciting lives?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":72754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[5587],"series":[],"area-of-growth":[3426],"outcome":[3524,3458,3522],"featured":[],"coauthors":[1153],"class_list":["post-60498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soul","tag-soul-free-resources","area-of-growth-mindfulness","outcome-being-present","outcome-flow-state","outcome-intuition"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stuck in a Rut? 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