In the midst of our fast-paced lives, we find ourselves entangled in the pursuit of constant optimization — squeezing every moment dry. However, what if, instead of optimizing every second, we dared to de-optimize parts of our days? Embracing the seemingly unproductive aspects of life and incorporating more downtime into our schedule hold the key to curiosity and creativity.

Speaker: Maria Cano, MBA ’25

The LOWkeynotes Program features a series of nine-minute ‘keynote-style’ presentations from Stanford Graduate School of Business students about an idea they think could change lives, organizations, and the world. This presentation was delivered for the March 2024 LOWkeynotes season.