How the Life Optimization Index is calculated

LOI is built as a weighted score (0–100) across 7 pillars. Each pillar is first converted into a 0–100 subscore (so different units can be compared), then combined. We intentionally use soft caps — after a certain point, more input helps less. That keeps the score realistic: going from 4 hours to 7 hours of sleep matters more than going from 9 to 11.

• Sleep (20%) – the foundation for energy, hormones, mood, and impulse control.
• Deep Focus (15%) – your “output engine”: concentrated work without interruption.
• Movement (15%) – daily activity + exercise minutes; steps add a small bonus.
• Stress (15%) – lower stress boosts performance, sleep quality, and decision-making.
• Nutrition (15%) – consistency beats perfection; it’s about stable fuel.
• Habits (10%) – whether you follow through on the basics you already know.
• Life Support (10%) – environment order + social connection + learning momentum.

Here are the exact mappings used in this calculator:

• Sleep subscore: best around 7.5–8 hours. It drops if you’re far below or above. (A gentle “inverted U”.)
• Deep Work subscore: 0 min → 0; 120 min → ~85; 180+ min → ~100 (soft cap).
• Movement subscore: 0 min → 0; 45 min → ~75; 75+ min → ~100 (soft cap).
• Steps bonus: up to +8 points added to Movement (0 steps = +0, 10,000 steps = +8).
• Stress subscore: uses your 1–10 rating but inverted (1 = calm = high score).
• Nutrition subscore: your 1–10 rating scaled to 10–100 (with a small floor so “1” isn’t literally zero).
• Habit subscore: your 0–100% value directly used.
• Life Support subscore: combines Social (1–10), Environment (1–10), and Learning minutes (soft cap at 60+ minutes).
• Screen time penalty: subtracts up to 10 points total if screen time is very high (soft cap at 10+ hours).

Screen time itself isn’t “evil” — you might use screens for work, learning, or connection. But in real life, high screen time correlates with attention fragmentation and time leakage. That’s why LOI treats it as a small drag: it won’t destroy your score, but it nudges you toward a cleaner baseline.

Turn a number into better days

The LOI score is most useful when you treat it like a dashboard. You don’t optimize everything at once — you choose one bottleneck, fix it, and let the score rise as a side effect.

• 85–100: Optimized life machine. Protect what you’ve built and avoid over-tweaking.
• 70–84: Strong baseline. One “leak” is probably costing you extra energy.
• 50–69: Stable but inefficient. Pick one lever (sleep or focus is usually best).
• 30–49: Survival mode. Simplify: sleep, food, and one small movement habit first.
• 0–29: System crash. The goal is recovery, not productivity. Start with basics and ask for support if needed.

• Run LOI once at the start of the week.
• Pick a single “fastest upgrade” from your result.
• Run LOI again in 7 days and compare.
• If LOI goes up but you feel worse, you’re over-optimizing — back off and recover.

LOI works best as a “trend line.” Your day-to-day will vary — the weekly average matters.

Three real-world LOI scenarios

Examples help you calibrate expectations. Notice how one weak pillar can drag the whole score down — and how one fix can raise it quickly.

• Sleep: 5.8h · Deep work: 140 min · Movement: 20 min · Stress: 8/10
• Nutrition: 6/10 · Habits: 55% · Screen time: 9h

This profile looks productive, but the system is leaking. Sleep and stress are the biggest anchors, with screen time adding drag. The fastest upgrade is protecting a consistent bedtime and adding a small “movement snack” (10 minutes after lunch). Most people can gain +8 to +15 LOI in a week from that alone.

• Sleep: 7.6h · Movement: 50 min · Stress: 5/10 · Screen time: 10h
• Deep work: 35 min · Habits: 60% · Learning: 60 min (but fragmented)

Here, health pillars are solid, but focus is low and screen time is huge. The best move is a 2×45 minute deep-work block using a timer (Pomodoro or time blocking) and a phone parking rule during study. The “work is there” — it’s just scattered.

• Sleep: 8.0h · Movement: 45 min · Stress: 3/10 · Nutrition: 8/10
• Habits: 80% · Environment: 9/10 · Connection: 8/10 · Screen time: 3.5h

This profile tends to score high because the foundations are stable and there’s very little leakage. The best “optimization” here is often not more work — it’s protecting recovery and adding meaningful goals so life stays engaging.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is LOI scientifically validated?

  No. LOI is a practical heuristic — a “good-enough dashboard” that blends widely accepted drivers of performance and wellbeing. Use it for self-tracking and prioritization, not diagnosis or medical decisions.

• What’s a “good” Life Optimization Index?

  For most people, 70+ means you have a strong baseline. 50–69 is common (stable but leaky). If you’re below 50, you likely have one or two high-impact bottlenecks (often sleep, stress, or habits).

• Why do you include social connection and environment?

  Because life isn’t only output. Connection affects mood and resilience, and your environment affects friction. A messy space can add invisible cognitive load; a supportive circle can make hard weeks survivable.

• What if my screen time is high because I work online?

  That’s normal. Treat the screen-time penalty as a gentle reminder to protect attention: notifications off, deep-work blocks, and intentional breaks. You can still score high with screen-heavy work.

• How often should I calculate LOI?

  Weekly is ideal. Daily can be fun, but it becomes noise. LOI is best as a trend line you compare over time.

• Will this store my data?

  No server storage. Your results are calculated in your browser. If you click “Save Result,” it stores locally on your device only.