Steven Bartlett has been mocked by fellow celebrities after claiming that two glasses of wine 'ruined his life for three days'. The Dragon's Den star, 33, made the remarks on his Diary of a CEO podcast, sparking a debate about the 'optimisation movement' which promotes using data and technology to boost productivity.
BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James called on his Instagram followers to join his 'anti-optimisation/Bartlett cult', saying the obsession with measuring everything can make people miserable. 'You can have ambitions and goals and do well in your life professionally and also have a great time,' he said, adding that 'optimisation is killing fun.'
Other celebrities joined the criticism. Singer Paloma Faith asked: 'You mean you don't have to be a nit picking, hyper critical psychopath to succeed?' Fearne Cotton quipped: 'I genuinely sometimes podcast better on a hang over.' DJ Yasmin Evans described the trend as 'optimising a life that you're not living.'
TV presenter Laura Jackson said people are 'so busy tracking life we're forgetting to actually live it', noting that some of the best memories look terrible on a fitness tracker. Julia Bradbury, who has written about health, emphasised progress over perfection and the importance of fun.
Bartlett, who has previously courted controversy with episodes on declining birth rates and nutrition, explained that the wine disrupted his sleep and led to poor eating and gym habits, which he tracked on his Whoop device. The backlash highlights growing resistance to the relentless pursuit of self-optimisation at the expense of enjoyment.
