LLM Pareto Optimizing My Life

I believe I’ve discussed the parable of the Whispering Earring in the past. This story predates the current AI boom, so its central metaphor isn’t really about AI usage turning us all dumber as we become codependent on the technology. However, that’s the frame of reference I’m to refer to AI models, so.

I’ve been outsourcing more daily drudge decisions to AI models – ChatGPT, Gemini Pro, and Claude. I kind of send the queries to each other and have the other models validate if the decision is good or bad. I plan on keeping this list as a living document of life decisions I’ve opted out of due to AI. Here’s the current running total:


Dish soap: Buy blue Dawn.
General cleaner/disinfectant/deodorizer for all surfaces from carpet to tile: Odoban
Buy spray bottles and use diluted versions of both for general cleaning – Dawn for kitchen counters and stuff with grease, Odoban for floors, generally, and smells on furniture.

Dawn applications:

Odoban Applications:

Cleaning Stains: Folex

To clean Washing Machines: Buy Citric Acid and Sodium Percarbonate (or Oxiclean, depending on price – Oxiclean is half made up of Sodium Percarbonate anyway, so if it’s cheap enough you can substitute Oxiclean and just double the dose in your cleanings)
Run a cup of citric acid in a hot load in your washing machine once every two months or so. Do the same in a separate load with the sodium percarbonate. The citric acid cleans the built up residual detergent in your washing machine, the sodium percarbonate cleans the biological scum that builds up in your machine – mildew and other biofilms.

Here’s the full routine for those interested:

Buy a whetstone and sharpen your kitchen knives on a regular basis. The youtube channel Outdoors55 recommends this or this, which is the same as the first, but smaller and comes with a base. You can learn to pick up the basics of sharpening in under a day and you will notice the difference immediately in your kitchen. I also purchased the second and it works really well.

Cleaning metals or pots/pains: Bar Keepers Friend
Cleaning walls: Melamine Foam

EZ method of maintaining car’s clear coat + easier maintenance on select home surfaces: Optimum Opti-Seal

04/03/2026 Addendum

Standing Desks:

My prompt: Can you do some research and find me a good budget standing desk? I’m thinking of switching but don’t want to pay crazy money for it.

Opus 4.6 Response: The good news is the budget standing desk market is pretty mature at this point — you don’t need to spend $500+ to get something solid. Here’s what stands out:

The consensus budget pick: Fezibo Electric Standing Desk (~$100-160)

This keeps showing up as the top budget recommendation across multiple review sites. It comes in around the $100 mark, available in sizes from 40″ to 60 TechRadar“, with multiple color options. For that price you get three programmable height presets, cable management grommets, and headphone hooks. Tom’s Guide It’s not going to win any beauty contests, but for testing whether you even like standing while you work, it’s hard to argue with the price.

Best value step-up: FlexiSpot E2 (~$200)

The E2 runs about $200 with a height range of 28.1″ to 45.6″, supports up to 187 lbs, has four memory presets, and reviewers note it’s quiet and smooth. Meetco-furniture If you want something a bit more refined without going mid-range, this is the sweet spot.

Worth mentioning: Monoprice (~$210)

One reviewer who’s tested 40+ desks called it the easiest to assemble in the entry-level category with the best-looking frame, and it comes with collision avoidance standard. Vari Reviews

My take for your situation: Given that you’re WFH full-time, I’d lean toward the FlexiSpot E2 over the Fezibo. The extra $100 gets you noticeably better build quality and stability, and you’re going to be using this thing 8+ hours a day. The Fezibo is great if you’re genuinely unsure whether standing works for you and want to experiment cheaply, but if you’re committing, the E2 is the better long-term play. The Monoprice is also solid if you care about aesthetics.

I got the Fezibo on Amazon for a 100 bucks including tax. It was kind of a pain to set up, and you need a philips screwdriver to install the base to the table. Preferably an electric screwdriver – the wooden table only has guide holes to insert the screwdrivers, not the full screw holes, so if you’re doing it by hand you have to really push in while screwing to get them in place. Also, the wood comes in these two spliced pieces that you have to lego assemble together with those wooden joint pieces and physically screwing them together with a locking metal piece. To be honest, it felt really flimsy. However, after setting it up, it works like a charm – I have a 2 monitor setup and haven’t had any issues or weight concerns so far.

Full Chat on how I haggled Claude down to getting the Fezibo: https://claude.ai/share/a2d170f3-c0a7-412e-8a04-e5158c5adbd3

Walking Pads

My Prompt: what about a good budget walking pad?

Opus 4.6: Walking pads are a bit more Wild West than standing desks — the budget tier is flooded with near-identical Amazon white-label products. But a few names keep surfacing.

Ultra-budget: UREVO SpaceWalk E1L (~$130-150)

This is the one that keeps getting recommended as the best value at rock bottom. One thorough reviewer called it one of the highest value buys at an ultra-budget price point Ocdevel, and it has a 2.5 HP motor with a 242 lb capacity. It’s thin enough to slide under a desk. The trade-off is it’s a basic walking-only pad with a shorter belt.

Best budget with incline: DeerRun Q2 (~$140-170)

This one stands out in the budget category for combining affordability with a 7% incline and app connectivity — features you normally don’t see at this price. Runna Incline is actually meaningful for calorie burn and making a slow walk feel like real exercise.

Best overall value if you stretch a bit: WellFit TM037 (~$189)

This one has a 3.0 CHP brushless motor, 320 lb weight capacity, adjustable incline, voice/remote/app control, and runs under 45 decibels. TreadmillReviews That motor is substantially beefier than what you get at the $100-150 tier.

The honest take: One reviewer who tested a bunch of cheap Amazon walking pads was blunt — they’re almost all made with low-quality materials, and you should expect a lifespan of a few months to a couple years with light to moderate use. TreadmillReviews That’s the deal. These are consumables, not investments. If you’re pairing it with the Fezibo for a sub-$300 WFH standing/walking setup, the UREVO or DeerRun Q2 gets you in the door cheap. If you want something that’ll last longer under daily use, the WellFit at ~$189 is where durability starts to get real.

I bought the Wellfit TM037 on sale for 150 dollars. It’s kind of squeaky when I walk on it, but other than that, the construction feels solid. I’m walking on it now as I write up this post.

I’ve just started incorporating the walking pad and standing into my WFH set up, and I already immediately notice the difference. It’s crazy how high impact these small one off purchases can be to making incrementally impactful lifestyle changes. I was basically sitting for 8 hours a day while working, now I switch off constantly between sitting and walking just because I have the option and the friction to do so is so small. It makes me wonder why I haven’t done this years ago.