Optimizing for Meaning: What Industrial Engineering Teaches Us About Balance and Burnout

We talk a lot on Problem Solved about optimizing systems, improving processes, and designing better organizations.

But what happens when the system you’re trying to design… is your own life?

In this thoughtful and refreshingly honest conversation, Aly Kamel, an industrial and management engineering student at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, explores how core industrial engineering principles like input-process-output, value-added analysis, and constraint management can be applied to something far more personal: balance, burnout, and sustainable ambition.

Aly challenges the idea that success means maximizing output at all costs. Instead, he reframes burnout not as a personal failure, but as a predictable system outcome, and one that can be redesigned.

Together, we discuss:

• Why high achievers are especially prone to burnout
• How “value-added” thinking applies to your daily life
• The difference between intensity and sustainability
• Why constraints should be treated as design inputs, not weaknesses
• And how to optimize for meaning — not just productivity

Industrial engineering isn’t just about factories and supply chains. It’s a mindset for designing systems that last.

And the most important system you’ll ever design… might be yourself.

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
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Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

This week’s episode is a special bonus preview of what’s coming next on Problem Solved.

We’re heading to the Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference with Problem Solved LIVE, where we'll have an onsite booth. We'll be capturing real-time insights from attendees, speakers, and leaders across healthcare systems engineering.

Hear what’s coming up at HSPI, how you can get involved, and details about our live interviews and social media giveaway.

If you’re attending HSPI, stop by the Problem Solved LIVE booth and be part of the conversation. If you’re not, follow along as we bring the conference experience directly to you. Follow Problem Solved on Instagram and YouTube now!

📍 Feb 11–13 | Atlanta, GA
🎙️ Problem Solved LIVE

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
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HSPI Keynote Spotlight: Inside conversations with Dr. Patterson and Lennox Wildman"
In this special HSPI Keynote Spotlight episode of Problem Solved, listeners are invited inside conversations with Dr. Emily Patterson and Lennox Wildman, two leaders shaping the future of healthcare systems improvement. The episode explores how technology, workflows, and people come together to drive safer, more effective care. Through practical insights and real-world examples, these thoughtful conversations highlight how industrial and systems engineering principles are being applied to strengthen healthcare delivery and support the professionals who make it possible. Don't miss the full keynotes talks from these professionals at the HSPI Conference sponsored by Society for Health Systems!

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org