Perhaps it may not be as transparent to you as I may have found it, but just yesterday I was reading a thread by Venkatesh Rao about the idea of “solving for life”. While it focuses on how we treat and deal with others, I think it could also apply to how we treat ourselves, and as such it may be useful framing for you while reflecting about your flânerie experiment. I thought of it specifically where you said, “With my limited time wedged between family and work, I was often left trying to achieve more than was possible.” I’m still thinking about the broader implications of the essay and want to revisit it a few more times, but it had an interesting concept which seems worth considering further.