So — I’ve convinced myself that mimetic traps are a real thing, and that I should be worried about them. Should you? If you find yourself vaguely dissatisfied with your work, unable to describe coherently why you’re doing what you’re doing — yes, you probably should. “Why does this matter?” is an excellent way to gauge if you’ve drifted into a mimetic trap. If you find this question impossible to answer honestly, you’re probably wasting your time. Getting out is the hard part — that requires courage and diligent planning. It’s much easier to avoid falling in. But in either case, you’ll benefit from building a system that steers you towards productive, meaningful activity in the long run.