Quick outline
- Why I tried it
- What I actually did with it
- Wins at work and at home
- Where it backfired
- Who might like it (and who won’t)
- Tips if you’re curious
- Final verdict
Before I dive in, note that I'm not alone in running this experiment; another writer chronicled their own project here if you want a second data point.
So… why Ayn Rand, and why me?
A friend handed me The Fountainhead one winter. We were both tired and stuck at work. “You’ll like the grit,” he said. I read it late at night with a blanket and tea. I marked pages with sticky tabs and a dull pencil. Then I went on to Atlas Shrugged and The Virtue of Selfishness. Big books. Big ideas. Kinda loud, too. If the label “Objectivist” still feels fuzzy, you might enjoy this hands-on explainer that walks through the basics without jargon. Those wanting a scholarly overview can also consult the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s entry on Objectivism. My initial reactions lined up eerily well with the observations in this no-holds-barred first-person take on Atlas Shrugged.
I didn’t stop at reading. I tried the ideas in my real life. Work. Money. Love. Even chores. I wanted to see if “rational self-interest” holds up past the page. You know what? Sometimes it did. Sometimes it stung. That itch is what pushed others to run full-year experiments, like the reviewer in this candid recap of a year with Objectivism.
What I actually used, not just read
- Books: The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, The Virtue of Selfishness
- Notes app: Notion, with a “value-for-value” board
- Money: Mint for budgets; clear rules for loans
- Work: Simple KPIs in a Google Sheet; scope rules for freelance gigs
- Weekly check: “Did I trade value for value this week?”
I treated it like a system. A messy one, but still a system. I basically gave the philosophy a year-long test drive, a journey that mirrors the one documented in this year-in-the-trenches review.
Work wins: value-for-value without the fluff
Here’s the thing. At work, Objectivism felt clean. I kept it simple: bring clear value, ask for clear value back.
For example, when I’m deciding whether any paid online platform meets my value-for-value standard, I’ll consult a detailed breakdown—something like this LiveJasmin review—that spells out fees, features, and potential pitfalls, so I can choose with my wallet and not on impulse.
Similarly, if a trip took me through Arizona and I wanted to apply the same rational checklist to in-person adult experiences, I’d pull up this AdultLook Tempe overview to compare etiquette guidelines, screening practices, and upfront costs, letting me decide with eyes wide open.
- Raise talk: I brought a one-page report with three KPIs I owned (conversion rate up 11%, churn down 2 points, newsletter clicks up 18%). I asked for a 12% raise. I got 8% and a new monitor budget. Not bad. No guilt. No drama. Just trade.
- Freelance: I said no to “exposure” jobs. My contract had a crisp scope, a late fee, and two rounds of edits. Less scope creep. Faster pay. I felt calm, like I was steering the ship.
It sounds blunt, but it was fair. People respected it more than I expected.
Money and family: where it got… awkward
My cousin asked for $500. Before, I would’ve said yes and stressed later. This time, I made a small loan with terms: $200, two months, no interest, weekly check-ins. I wrote it down. We both signed.
Was it warm? Not really. Was it clear? Yes. He paid it back on time. Our talks were short, a little stiff, but honest. I still felt weird, like I was wearing a suit to a picnic. That’s the trade-off. The trade-offs here reminded me of the reflections in this account of living with Objectivist ethics for a year.
Love and friends: the cold edge
I messed this up at first. I tried to solve a hard talk with my partner like a math problem. I used facts. I used logic. I sounded like a robot. She told me I felt far away. She was right. Rand’s heroes argue like marble statues, and real people don’t.
Now I hold both things. Reason and care. I still set strong borders. But I also say, “I hear you,” and I mean it. We split chores by effort and time, not pride. Dishes still get done. Love needs more than steel.
Giving without guilt: a small shift
I help at a food pantry one Saturday a month. At first, I thought, is this “selfish”? But I like being there. I like the people and the quiet hum of it. So I framed it as this: I value it, so I give to it. I don’t promise what I can’t keep. I show up when I say I will. Less burnout. More joy. Funny how that works.
The books themselves: story and sermons
The stories move, then stop for long speeches. Some scenes shook me. Some monologues felt like wading in wet jeans. I switched to audiobook on long walks. That helped. I loved the grit of work in The Fountainhead—the craft, the stubborn spine. Atlas Shrugged had scale, but the speeches ran long. I dog-eared a dozen pages; I also sighed a bunch. If you’d rather engage with the novel through structured prompts, the author of this piece on entering the Atlas Shrugged essay contest breaks down what the questions force you to notice. For a broader survey that goes beyond Rand to her intellectual heirs, see this straight-up review of a year spent reading Objectivist authors.
The culture around it: mixed bag
Online, I found two types: folks who gatekeep and folks who build. The builders? Smart, kind, and sharp. They talk contracts, art, craft, code, and skin in the game. The gatekeepers quote lines and roll their eyes. I stick with the builders.
For Rand’s own exposition straight from the source, the Ayn Rand Institute offers a comprehensive guide to her philosophy.
Curious what the organized movement looks like on the inside? Here's a candid report on spending a month with The Objectivist Center / Atlas Society. You can pair it with this honest take on the Objectivist Academic Center for the classroom angle, and this boots-on-the-ground recap of an Objectivist conference to see how the ideas play in a ballroom.
If you want a historically rich and balanced deep dive into Rand’s ideas without the gatekeeping, check out Full Context for free archives and interviews.
Who might like this—and who won’t
- Likely yes: founders, engineers, artists who guard their vision, sales folks who live by the number, anyone tired of vague talk
- Maybe no: people who lean on team-first culture, folks who need soft edges, readers who dislike speech-heavy writing
Quick tips if you’re curious
- Start with The Fountainhead. It’s tighter and more human.
- Read one essay from The Virtue of Selfishness after that. Just one.
- Set one “value-for-value” rule at work this week. Keep it small. See what happens.
- Don’t use it as a hammer on friends. People aren’t nails.
- Track wins and misses in a tiny log. What felt strong? What felt cold?
My bottom line
Objectivism helped me ask for clear trade, own my work, and guard my time. It also made me blunt when care mattered more than proof. The sweet spot sits in the middle: reason with heart, trade with grace.
- What I loved: crisp