Anna seems to suggest that a person who goes through life with no goals more significant than a day-by-day maximization of utility is somehow 'wasting their potential' (my choice of words).

That's not what I was trying to say at all. I was trying to note that we pursue even most of our day-to-day goals ineffectively, such that the result looks like a lack of coherent action rather than like choosing a satisfying smallscale life.

For example, I'll often find myself automatically blurting out a correction to something someone said in conversation, even in cases where such argument will decrease my enjoyment, the other person's enjoyment, and the relationship I'm trying to build. Or I'll find myself replaying worries as I walk home, instead of either enjoying the walk, thinking about something fun, or thinking about something useful. Or, as Eliezer notes, procrastinating with a process that is less fun as well as less productive. These automatic behaviors serve neither my day-to-day nor my larger scale goals; and automatic action-patterns like these seem to be more common than is coherent action toward (local or any other) purpose.