A useful trick that I've used for years: thinking of myself as having sustained free will for only about the next 5 minutes, and assuming my distant-future self has free will only intermittently. If like most people, you think of yourself as continuously having free will in the future, you may have thoughts like:(1) "I'll have an hour to do this project tomorrow, so I don't need to do it now."...

I think it's interesting to consider what makes a game fun or boring. What properties make a strategy game better, all else being equal? Here's my list! (1) Variety: the game doesn't end up getting into the same or similar positions most of the time (so that it feels new each time you play) (2) Forgiveness: you don't automatically lose when you make a mistake (which can be frustrating...

Ratings on the internet (on Amazon, Netflix, IMDB, etc.) can be very valuable, but there are also big problems with them that people aren't as aware of as they should be. Here, I'll discuss two major issues with online ratings. Problem 1: The Different People Problem Probably the biggest problem with ratings is that the different people rate different sorts of products. In other words, the ...

One of the most dangerous and useful things about goal setting is that it feels good to achieve challenging goals even if they are meaningless, only five minutes old, or created by someone else. Imagine throwing away a crumpled piece of paper in a waste bin. Now imagine doing it again, but assume this time that you set the goal of throwing it in from 6 feet away. As your tossed paper ball sail...

An obvious realization I had a few years ago, that helped me be less judgmental and more compassionate: you never know what kind of challenges a person is dealing with in their life, and their challenges could be much harder than you would ever imagine based on what you know of the person casually. It could be: a medical condition that significantly impacts their quality of life (but that they...

A practice I highly recommend, that few people have tried: keep a list of the most meaningful compliments people have given you, review it at periodic intervals, or when you could use a boost. Why discard these valuable things in the leaky waste bin we call memory?The flip side of this, of course, is: if you have a meaningful and genuine compliment to give, then don't forget to tell the person...

If there was a technique that might improve your life in just 5 minutes, would you use it? If so, why not give this one a try? Step 1: Write down a list of the three most significant problems in your life right now Example: The three biggest problems are - (1) I don't feel rested when I wake up (2) I worry too much (3) I need to make a difficult decision at work Step 2:&nb...

I ran a "Productive Disagreements" event last night, a new interactive format I've been working on where attendees practice structured disagreements on controversial topics in order to learn from each other and get experience accurately modeling other people's perspectives. Here are the materials, in case you want to run an event like this or just learn about the format: Part 1: Brief prese...

Feeling cheery about technology and optimistic about the future, but still confused by what exactly "Deep Learning" and "Quantum computing" mean? Here's your antidote: the Maximally Cynical Glossary of Technology Terms. Not to be taken too seriously :) A Android phones: the closest a company can get to making an iPhone while risking only a dozen lawsuits (see entry on “iPhones”) Artificial In...

A simple 2-minute social thought experiment for you: Note: I highly recommend that you don't just read this list of steps, but instead, that you actually do them! Reading these steps will not give you any benefit, but doing them might! Step 1 - Think for a moment about the person who is the best influence on you, or the person in your life you don't see that much that you most admire the...