I am interested in how learning rationalist techniques could help me navigate making complex life choices.
Have you already found some useful answers?
In my opinion, the greatest value usually comes from a few rather simple techniques, assuming that you actually do them. In other words, the typical failures are “not even trying” and “thinking about what needs to be done (and reading about it), but never actually doing it”.
A few simple techniques:
actually spend 5 minutes by clock trying to answer the question
ask a smart and trusted person
use Google (to find answers to factual questions)
write a letter to an imaginary smart advisor, imagine their response (e.g. asking for more details, or making an obvious conclusion “well if you say X is better, why aren’t you already doing X?”), write another letter, etc.
imagine it is actually your friend having the problem, what would you advise them?
imagine you chose X and later you regretted the outcome. why? (say the most likely reason)
decide by flipping a coin (actually flip the coin), now contemplate how you feel about the outcome
Have you already found some useful answers?
In my opinion, the greatest value usually comes from a few rather simple techniques, assuming that you actually do them. In other words, the typical failures are “not even trying” and “thinking about what needs to be done (and reading about it), but never actually doing it”.
A few simple techniques:
actually spend 5 minutes by clock trying to answer the question
ask a smart and trusted person
use Google (to find answers to factual questions)
write a letter to an imaginary smart advisor, imagine their response (e.g. asking for more details, or making an obvious conclusion “well if you say X is better, why aren’t you already doing X?”), write another letter, etc.
imagine it is actually your friend having the problem, what would you advise them?
imagine you chose X and later you regretted the outcome. why? (say the most likely reason)
decide by flipping a coin (actually flip the coin), now contemplate how you feel about the outcome