One point, just a nitpick: I would suggest not to aim to act “rationally.” Aim to win. I may be assuming overmuch about your intended meaning, but remember, if your goal is to do what is rational rather than to do what is best/right/winning, you’ll be confused.
That said, I understand what you mean. There are activities I know can done now, in youth, that, while maybe not impossible in my 40s, 50s, or 60s, would be more difficult.
First, your health. Work out, eat right, stay clean. Do everything that can maximize your health NOW and do it to the utmost that you can. If you start working on your health now, the long term payoffs will be exponential rather than linear. The longer you wait to maximize your health, the greater your disadvantage, the less your payoff. EDIT: (As I have no citation to back this claim up, it’d be best not to take my word on this. I would still suggest not delaying improving your health because doing so will result in benefits now, regardless of whether health improvements are exponential or linear with age.)
Second, try everything. We have a whole article on this that spells it out better than I can. And I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t dove into its methods full force so I can’t vouch for them. But, basically, expose yourself to the world. Not in any mean or gross sense, but as a human being, gathering experience. Go to art classes, go to yoga classes, go to MIRI classes, take karate, learn to dance, learn to sing, play an instrument, learn maths, learn history, go to LW meetups.
Of course, you will be limited, and should be limited, by circumstances. You aren’t a brain with infinite capacity yet, so you can’t literally do everything. So, focus on a few things at a time. Set a schedule to try out new activities while continuing old, beneficial ones. For example, you might have three days for working out, two days for programming learning (as a hobby), one for online studying, one for social networking. Replace with whatever activities most interest or most benefit you (and don’t be afraid of overlap if you want to double up). I live in a place with very little stimulus, so I double up on audiobooks and exercise and use recreational times (gaming or working out) to listen to audiobooks or expose myself to new music. The point is to jump in with both feet and do whatever you do well.
Ultimately, your youth gives you two real things: health (presumably) and energy. Now, I have seen 60 year old men in better shape and with more pep than me (marathon runners!), but for the average, your health and energy will come easier to you now than later. Use it.
Hmm, fair enough. I made an assumption given my understanding of the body and the effects of age. Since I’m at work and cannot provide a validation for my claim, I’ll strike it for the time being. Thank you.
One point, just a nitpick: I would suggest not to aim to act “rationally.” Aim to win. I may be assuming overmuch about your intended meaning, but remember, if your goal is to do what is rational rather than to do what is best/right/winning, you’ll be confused.
That said, I understand what you mean. There are activities I know can done now, in youth, that, while maybe not impossible in my 40s, 50s, or 60s, would be more difficult.
First, your health. Work out, eat right, stay clean. Do everything that can maximize your health NOW and do it to the utmost that you can. If you start working on your health now, the long term payoffs will be exponential rather than linear. The longer you wait to maximize your health, the greater your disadvantage, the less your payoff. EDIT: (As I have no citation to back this claim up, it’d be best not to take my word on this. I would still suggest not delaying improving your health because doing so will result in benefits now, regardless of whether health improvements are exponential or linear with age.)
Second, try everything. We have a whole article on this that spells it out better than I can. And I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t dove into its methods full force so I can’t vouch for them. But, basically, expose yourself to the world. Not in any mean or gross sense, but as a human being, gathering experience. Go to art classes, go to yoga classes, go to MIRI classes, take karate, learn to dance, learn to sing, play an instrument, learn maths, learn history, go to LW meetups.
Of course, you will be limited, and should be limited, by circumstances. You aren’t a brain with infinite capacity yet, so you can’t literally do everything. So, focus on a few things at a time. Set a schedule to try out new activities while continuing old, beneficial ones. For example, you might have three days for working out, two days for programming learning (as a hobby), one for online studying, one for social networking. Replace with whatever activities most interest or most benefit you (and don’t be afraid of overlap if you want to double up). I live in a place with very little stimulus, so I double up on audiobooks and exercise and use recreational times (gaming or working out) to listen to audiobooks or expose myself to new music. The point is to jump in with both feet and do whatever you do well.
Ultimately, your youth gives you two real things: health (presumably) and energy. Now, I have seen 60 year old men in better shape and with more pep than me (marathon runners!), but for the average, your health and energy will come easier to you now than later. Use it.
[Citation needed]. That doesn’t look true to me.
Hmm, fair enough. I made an assumption given my understanding of the body and the effects of age. Since I’m at work and cannot provide a validation for my claim, I’ll strike it for the time being. Thank you.