[Edit: Turned into an answer after the OP author’s reply.]
This isn’t exactly an answer to your question, but here’s a post from Scott Alexander in 2013 about progress LW had made in the last five years. So it doesn’t have the element of personal application that you’re after, but it does offer an answer of sorts to the related question “what has LW produced that is of any value?”. I have a feeling there’s at least one other thing on Scott’s blog with that sort of flavour.
Also from Scott (from 2007) and pointing rather in the opposite direction: “Extreme Rationality: it’s not that great”, whose thesis is that LW-style rationality doesn’t bring huge increases in personal effectiveness beyond being kinda-sorta-rational. (But the term “LW-style rationality” there is anachronistic; that post was written before Less Wrong as such was a thing.)
A counterpoint from many years later: “Is rationalist self-improvement real?”, suggesting that at least for some people LW-style rationality does bring huge personal benefits, but only after you work at it for a while. I think Scott would actually agree with this.
(None of these things is exactly an answer to your question, which is why this is a comment rather than an answer, but I think all of them might be relevant.)
In case it isn’t clear: the first two are both Scott; the third is a chap called Jacob Falkovich. The thing I linked to is a crosspost here of a post from his own blog. I think Jacob also has at least one other post on the theme of “what has rationality ever done for us?” Maybe I’m thinking of this one.
Also possibly worth a look, if at some point you’re in critical mood: Yes, we have noticed the skulls. That one’s Scott again, as so many of the best things are :-).
[Edit: Turned into an answer after the OP author’s reply.]
This isn’t exactly an answer to your question, but here’s a post from Scott Alexander in 2013 about progress LW had made in the last five years. So it doesn’t have the element of personal application that you’re after, but it does offer an answer of sorts to the related question “what has LW produced that is of any value?”. I have a feeling there’s at least one other thing on Scott’s blog with that sort of flavour.
Also from Scott (from 2007) and pointing rather in the opposite direction: “Extreme Rationality: it’s not that great”, whose thesis is that LW-style rationality doesn’t bring huge increases in personal effectiveness beyond being kinda-sorta-rational. (But the term “LW-style rationality” there is anachronistic; that post was written before Less Wrong as such was a thing.)
A counterpoint from many years later: “Is rationalist self-improvement real?”, suggesting that at least for some people LW-style rationality does bring huge personal benefits, but only after you work at it for a while. I think Scott would actually agree with this.
(None of these things is exactly an answer to your question, which is why this is a comment rather than an answer, but I think all of them might be relevant.)
Those Scott Alexander links are fascinating and just what I was hoping for. Thank you for posting them...
In case it isn’t clear: the first two are both Scott; the third is a chap called Jacob Falkovich. The thing I linked to is a crosspost here of a post from his own blog. I think Jacob also has at least one other post on the theme of “what has rationality ever done for us?” Maybe I’m thinking of this one.
Also possibly worth a look, if at some point you’re in critical mood: Yes, we have noticed the skulls. That one’s Scott again, as so many of the best things are :-).