I too vote to avoid inflationary use of the phrase “Schelling point
I’m not sure I’d vote with you on that :). Because I’m serious about considering the concept of an internal Schelling point. Arguably, self-improvement is about coordinating the internal, competing aspects of one’s mind.
To illustrate, my normal exercise routine includes 30 minutes on the cardio machine. Not 31 minutes and not 29 minutes. I’ve been doing 30 minutes a day for a long time now. Quite possibly it would be better for my fitness to do less exercise some days and more others. Or to exercise for some other length of time. But 30 minutes is a nice round number which all my internal processes can seem to agree on. Does it make sense to think of 30 minutes as a Schelling Point? I’m inclined to think so.
In fact, I think it’s very useful to see self-improvement through this paradigm, i.e. coordination of competing factions within the mind and trying to come to a sustainable consensus among parties which often don’t communicate all that well.
(I also agree that one can think of New Year’s as a Schelling Point (for New Year’s resolutions) in the more traditional sense. For example if you want to start going to the gym every day with a friend or a group of people.)
I’m not sure I’d vote with you on that :). Because I’m serious about considering the concept of an internal Schelling point. Arguably, self-improvement is about coordinating the internal, competing aspects of one’s mind.
To illustrate, my normal exercise routine includes 30 minutes on the cardio machine. Not 31 minutes and not 29 minutes. I’ve been doing 30 minutes a day for a long time now. Quite possibly it would be better for my fitness to do less exercise some days and more others. Or to exercise for some other length of time. But 30 minutes is a nice round number which all my internal processes can seem to agree on. Does it make sense to think of 30 minutes as a Schelling Point? I’m inclined to think so.
In fact, I think it’s very useful to see self-improvement through this paradigm, i.e. coordination of competing factions within the mind and trying to come to a sustainable consensus among parties which often don’t communicate all that well.
(I also agree that one can think of New Year’s as a Schelling Point (for New Year’s resolutions) in the more traditional sense. For example if you want to start going to the gym every day with a friend or a group of people.)