I suppose it makes sense that if you’ve done a lot of introspection, the main problems you’ll have will be the kind that are very resistant to that approach, which makes this post good advice for you and people like you. But I don’t think the generalisable lesson is “introspection doesn’t work, do these other things” so much as “there comes a point where introspection runs out, and when you hit that, here are some ways you can continue to make progress”.
Or maybe it’s like a person with a persistent disease who’s tried every antibiotic without much effect, and then says “antibiotics suck, don’t bother with them, but here are the ways I’ve found to treat my symptoms and live a good life even with the disease”. It’s good advice but only once you’re sure the infection doesn’t respond to antibiotics.
Could it be that most people do so little introspection because they’re bad at it and it would only lead them astray anyway? Possibly, but the advice I’d give would still be to train the skill rather than to give up on understanding your problems.
That said, I think all of the things you suggest are a good idea in their own right, and the best strategy will be a combination. Do the things that help with problems-in-general while also trying to understand and fix the problem itself.
I suppose it makes sense that if you’ve done a lot of introspection, the main problems you’ll have will be the kind that are very resistant to that approach, which makes this post good advice for you and people like you. But I don’t think the generalisable lesson is “introspection doesn’t work, do these other things” so much as “there comes a point where introspection runs out, and when you hit that, here are some ways you can continue to make progress”.
Or maybe it’s like a person with a persistent disease who’s tried every antibiotic without much effect, and then says “antibiotics suck, don’t bother with them, but here are the ways I’ve found to treat my symptoms and live a good life even with the disease”. It’s good advice but only once you’re sure the infection doesn’t respond to antibiotics.
Could it be that most people do so little introspection because they’re bad at it and it would only lead them astray anyway? Possibly, but the advice I’d give would still be to train the skill rather than to give up on understanding your problems.
That said, I think all of the things you suggest are a good idea in their own right, and the best strategy will be a combination. Do the things that help with problems-in-general while also trying to understand and fix the problem itself.