What algorithm could be used for discovering the next best intervention one can make to improve oneself?
Trying a bit of this, a bit of that, and comparing results? I doubt it can get any more precise, because the interventions on different levels can be, well, different.
For small changes I would recommend trying each strategy one week (to filter out work-day cycle and other noise), and having a set of similar tasks, randomly assigned to those weeks; or one repetitive task. But some level of change would probably disrupt such setting. As an example, if my task is to “motivate myself to clean my room” and the intervention is “move to a different environment”, then of course, when I move to a new room, cleaning it is a different task than cleaning my old room, so it is not completely fair to compare my efficiency in those tasks.
Could the high level be discovered gradually, instead of making the first correct guess? Such as: start with some low-level improvement, and when you find that something is stopping you, analyze it, and do a meta-action. So instead of starting at the right level (and risking going too meta), we could instead start at the right place (where the outcome is measurable) and gradually find the necessary level of change.
But even this cannot be done exactly, because at a sufficiently high level I may choose a different outcome. For example, I work at a paperclip factory, and my initial goal is to make more and better paperclips. First step: I try doing overtime, but then I find I am too tired to continue this way. Second step: I get regular sleep, exercise and eat healthy food. Third step: I attend paperclip-making lessons. So far my progress is measurable. Fourth step: I realize I actually don’t care about paperclips, I just do it to make money; so I change a job to something that pays better. Oops, my first metric (paperclip) just broke; I need to replace it with money. Fifth step: After having enough money I realize that more money does not bring me most happiness, so I would prefer having more free time while making the same amount of money; or maybe less money but also less expense. Oops, my second metric broke too, and no replacement is precise enough… I could try some psychological questionaires for measuring happiness, but that seems to easy to cheat.
Trying a bit of this, a bit of that, and comparing results? I doubt it can get any more precise, because the interventions on different levels can be, well, different.
For small changes I would recommend trying each strategy one week (to filter out work-day cycle and other noise), and having a set of similar tasks, randomly assigned to those weeks; or one repetitive task. But some level of change would probably disrupt such setting. As an example, if my task is to “motivate myself to clean my room” and the intervention is “move to a different environment”, then of course, when I move to a new room, cleaning it is a different task than cleaning my old room, so it is not completely fair to compare my efficiency in those tasks.
Could the high level be discovered gradually, instead of making the first correct guess? Such as: start with some low-level improvement, and when you find that something is stopping you, analyze it, and do a meta-action. So instead of starting at the right level (and risking going too meta), we could instead start at the right place (where the outcome is measurable) and gradually find the necessary level of change.
But even this cannot be done exactly, because at a sufficiently high level I may choose a different outcome. For example, I work at a paperclip factory, and my initial goal is to make more and better paperclips. First step: I try doing overtime, but then I find I am too tired to continue this way. Second step: I get regular sleep, exercise and eat healthy food. Third step: I attend paperclip-making lessons. So far my progress is measurable. Fourth step: I realize I actually don’t care about paperclips, I just do it to make money; so I change a job to something that pays better. Oops, my first metric (paperclip) just broke; I need to replace it with money. Fifth step: After having enough money I realize that more money does not bring me most happiness, so I would prefer having more free time while making the same amount of money; or maybe less money but also less expense. Oops, my second metric broke too, and no replacement is precise enough… I could try some psychological questionaires for measuring happiness, but that seems to easy to cheat.