I suspect that (a) I haven’t done very well on the ‘spend 5 minutes by the clock searching for an alternative’ advice in the last couple of years (even though I think I have internalized the habit to look for a third way at least briefly), and (b) doing so probably would have helped me avoid some severe mistakes. This may be related to EY’s overarching comment that the sequences focus too much on epistemic and too little on instrumental rationality. It’s a lot easier to understand and accept this, and even to apply it a little, than to actually adopt a habit of brainstorming for 5 minutes by the clock.
(Rereading the entire Sequnces right now)
I suspect that (a) I haven’t done very well on the ‘spend 5 minutes by the clock searching for an alternative’ advice in the last couple of years (even though I think I have internalized the habit to look for a third way at least briefly), and (b) doing so probably would have helped me avoid some severe mistakes. This may be related to EY’s overarching comment that the sequences focus too much on epistemic and too little on instrumental rationality. It’s a lot easier to understand and accept this, and even to apply it a little, than to actually adopt a habit of brainstorming for 5 minutes by the clock.