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100* TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFE
I love advice threads so I decided to make my own, inspired by @yashkaf's from last year. If you know a source for an unsourced tweet, shout and I’ll add it in for the post. *Didn’t quite hit 100, but maybe more will come today.
I love advice threads so I decided to make my own, inspired by @yashkaf's from last year. If you know a source for an unsourced tweet, shout and I’ll add it in for the post. *Didn’t quite hit 100, but maybe more will come today.
1. If you want to find out about people’s opinions on a product, google <product> reddit. You’ll get real people arguing, as compared to the SEO’d Google results.
2. Advanced search features are a fast way to create tighter search statements. For example:
img html
will return inferior results compared to:
img html -w3
img html
will return inferior results compared to:
img html -w3
3. Noticing biases in others is easy, noticing biases in yourself is hard. However, it has much higher pay-off. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/497611-science-is-a-way-of-trying-not-to-fool-yourself
4. In choosing between living with 0-1 people vs 2 or more people, remember that ascertaining responsibility will no longer be instantaneous with more than one roommate (“whose dishes are these?”).
5. Deficiencies do not make you special. The older you get, the more your inability to cook will be a red flag for people.
6. In relationships look for somebody you can enjoy just hanging out near. Long-term relationships are mostly spent just chilling.
7. There are two red flags to avoid almost all dangerous people: 1. The perpetually aggrieved, 2. The angry.
8. There is no interpersonal situation that can’t be improved by knowing more about your desires, goals, and structure. ‘Know thyself!’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_thyself
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_thyself
9. If you’re under 90, try things.
10. Things that aren’t your fault can still be your responsibility.
via @roddreher
via @roddreher
11. Explaining problems is good. Often in the process of laying out a problem, a solution will present itself.
12. Human mood and well-being are heavily influenced by simple things: Exercise, good sleep, light, being in nature. It’s cheap to experiment with these.
13. You have vanishingly little political influence and every thought you spend on politics will probably come to nothing. Consider building things instead, or at least going for a walk.
@KlingBlog
@KlingBlog
14. Think a little about why you enjoy what you enjoy. If you can explain what you love about Dune, you can now communicate not only with Dune fans, but with people who love those aspects in other books.
15. Defining yourself by your suffering is an effective way to keep suffering forever (ex. incels, trauma).
@yashkaf
@yashkaf
16. Some people create drama out of habit. You can avoid these people.
17. If something surprises you again and again, stop being surprised.
18. Keep your identity small. “I’m not the kind of person who does things like that” is not an explanation, it’s a trap. It prevents nerds from working out and men from dancing. Via @paulg (?)
19. Some banks charge you $20 a month for an account, others charge you 0. If you’re with one of the former, have a good explanation for what those $20 are buying.
20. Sturgeon’s Law states that 90% of everything is crap. If you dislike poetry, or fine art, or anything, it’s possible you’ve only ever seen the crap. Go looking!
21. Bored people are boring. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/631074-banality-is-like-boredom-bored-people-are-boring-people-people
22. Call your parents when you think of them, tell your friends when you love them.
Via @PinegroveBand
Via @PinegroveBand
23. Don’t confuse ‘doing a thing because I like it’ with ‘doing a thing because I want to be seen as the sort of person who does such things’
24. Compliment people more. Many people have trouble thinking of themselves as smart, or pretty, or kind, unless told by someone else. You can help them out.
25. You have a plan. A time-traveller from 2030 appears and tells you your plan failed. Which part of your plan do you think is the one that fails? Fix that part. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/N47M3JiHveHfwdbFg/hammertime-day-10-murphyjitsu
26. Things you use for a significant fraction of your life (bed: 1/3rd, office-chair: 1/4th) are worth investing in.
27. Sometimes things last a long time because they’re good (jambalaya). But that doesn’t mean that because something has lasted a long time that it is good (penile subincisions). Apply this to relationships, careers, and beliefs as appropriate. Via @Evolving_Moloch
28. People can be the wrong fit for you without being bad. Being a person is complicated and hard.
29. If somebody is undergoing group criticism, the tribal part in you will want to join in the fun of destroying somebody. Resist this, you’ll only add ugliness to the world. Also, they’ve already learned their lesson and it probably isn’t the lesson you want.
30. Those who generate anxiety in you and promise that they have the solution are grifters. See: politicians, marketers, new masculinity gurus, etc. Avoid these.
via @MorlockP
via @MorlockP
31. Reward yourself after completing challenges, even badly.
32. History remembers those who got to market first. Getting your creation out into the world is more important than getting it perfect.
via https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/the-origin-of-the-img-tag/
and @visakanv
via https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/the-origin-of-the-img-tag/
and @visakanv
34. Don’t buy CDs for people. They have Spotify! Buy them merch from a band they like instead. It’s more personal and the band gets more money.
35. Are you on the fence about breaking up or leaving your job? You should probably go ahead and do it. https://80000hours.org/2018/08/randomised-experiment-if-youre-really-unsure-whether-to-quit-your-job-or-break-up-you-really-probably-should/
36. Should you freak out upon seeing your symptoms on the worst diseases on WebMD? Probably not! Look up the base rates for the disease and then apply Bayes’ Theorem.
https://betterexplained.com/articles/an-intuitive-and-short-explanation-of-bayes-theorem/
https://betterexplained.com/articles/an-intuitive-and-short-explanation-of-bayes-theorem/
37. Steeping minutes: Green at 3, black at 4, herbal at 5. Good tea is that simple!
38. You can automate mundane computer tasks with Autohotkey (or AppleScript). If you keep doing a sequence “so simple a computer can do it”, make the computer do it. Via @gwern
39. The 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes of screenwork, look at a spot 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will reduce eye strain and is easy to remember (or program reminders for).
Via my favourite manager from years gone by :)
Via my favourite manager from years gone by :)
40. Cultivate compassion for those less intelligent than you. Many people, through no fault of their own, can’t handle forms, scammers, or complex situations. Be kind to them because the world is not.
41. Cultivate patience for difficult people. Communication is extremely complicated and involves both getting complex ideas across and getting tone across. Many people can barely do either. Don’t punish them.
42. Don’t punish people for trying. You teach them to not try with you. Punishing includes whining that it took them so long, that they did it badly, or that others have done it better.
Via @jordanbpeterson
Via @jordanbpeterson
43. Remember that many people suffer invisibly, and some of the worst suffering is shame. Not everybody can express their pain in their twitter bio. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/222576-we-are-as-forlorn-as-children-lost-in-the-wood
44. Don't punish people for admitting they were wrong, you make it harder for them to improve.
Do not accept punishment for admitting you were wrong.
@ESYudkowsky
Do not accept punishment for admitting you were wrong.
@ESYudkowsky
We're back!
45. In general, you will look for excuses to not be kind to people. Resist these.
45. In general, you will look for excuses to not be kind to people. Resist these.
46. Discipline is superior to motivation. The former can be trained, the latter is fleeting. You won’t be able to finish anything worth remembering if you’re only relying on motivation.
Via an inspirational tweet I can no longer find.
Via an inspirational tweet I can no longer find.
47. Don’t complain about your partner to coworkers or online. The benefits are negligible and the cost is destroying a bit of your soul.
48. “Where is the good knife?” If you’re looking for your good X, you have bad Xs. Throw those out.
49. Events can hurt us, not just our perceptions of them. It’s good to build resilience, but sometimes it isn’t your fault if something really gets to you.
Maybe sparked via @selentelechia ?
Maybe sparked via @selentelechia ?
50. You can improve your communication skills with practice much more effectively than you can improve your intelligence with practice. If you’re not that smart but can communicate ideas clearly, you still have an advantage over everybody who can’t communicate clearly.
51. Whenever you receive advice, consider its opposite as well. You might be filtering out the advice you need most.
@slatestarcodex https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/03/24/should-you-reverse-any-advice-you-hear/
@slatestarcodex https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/03/24/should-you-reverse-any-advice-you-hear/
52. Food actually can be both cheap, healthy, tasty, and relatively quick to prepare. All it requires is a few hours one day to prepare many meals for the week.
53. Cooking pollutes the air. Opening windows for a few minutes after cooking can dramatically improve air quality.
Via @eigenrobot
Via @eigenrobot
54. After a breakup, cease all contact as soon as practical. The potential for drama is endless, and the potential for a good friendship is negligible.
55. Common systems and tools have been designed so that people less intelligent than you won’t mess it up. That means you shouldn’t worry about messing it up either. You can figure out laundry, baking, and driving on a highway.
56. You don’t have to love your job. Jobs can be many things, but they’re also a way to make money. Many people live great lives in okay jobs by using the money they make on things they care about.
57. You do not live in a video game. There are no pop-up warnings if you’re about to do something stupid, or if you’ve been doing something stupid for too long. You have to create your own warnings.
58. If you listen to successful people talk about their methods, remember that all the people who used the same methods and failed did not make videos about it.
59. Food taste can be dramatically improved through simple seasoning. It’s also an opportunity for expression. Buy a few herbs and spices and experiment away.
60. Exercise (weightlifting) not only creates muscle mass, it also improves skeletal structure. Lift!
61. A norm of eating with your family without watching something will lead to better conversations. If this idea fills you with dread, consider getting a new family.
62. Some types of sophistication won’t make you enjoy the object more, they’ll make you enjoy it less. For example, wine snobs don’t enjoy wine twice as much as you, they’re more keenly aware of how most wine isn’t good enough. Avoid sophistication that diminishes your enjoyment
63. If other people having it worse than you means you can’t be sad, then other people having it better than you would mean you can’t be happy. Feel what you feel.
64. Understand people have the right to be tasteless.
65. Being in groups is important. If you don’t want to join a sports team, consider starting a shitty band. It’s the closest you’ll get to being in an RPG. Train with 2-4 other characters, learn new moves, travel from pub to pub, and get quests from NPCs.
66. Liking and wanting things are different. There are things like junk food that you want beyond enjoyment. But you can also like things without wanting them. If you remember enjoying something but don't feel a desire for it now, try pushing yourself.
Via @slatestarcodex
Via @slatestarcodex
67. Stupid people are right about most things. Endeavor to not let the opinions of stupid people automatically discredit those opinions.
via @ESYudkowsky
via @ESYudkowsky
68. It’s possible to have people do things that make you like them more but respect them less. Avoid this, it destroys relationships.
69. People don’t realize how much they hate commuting. A nice house farther from work is not worth the fraction of your life you are giving to boredom and fatigue.
Via @slatestarcodex
Via @slatestarcodex
70. Introverts and extroverts both benefit from being pushed to be more extroverted. Consider this the next time you aren’t sure if you feel like going out.
71. You will prevent yourself from even having thoughts that could lower your status. Avoid blocking yourself off just so people keep thinking you’re cool.
72. If you haven’t figured things out sexually, remember that there isn’t a deadline. If somebody is making you feel like there is, consider the possibility that they aren’t your pal.
73. Learn keyboard shortcuts. They’re easy and you’ll get tasks done faster and easier.
74. When googling a recipe, precede it with ‘best’. You’ll find better recipes.
75. If you have trouble talking during dates, try saying whatever comes into your head. At worst you’ll ruin some dates (which weren’t going well anyways), at best you’ll have some great conversations. Alcohol can help.
76. When dating, de-emphasizing your quirks will lead to 90% of people thinking you’re kind of alright. Emphasizing your quirks will lead to 10% of people thinking you’re fascinating and fun. Those are the people interested in dating you. Aim for them.
Via @IAmMarkManson
Via @IAmMarkManson
77. If you want to become funny, try just saying stupid shit until something sticks.
78. Done is better than perfect.
Via @JesseGalef
Via @JesseGalef
79. Keep your desk and workspace bare. Treat every object as an imposition upon your attention, because it is. A workspace is not a place for storing things. It is a place for accomplishing things.
80. If your work is done on a computer, get a second monitor. Less time navigating between windows means more time for thinking.
81. It is cheap for people to talk about their values, goals, rules, and lifestyle. When people’s actions contradict their talk, pay attention!
Via @nntaleb ?
Via @nntaleb ?
82. Exercise is the most important lifestyle intervention you can do. Even the bare minimum (15 minutes a week) has a huge impact. Start small. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/PhXENjdXiHhsWGfQo/lifestyle-interventions-to-increase-longevity#What_sort_of_benefits_can_I_expect_
83. Make accomplishing things as easy as possible. Find the easiest way to start exercising. Find the easiest way to start writing. People make things harder than they have to be and get frustrated when they can’t succeed. Try not to.
84. Cultivate a reputation for being dependable. Good reputations are valuable because they are easily destroyed and hard to rebuild. You don’t have to brew the most amazing coffee if your customers know the coffee will always be hot.
85. (Do I need to offer a disclaimer? This is not medical advice!)
Don’t waste money on multivitamins, they don’t work. Vitamin D supplementation does seem to work, which is important because deficiency is common.
Don’t waste money on multivitamins, they don’t work. Vitamin D supplementation does seem to work, which is important because deficiency is common.
86. The best advice is personal and comes from somebody who knows you well. Take broad-spectrum advice like this as needed, but the best way to get help is to ask honest friends who love you.
87. Relationships need novelty. It’s hard to have novelty during Covid--but have you planned your post-Covid adventure yet?
88. When you ask people, “What’s your favourite book / movie / band?” and they stumble, ask them instead what book / movie / band they’re currently enjoying most. They’ll almost always have one and be able to talk about it.
89. Establish clear rules about when to throw out old junk. Once clear rules are established, junk will probably cease to be a problem. This is because our unspoken rules are usually ridiculous (“keep this broken stereo for five years in case I learn how to fix it”).
90. How you spend every day is how you spend your life. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/530337-how-we-spend-our-days-is-of-course-how-we
91. If you bus to other cities, consider finding a rideshare on Facebook instead. It’s cheaper, faster, and leads to interesting conversations.
92. To start defining your problems, say (out loud) “everything in my life is completely fine.” Notice what objections arise.
Via @QiaochuYuan
Via @QiaochuYuan
93. (Do I need to offer a disclaimer? ~This is not legal advice!~)
DO NOT TALK TO COPS.
DO NOT TALK TO COPS.
94. Procrastination comes naturally, so apply it to bad things. “I want to hurt myself right now. I’ll do it in an hour.” “I want a smoke now, so in half an hour I’ll go have a smoke.” Then repeat. Much like our good plans fall apart while we delay them, so can our bad plans.
That's all! YMMV on all, thanks for reading!
