• Clearly defined
• Focused on results
• Realistic and logical
• Measurable
• Tailored to our individual needs
• Subject to change.

Meaningful goals need to be backed by reasons as a way of testing that we set the right goal.

• It relates to the practices, methods, tools, myths, ethics, and social norms that are important in the evolution of our behavior. Customs that we learn from the experience of our parents and others – either by teaching or observation.
• Cultural evolution is ...

This translate into:

• Not understanding what causes desired results.
• Believing cause resembles its effect – that a big effect must have a big or complicated cause.
• “Underestimating the influence of randomness in bad ...

• Underestimating the power of rewards and punishment
• Valuing the present more highly than the future.
• Over-influence by vivid or the most recent information.
• Constructing explanations that fit an outcome.

• Whenever we try to achieve a goal, solve problems, predict what is likely to happen or likely to be true or false, we should think things through backwards.
• Avoid what causes the opposite of what you want to achieve.
• Thinking backw...

• A model is an idea that helps us better understand how the world works. Models illustrate consequences and answer questions like ‘why’ and ‘how’.
• A valuable model produces meaningful explanations and predictions of likely future consequences where th...

• Underestimating that surprises and improbable events happen, somewhere, sometimes, to someone, if they have enough opportunities (large enough size or time) to happen.
• Looking for meaning, searching for causes, and making up patterns for chance events

... but we can prevent those that can really hurt us. If we understand what influences us, we might avoid certain traps and understand why others act like they do.

And if we learn and understand what works and doesn’t work and find some framework for reasoning, we will mak...

• Part of avoiding misjudgments and improving our lives is having the right attitude toward life.
• Since people are different, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. We each must figure out our own style. But there are guidelines that apply to us all...

• Make problems easier to solve. Turn complicated problems into simpler ones. Eliminate everything except the essentials. Break down a problem into its components but look at the problem holistically.
• Be problem-oriented. Not method-oriented. Use wha...

• Filters help us prioritize and figure out what makes sense. When we know what we want, we need criteria to evaluate alternatives. Ask: What are the most critical (and knowable) factors that will cause what I want to achieve or avoid? Criteria must be based on evidence and b...

• Evidence helps us prove what is likely to happen or likely to be true or false. Evidence comes from facts, observations, experiences, comparisons, and experiments.
• Do what scientists do: Strive for objectivity. Scientists try to describe the world ...