Naming a Bias Does Not Remove It
Knowing about a bias does not protect you from it — you still need active systems to counteract blind spots.
7
Self-awareness
You can't change what you don't see. Self-awareness is the unglamorous skill of noticing your own patterns — what triggers you, what drains you, which stories you tell yourself. The advice here helps you observe yourself honestly without drowning in self-analysis.
Being Able to Spot Flaws in Others' Reasoning Doesn't Make You Immune
Spotting others' biases is easy; seeing your own requires a fundamentally different skill.
10
Follow the Incentives and You'll Predict the Behavior
To understand behavior, look at incentives, not stated values — people respond to what they are rewarded for.
5
Before Removing a Rule, Understand Why It Was Created
Understand a rule's purpose before you decide it's unnecessary.
18
Ask "Why" Five Times and You'll Find the Real Problem
The first answer is usually a symptom — the root cause hides deeper.
7
Don't Trust Advice from People Who Have No Skin in the Game
Weigh advice by how much the advisor stands to lose if they're wrong.
11
Feedback Loops Explain More of Life Than You Think
What looks like a fixed trait is often a loop you can interrupt.
7
Every System Is Perfectly Designed to Get the Results It Gets
Consistent results reflect the system's design, not individual effort.
21
Look at What's Missing, Not Just What's Present
What's absent often reveals more than what's present.
13
What Has Lasted Long Will Probably Last Longer
Time is the most ruthless filter — what survived it has proven its worth.
12
Behind Extreme Outcomes Usually Lies a Return to the Mean
Exceptional results — good or bad — tend to be followed by ordinary ones.
8
Big Failures Are Made of Small Compromises
Disasters accumulate through small, reasonable-seeming compromises.
17
Write Down Your Prediction Before Looking at the Result
Committing predictions to paper reveals where your intuition is calibrated and where it isn't.
19
Flip the Perspective: What Would You Tell a Friend in This Situation?
The advice you'd give a friend in your situation is probably the right advice for you.
10
Use the Outside View Before the Inside View
Check how similar projects went for others before trusting your own estimate.
23
Ask What You Are Not Being Told
The most revealing information is often what someone chose not to tell you.
10
Do Not Mistake a Label for an Explanation
A label describes the pattern; an explanation reveals why it exists.
12
Know the Difference Between Simple and Easy
Simple means few steps; easy means low effort — most important changes are one but not the other.
6