AnnaSalamon comments on Compartmentalization in epistemic and instrumental rationality - Less Wrong
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I like the writing here: very clear and useful.
I have a very simple problem when doing mathematics.
I want to write a proof. But I also want to save time. And so I miss nuances and make false assumptions and often think the answer is simpler than it is. It's almost certainly motivated cognition, rather than inadequate preparation or "stupidity" or any other problem.
I know the answer is "Stop wanting to save time" -- but how do you manipulate your own unvoiced desires?
Do you have any ideas, including guesswork, about where your hurry is coming from? For example, are you in a hurry to go do other activities? Are you stressing about how many problems you have left in your problem set? Do you feel as though you're stupid if you don't immediately see the answer?
Some strategies that might help, depending: