Very strongly seconding this.
as a less long-term changing corollary or adjunct to this: If you're worried about someone's end of any joint endeavor, get in contact as soon as possible. This is true for projects, for trips, but even just for going out for a night. The amount of time it costs you and them for you to give them a phone call to figure out whether they'll be at the restaurant at 8 is very minor, on the order of 30 seconds to a minute. The amount time you can save yourself waiting around can easily be half an hour or an hour. In general, if the answer to a question can drastically change your plans, make sure to ask that question as soon as possible.
But then I have to interact with peo- NO BRAIN!!! SHUT UP!!! INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE ISN'T BAD!! AND WE'LL HAVE TO INTERACT WITH THEM ANYWAY WHEN THEY DON'T SHOW UP AND IT WILL BE MUCH WORSE!!! WE ARE MAKING THAT PHONE CALL!!!
The conversation I have with myself every time I implement this strategy. Yes, I yell at my brain. Otherwise the insolent bastard won't listen.
Try and remember 3 or 4 things that you think would be effective hacks for your life but you have not so far implemented. Really, find three.
Probably that was not so hard.
Now think of at which moment in time did you have a maximal probability of having implemented such hacks. Sometimes you had no idea that was the moment. But sometimes you did, like when a friend tells you "I just read this great paper on how people report cartoons being funnier when their face is shaped in a more smiling fashion." and you thought "Great! I may one day implement the algorithm: if studying, force a smile".
You knew you didn't plan to read the article, you knew you trust that friend, and you knew you'd either forget it later, or in any case that from that moment on, the likelihood of you implementing the algorithm would lower.
So my hack of the day is: If you feel you are likely at the maximal probability moment to start a new policy, start immediately.
My friend was telling me about how he went abroad to research: "...so at this place and people there used very strong lights as cognitive enhancement and yadda yadda yadda... (stopped listening for 40s) yadda yadda yadda.... and I wrote a paper on ..." By that time my room had an extra 110W light working.
Just now0 I thought: It was good I installed that light. Why didn't I do the same when I felt like finding a personalized shirt website where the front would be "I Don't want to talk about: [list]" and the back "Pick your topic: [list]" to once and for all stop the gossip and sports ice-breakers?
I didn't seize the maximal probability moment. That's what happened.
Then I noticed that that1 was the maximal probability moment to install in my mind the maximal probability moment algorithm, I did, and that2 was the maximal probability moment of writing this post.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have3 a shirt to buy.