This is the public group instrumental rationality diary for October 16-31.
It's a place to record and chat about it if you have done, or are actively doing, things like:
- Established a useful new habit
- Obtained new evidence that made you change your mind about some belief
- Decided to behave in a different way in some set of situations
- Optimized some part of a common routine or cached behavior
- Consciously changed your emotions or affect with respect to something
- Consciously pursued new valuable information about something that could make a big difference in your life
- Learned something new about your beliefs, behavior, or life that surprised you
- Tried doing any of the above and failed
Or anything else interesting which you want to share, so that other people can think about it, and perhaps be inspired to take action themselves. Try to include enough details so that everyone can use each other's experiences to learn about what tends to work out, and what doesn't tend to work out.
Thanks to cata for starting the Group Rationality Diary posts, and to commenters for participating.
Previous diary: October 1-15
Two years ago I took out a high limit, zero annual fees, credit card and put it away for a rainy day (you know: omg water damage kind of rainy day). This week I needed that card unexpectedly and I was very concerned that my plans were for nothing, I had no idea what my pin was. So I made a guess, and got it right on the first try. Two years ago I managed to set the pin to something I could guess, and then completely forgot about it.
The point of this story is, I rarely have it brought to my attention how much the planning and foresight of my past selves have made my life better. We look back and say 'I'm glad I've grown and learnt so much, wadavis(2012) was fairly ignorant", alternatively works of improvement are constant works in progress like your work or your schooling and it never comes up that last years work has made wonderful improvements to this years life..
It was very much like finding an Easter Egg left behind by my life's developer, past me.