2015 Repository Reruns - Boring Advice Repository

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This is the first post of the 2015 repository rerun, which appears to be a good idea. The motivation for this rerun is that while the 12 repositories (go look them up, they're awesome!) exist and people might look them up, few new comments are posted there. In effect, there might be useful stuff that should go in those repositories, but is never posted due to low expected value and no feedback. With the rerun, attention is shifted to one topic per month. This might allow us to have a lively discussion on the topic at hand and gather new content for the repository.

The first repository to be rerun is the Boring Advice Repository, because of... on a whim.

Enter original motivation (by Qiaochu_Yuan):

This is an extension of a comment I made that I can't find and also a request for examples. It seems plausible that, when giving advice, many people optimize for deepness or punchiness of the advice rather than for actual practical value. There may be good reasons to do this - e.g. advice that sounds deep or punchy might be more likely to be listened to - but as a corollary, there could be valuable advice that people generally don't give because it doesn't sound deep or punchy. Let's call this boring advice.

An example that's been discussed on LW several times is "make checklists." Checklists are great. We should totally make checklists. But "make checklists" is not a deep or punchy thing to say. Other examples include "google things" and "exercise."

The Boring Advice Repository is filled with lots of diverse advice, I've summarized some of it in a comment below.

So what should go here? To go with Qiaochu_Yuan again (adding emphasis):

[...] Post other examples of boring advice. If you can, provide evidence and/or a plausible argument that your boring advice actually is useful, but [...] err on the side of boring but not necessarily useful [...].

Upvotes on advice posted in this thread should be based on your estimate of the usefulness of the advice; [...] do not vote up advice just because it sounds deep or punchy.

I don't know if you should post new advice here or in the original repository. Perhaps search the old repository with ctrl+f (when on windows) and if you don't get results, post it here.

The first repository to be rerun is the Boring Advice Repository, because of... on a whim.

Enter original motivation (by Qiaochu_Yuan):

This is an extension of a comment I made that I can't find and also a request for examples. It seems plausible that, when giving advice, many people optimize for deepness or punchiness of the advice rather than for actual practical value. There may be good reasons to do this - e.g. advice that sounds deep or punchy might be more likely to be listened to - but as a corollary, there could be valuable advice that people generally don't give because it doesn't sound deep or punchy. Let's call this boring advice.

An example that's been discussed on LW several times is "make checklists." Checklists are great. We should totally make checklists. But "make checklists" is not a deep or punchy thing to say. Other examples include "google things" and "exercise."

The Boring Advice Repository is filled with lots of diverse advice, I've summarized some of it in a comment below.

So what should go here? To go with Qiaochu_Yuan again (adding emphasis):

[...] Post other examples of boring advice. If you can, provide evidence and/or a plausible argument that your boring advice actually is useful, but [...] err on the side of boring but not necessarily useful [...].

Upvotes on advice posted in this thread should be based on your estimate of the usefulness of the advice; [...] do not vote up advice just because it sounds deep or punchy.

I don't know if you should post new advice here or in the original repository. Perhaps search the old repository with ctrl+f (when on windows) and if you don't get results, post it here.

Get enough sleep. It will give you better intelligence, happiness and health.

There is existing lots of research on how very bad sleep deprivation is for cognitive performance. Many smart people are keen to get smarter by taking nootropic drugs, which have not so good evidence of effectiveness, and not much evidence for long term safety.

Not to be sleep deprived is a massive, free cognitive enhancement. Not only is it good for your cognition. The long term health effects have been studied, and it is not only not bad for you, it is indeed very good for your health. You will almost certainly live longer as well as smarter!

Many smart people also stay up late at night and get up too early to get enough sleep. This is a bad bargain. It is hard to change this habit. However, the gains are potentially very big for people.

I have changed my behaviour before big days at work when I have to appear smart. In the past I am staying up late the night before to practice and prepare. I would not prepare for such meetings by drinking alcohol, because I know it would impair my cognitive function, including how well I am able to assess my own cognitive function, so I would not perceive how impaired I was. But I did prepare for such meetings by not sleeping properly, although the effect is the same. Now I go to bed early that night. I feel I am much smarter, and have had more success recently in these big days.

I consider going to bed early is my secret weapon to get smarter. This is a trick to make it seem more fun than staying up late playing a computer game instead!

Not to be sleep deprived is a massive, free cognitive enhancement. [emphasis added]

Check your having-enough-time privilege! ;-)

(But for > 50% of people, I agree with your comment.)

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2015 Repository Reruns - Boring Advice Repository

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2015 Repository Reruns - Boring Advice Repository

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