Instead of viewing life choices through a single moral lens like utilitarianism, which can lead to burnout, adopt 'Valuism'. This philosophy treats trade-offs as an empirical question about balancing your multiple, conflicting intrinsic values (e.g., altruism, connection, pleasure), leading to more sustainable and psychologically honest decisions.
Many successful people motivate themselves with harsh self-criticism, a 'dirty fuel' that works but causes psychological harm and burnout. A healthier, more sustainable approach is to experiment with 'clean fuels' like genuine excitement, collaboration, or curiosity, which can be equally or more effective without the negative costs.
A standard Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) technique for anxiety is to evaluate the evidence for and against a fear. This is unhelpful and can feel dismissive for people working on existential risks, as they have already considered the evidence deeply and concluded the threat is real and severe.
To resolve difficult trade-offs (e.g., work vs. family), use 'parts work' from Internal Family Systems therapy. Personify your conflicting values (e.g., 'the ambitious part,' 'the family part'), listen to each compassionately, and facilitate a dialogue. This process helps the neglected 'part' feel heard, reducing internal strife.
Instead of trying to eliminate negative emotions like fear, imagine a magic dial that controls its intensity. Asking yourself where you'd set the dial—not at zero, but at a functional level—reveals that some amount of a negative emotion can be useful. This helps you aim for regulation, not elimination.
When trying to break a bad habit like doomscrolling for relaxation, don't replace it with a productive task. Instead, find a 'glad you did it' activity—like a walk or calling a friend—that serves the same underlying need (e.g., rest) but leaves you feeling restored and fulfilled instead of drained or regretful.
When friends or family dismiss your concerns about abstract risks, trying to convince them of the facts often creates disconnection. Instead, focus on your personal emotional experience (e.g., 'Thinking about this is challenging and makes me feel X'). This allows them to empathize with you as a person, even if they disagree with your beliefs.
Compulsively checking stressful news is not a form of exposure therapy; it is a coping mechanism that makes anxiety worse. Like someone with a fear of flying who only feels safe after checking weather reports, this behavior teaches your brain that safety is contingent on hypervigilance, thus perpetuating the anxiety.
Accepting a terrible reality, like the possibility of extinction, is not the same as resigning to it. It is a psychological state where you stop mentally rebelling against what is possible. This frees up cognitive resources from denial and allows you to act more effectively against the threat.
View your total value produced as an equation with three factors: time invested, efficiency per hour, and the importance of the task. For driven people who already work long hours, trying to increase productivity by adding more time is often the least effective strategy compared to improving efficiency or focusing on higher-leverage work.
Before debating an important topic, diagnose whether you and your counterpart are in a 'scout mindset' (exploring for truth) or a 'soldier mindset' (defending a position). A productive conversation is impossible if one or both parties are in soldier mode. The first step is to get both people into a scout mindset.
Failing to accept your fundamental limitations as a human being—such as the need for rest and the existence of multiple personal values—is not noble but disastrous for your goals. An accurate understanding of yourself is the foundation for sustainable, effective action. Pretending you are not human leads to burnout and self-sabotage.