A Rationalist Self-help Framework

Articles divided in themes and in recommended reading order

Every concept that I consider useful and applicable, with sources and building on each other within the category. Remember the art of switching between frameworks and try things, some might stick and produce actual change.

Proceed by letter – finish every A across sections, then move to B.

A0/10
B0/10
C0/10
D0/9
E0/6
F0/2

1Slack

Gaining space for doing stuff and optimization

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Important
1ASlack
Margin between what you need and what you have. Space to act, buffer against shocks, room to explore.
1BLimited Time & Energy
1CThe Material Reality
Stays forever, unaffected by the constructed symbols.
1DExternal Narratives
External narratives are often used to drown out internal experience, focusing on The Material Reality and senses can provide equanimity instead.
1ETempo

2Distractions

Identifying counterproductive patterns and preference misalignment

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Important
2AAddictions
Addicted from vs addicted to.
Important
2BThe Will to Nothingness
2COverplanning
Planning feels like work despite working like entertainment.
2DSelf Sabotage

3Applying Improvements

Using systems correctly and with enough seriousness

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3AThe Basics
3BKeep Stacking Solutions
Important
3CTrack Your Interventions
Untracked fixes get rediscovered forever and applied never.
3DCommunity Motivation
Community is crucial to keep you motivated on the level required for consistent improvement.
3ESingularity Mindset

4What Actually Happens

Decisionmaking and consistency

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4AJust Starting
Starting hurts once, procrastinating hurts throughout.
Important
4BDefaults
4CDecision Point
4DLasting Change
4EExtremely Mechanistic
4FLifelong Weight

5Looking

Finding flow while in the constructed internal experience

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5AFirst Insights
5BMeditation
Important
5CNoticing Internal States
5DTracking Internals

6My Brain, the Player

Asking the base hardware for help, guidance, and motivation

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Important
6APlayer vs Character
You aren't the king in your own head.
6BTrue Goals
6CMotivation
Important
6DSelf-loyalty
My mind is not beholden to any single task or idea, only to the Player.
6EExperiences Needs

7Me, a Character

The self as a role being played, and the narratives that keep it in character

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Important
7AThe Self
7BNarrative
7CSelf-consistency
7DSelf-deception
7ELARPing improvement
7FPlaying Out Roles
Some dynamics, situations, and own behavior patterns, seem weirdly persistent. They are in such a way that trying to do anything about them only makes things worse, or even fuels it. Those black holes for slack have to be avoided at all costs.

8Subagents

Driving internal alignment by identifying component drives

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8ASubagents theory
8BThe Global Workspace
Important
8CInternal Alignment
Being in self = no fights between subagents.
Important
8DDefault Mode Network
8EMesaoptimizers

9OrientingOptional

Classifying the environment. Dealing with the world as a nerd

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Important
9ASignaling
Nerds are prone to misunderstanding signaling as reports of reality. Correctly classifying information, not just by its content, is crucial for modeling and decisionmaking.
9BMasking
Weirdness budget.
9CTribalism

10RebuildingOptional

Creating durable working frameworks for the cooperating+adversarial mixed environment

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10ACompensating
When lacking some native social or other ability, a sufficiently detailed model and operating procedures can replace them and thrive, having its components tweaked by the given goal. Detecting Signaling like "just be x" is a prerequisite to building those. Building those strategies explicitly is seen as defection by those who execute them natively. Adaptation is necessary.
Important
10BCooperating
Normies are playing different kind of game than Nerds. Often their responses are actually an attempt to teach Nerds how they should behave in the social game, acting as an ally in it, but Nerds, expecting others to play their game, don't understand that.
10CEmpathy
10DDedication
Find other person(s) to dedicate your life to so you don't make it just about yourself.