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Stuck? Ask Yourself This
Welcome to Effective Habits, a weekly newsletter where I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you live a happy, healthy, and productive life.
Today also marks my 200th week of sending these issues. Whether you’ve been here from the start or just joined, I appreciate you for coming along this journey and hopefully picking up a thing or two!
Today at a Glance:
The Hidden Cost of Optimizing Everything
Why Life Is Better When You’re a Little Bad at Everything, According to Someone Who Used to Try to Be Good at Everything
6 Mental Models For Big Decisions
“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”
The Hidden Cost of Optimizing Everything
Charlie Warzel
🔦Lights, Camera, ...
We’ve become obsessed with making life easier, faster, and more efficient. But what if, in optimizing everything, we’re accidentally optimizing away some of life’s greatest pleasures? Technology has made it possible to skip countless everyday inconveniences, but it has also reduced our interactions with people, places, and the physical world. Think of the smell of a home-cooked meal, the warmth of the sun, or a brief conversation with a stranger. These moments offer what author Ian Bogost calls gratification: an immediate sense of pleasure and connection to the physical world. Unlike happiness, which we often chase through big life goals, or satisfaction, which comes from accomplishing something, gratification is available in almost every moment. The good news? We don’t have to abandon technology or ambition to reclaim these pleasures. We simply need to start noticing and appreciating what’s already around us.
🎬Action!
Find joy in the small things. Stop treating every moment as something to optimize. Each day, take a few moments to notice and appreciate at least one sensory pleasures around you: the warmth of the sun, the smell of your food, or the sound of leaves crunching beneath your feet. Engage in some activities simply for the experience, not the outcome, and occasionally choose real-world interactions over digital convenience. You don't have to give up ambition or efficiency, just remember to enjoy the process of living, not only the results.
🔦Lights, Camera, ...
We’re taught that happiness comes from finding our passion, mastering it, and becoming exceptional at something. But what if the pursuit of excellence actually makes life less fulfilling? After years of competing internationally in ice climbing, one athlete discovered that mastery came at a steep price: sacrificing friendships, hobbies, and new experiences for marginal improvements. Ironically, she became happier after stepping away from competition and embracing being a beginner again. As Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard suggests, getting about 80% good at something might be the sweet spot—beyond that, improvement often demands disproportionate time and sacrifice. Exploring different interests, on the other hand, builds adaptability, curiosity, and a richer life. The lesson? You don't have to be exceptional at something to enjoy it. Sometimes, being a little bad at lots of things is far more rewarding than being great at just one.
🎬Action!
Embrace being a beginner. Pick an activity you’ve always wanted to try but avoided because you wouldn’t be good at it. Give it a go without worrying about your performance. Likewise, reconsider whether the time and effort required to get marginally better at something you already do well is worth the sacrifice. Sometimes, being good enough and exploring something new brings more fulfillment than chasing perfection.
6 Mental Models For Big Decisions
Dr. Ali Abdaal
🔦Lights, Camera, ...
Ever feel stuck making a big decision because none of your options seem quite right? Sometimes, the problem isn't a lack of good choices but the way we're thinking about them. We get caught up in assumptions, focus on the wrong things, or lose sight of what we actually want. That's where mental models come in. By approaching a problem from a different perspective and asking better questions, we can challenge our assumptions, uncover what really matters, and make decisions with greater clarity and confidence. Here are six powerful questions to help you think through your next big decision.
🎬Action!
What Core Value Are You Optimizing For? Identify the value that matters most to you right now, whether that's freedom, security, growth, or relationships. You don't have to abandon your other values, but knowing which one takes priority makes difficult trade-offs easier. When faced with a decision, ask yourself which option best supports the value you're currently prioritizing.
What Would Your Mental Board of Advisors Say? Imagine a personal board of 3–4 people you admire, whether they're alive or not. Choose people whose values and thinking you understand well enough to imagine their advice. When facing a difficult decision, ask yourself what each person would recommend. Looking at the problem through their perspectives can reveal solutions you might otherwise overlook.
What Are Your Underlying Assumptions? Many problems seem difficult because we accept certain assumptions without questioning them. Identify what you're taking for granted and challenge whether it's actually true. For example, instead of struggling to choose a film, ask whether you need to watch one at all. Sometimes, questioning the assumptions behind a problem makes the problem disappear entirely.
Can You Adjust the Friction? Make good habits easier and bad habits harder by changing your environment. Want to exercise more? Lay out your workout clothes the night before. Want to spend less time on your phone? Keep it out of your bedroom and turn off unnecessary notifications. The goal is to make your desired behaviors the path of least resistance.
Are You Applying Leverage? Instead of solving every problem by working harder, look for ways to achieve better results with less effort. Can you automate a repetitive task, delegate work, build a reusable system, or use your existing skills and connections? Leverage means using your resources strategically to multiply your impact rather than relying solely on more time and effort.
Are You Giving Yourself Permission to Experiment? Stop treating every decision as permanent or life-defining. Instead, approach reversible decisions like a scientist: form a hypothesis, run a small experiment, and learn from the results. Even if things don't work out, you'll gain valuable information that helps you make better decisions next time. Give yourself permission to try something new without needing to know exactly how it will turn out.
TOOL TIP
The Brand Ledger: A project that tracks how and why many everyday products decline in quality. The Brand Ledger keeps tabs on nearly 400 consumer brands and flags when a once-good name gets sold off and hollowed out by investors. Each brand gets a verdict backed by reporting on ownership changes and manufacturing shifts.
FUN FACT
The first webcam watched a coffee pot. Cambridge researchers pointed a camera at their shared coffee machine so they could check whether it contained coffee before making the journey to it. The feed became the first webcam in November 1993.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not liable for any risks or issues that may arise from using this information.
