High Agency Tools
I just want to note down what George mentioned as some strategies to start thinking like a high agency person. In essence, they all serve to get you from where you are now to where you want to be by actively planning, breaking down and solving the problems you encounter along the way. They're worded differently to make it seem more obvious, simple, or easier for a person to start. Each is also dedicated to combat a specific low-agency trap.
Define the problems out of your head (so do the solutions)
The Vague Trap
Problems only exist in our head never get resolved and trap us forever. It needs to be out of my head, being defined with the simplest, clearest, and most specific language possible. So do the solutions for it.
This is Christopher Nolan’s (linearized) drawing of the plot of Inception, the most convoluted modern film, with 5 layers of realities happening together. Seeing this, I don't think Nolan is a non-human with a perfect understanding of non-linearity. He is just a human who knows how to structure linear storyline in a non-linear manner in the most captivating way.
Inversion
The Midwit Trap
One of the easiest way to not do anything is to overcomplicate everything. Don't read just one book, read 30 books about the subject and its adjacent, and try to learn things "via osmosis". Or gathering 100 Japanese based on 6 different levels and 7 different methods for reading, listening, writing, speaking, vocabulary, grammar, etc. Quickly, you will be busy over-preparing to solve instead of actually solving a problem.
Most of the time, it's better to just start something. That's why the smol brain on the left has higher agency on the left - he's too dumb to overcomplicate things, so he can get started. But we want to be on the right with the big brain, where we may do the exact simple actions, but it's because we are smart enough to reduce complexity.
To move to the right, common sense is telling us we need to move via the middle. But that's Midwit Trap too.
Notice that the guy on the right is the exact opposite of the guy on the left. So we can try to be the guy on the left, being as dumb as possible, and find the simple solutions via inversion.
"How can I ensure that I will not become a regular open-source contributor?"
- Do not look for open-source projects open for contribution.
- Do not reach out to project owners via beginner PR.
- Do not write and ship codes consistently.
Flip them around:
- Look for open-source projects open for contribution.
- Reach out to project owners via beginner PR.
- Write and ship codes consistently.
No sunk cost
The Attachment Trap
Low agency person gets too attached to past plans or actions. Life changes, so must plans and actions. You recognize and switch to a better option if you have high agency. The antidote is called first-principle thinking, but it or "What would I do if I had 10x the agency" question is all about zero sunk cost. An idea is a tool that needs to be used (or discarded) to lead to a better life, not a baby to be protected at all cost. Question all assumptions about reality. The only fairly reliable facts about the world are the laws of physics, which works even in North Korea. So if something does not defy the laws of physics, it's possible.
Do something, now!
The Rumination Trap
Another case of paralysis, but not by preparation, but by analysis. You play the perfectionist, keep yourself in endless "what if" loops.
The rumination trap sounds like this: "I’ve spent the last 5 years thinking about leaving my hometown of Doncaster and going to New York — but there’s no perfect option. When my mind thinks of going to New York, it plays a horror film of the expensive rent draining my bank account and me losing contact with my home friends. When my mind thinks of staying in Doncaster, it plays a horror film of me as an old man wondering what could’ve been if I moved to New York." — When faced with those horror films, they opt for more ruminating time.
It's Gordian knot, and the best way to solve it is to cut it. The solution is asking yourself How can I take action on this now? and do it now. Just like in a lab, decision-making is carried out via experimenting. If you want to give up your US passport and become a resident somewhere, just do it, and deal with the arising problems. Or you want to try living in the UK, you just book a flight 18 months apart, and deal with the arising problems1.
Make a video game (but not by Ubisoft)
The Overwhelm Trap
Facing with a seemingly impossible problem, you just want to run away. Well, that's how most worthwhile goals feel. We need a way to get over this. That's when we turn to video game. Break down the Level 100 Final Boss into small chunks with increasing difficulty, from your current Level 0 up Level 1, 2, 3, etc. and take the smallest first step.
You can beat Malenia, Blade of Miquella that way, you can crack Schrödinger equation that way.
Flow chart
Here's the nice summary flow chart of George
Footnotes
Derek Sivers did both that and is alive and well (at the time of writing). So just do it, and deal with the arising problems.↩