2023-01-09 Mon 14:53 PM A [[Ref. CFAR 2021 - Participant handbook]] technique. ![[Pasted image 20230109152453.png]] The Goal Factoring algorithm 1. Choose an action - Something you already do, or are considering starting - Something that happens frequently, or is costly in other ways - Something that seems like it could be optimized, or that you aren’t really sure why you’re doing in the first place 2. Prepare to accept all worlds - Try to release any hesitation you might have about achieving victory without doing the action itself. Remember that if you do encounter hesitation, it can be used to uncover an unacknowledged hidden goal of the action, which you can address separately. - Remind yourself that you are interested in the true best answer, whatever it may happen to be. - Remember that you are not committing yourself to doing something that “feels wrong.” If all of the answers you come up with feel wrong, you simply won’t do any of them—don’t let that stop you from running the search properly in the first place. 3. Factor the action out into goals - Remember that there is a difference between wanting to do/be X, and wanting to appear to do/be X, and write down the one you actually want. - Don’t forget about goals pertaining to things like social standing, interpersonal connection, and your own sense of self. - Query your System 1 (e.g. with a button test) to confirm that you haven’t missed anything important. 4. Brainstorm possible replacement actions - Focus on your goals one at a time (i.e. don’t expect yourself to come up with a complete strategy in one step). - After you have finished brainstorming for all goals, look for ways to combine them, whether through a single streamlined plan or through a combination of lots of little plans. 5. Reality check - Vividly imagine instituting your new plan. Are you satisfied? Do you notice unmet goals that need to be addressed? • - Run the Murphyjitsu algorithm or some other similar process. Do you expect you will actually follow your new plan? Which parts of it seem unpleasant, aversive, duty-flavored, or otherwise hard to motivate yourself to do? What revisions can you put into place to improve the odds of success?