# If you weren't such an idiot...

> My friend Buck once told me that he often had interactions with me that felt like I was saying “If you weren’t such a fucking idiot, you would obviously do…” Here’s a list of such advice in that spirit.
> 
> Note that if you do/don’t do these things, I’m *technically* calling you an idiot, but I do/don’t do a bunch of them too. We can be idiots together.
> 
> If you weren’t such a fucking idiot…
> 
> *   You would have multiple copies of any object that would make you sad if you didn’t have it
>     *   Examples: ear plugs, melatonin, eye masks, hats, sun glasses, various foods, possibly computers, etc.
> *   You would spend money on goods and services.
>     *   Examples of goods: faster computer, monitor, keyboard, various tasty foods, higher quality clothing, standing desk, decorations for your room, mattress, pillow, sheets, etc.
>     *   Examples of services: uber, doordash, cleaners, personal assistants, editors, house managers, laundry, etc.
> *   You would have tried many things at least one time.
>     *   Examples of things to do: climbing, singing, listening to music, playing instruments, dancing, eating various types of food, writing, parties.
> *   You wouldn’t do anything absurdly dangerous, like take unknown drugs or ride a bike without a helmet.
> *   You wouldn’t take irreversible actions if you didn’t know what the fuck you were doing.
> *   You would exercise frequently.
>     *   Types of exercise to try: climbing, walking, running, soccer, football, yoga, hiking, fencing, swimming, wrestling, beat saber, etc.
> *   You would reliably sleep 6-9 hours a night.
>     *   Obvious things to try:
>         *   melatonin
>         *   blackout curtains
>         *   putting black tape over LEDs on electronics
>         *   experimenting with mattress, pillow, blankets, sheets, etc.
>         *   blue light blocking glasses
> *   You would routinely look up key numbers and do numerical consistency checks during thinking.
> *   You would have a password manager.
> *   You would invest money in yourself.
>     *   Recall: money can be used to buy goods and services.
> *   You would use a email’s subject line to succinctly describe what you want from the person.
>     *   For example, if I want to meet with my advisor, I’ll send an email with the subject “Request for Advisory Meeting” or something similar. If I want someone to read a draft of something I wrote, the subject would be “Request for Feedback on <Title>”.
> *   You would have a good mentor.
>     *   One way to do this is to email people that you want to be your mentor with the subject “Request for Mentorship”.
> *   You would drink lots of water.
> *   You would take notes in a searchable database.
> *   You would summarize things that you read.
> *   You would have tried making your room as bright as the outdoors.
> *   You would carry batteries to recharge your phone.
> *   You would have tried using pens with multiple colors.
> *   You would read textbooks instead of popular introductions.
> *   You would put a relatively consistent dollar value on your time.
> 
> I’m sure there are more things that I tell people that can be prefaced with “if you weren’t such an idiot…”, but that’s all I got for now.

A post I like by [@Mark Xu](https://www.lesswrong.com/users/mark-xu?mention=user) (who agreed to my crossposting in full).

Some more from me:

*   You would make it easier to capture your thoughts.
    *   Examples: [a pocket notebook](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/PPkheZsNvkM8Ey2uL/capturing-ideas), taking more voice notes
*   You wouldn't keep all your money in your current account.
*   You would [get help when you were stuck](https://twitter.com/visakanv/status/1502559613014589441).