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Be wary to follow any of these. These are people's owns. And some may say oh, it's inspiration. be careful. You are looking for an authority to solve your probl

Be wary to follow any of these. These are people's owns. And some may say oh, it's inspiration. be careful. You are looking for an authority to solve your problems. This is just a gallery of others brain hacks. Understand your own brain, and make your own hacks.

simonswords82 8y ago
Good point well made. What works for one person won't work for another, that's why I was hoping the collective braindump of HNers tactics would be a useful as a pattern would emerge. I think the pattern is - think about how you think, rather than just thinking.
beat 8y ago
Although maybe taking random HN advice isn't good, I don't think "Understand your own brain and make your own hacks" is necessarily the best route, either. Your brain isn't a special snowflake. It's subject to the same structural issues as everyone else's brains - instincts, cultural biases, education, etc. If you want to understand your own brain, it's very important to study great thinkers on the subject, both modern scientists and thinkers from the past whose insights have survived the test of time. That doesn't mean you need to commit to any one of them (especially when they are often at odds with one another), but their insights are valuable.
cowb0yl0gic 8y ago
The greatest advantage of culture is not having to learn everything, through brutal life experience, ourselves. Often, we only learn some bit of truth or wisdom after suffering its absence.
anoncake 8y ago
The only way to find out if something works for you is to try it. It makes sense to first try hacks that worked for other members of your species. However, you shouldn't follow other peoples' solutions to problems you don't have.
wtracy 8y ago
There is something to be said for not reinventing the wheel. That said, it is very easy to read a list like this, "feel inspired", and then go right back to your old habits.

simonswords82 8y ago

Good point well made. What works for one person won't work for another, that's why I was hoping the collective braindump of HNers tactics would be a useful as a pattern would emerge. I think the pattern is - think about how you think, rather than just thinking.

beat 8y ago

Although maybe taking random HN advice isn't good, I don't think "Understand your own brain and make your own hacks" is necessarily the best route, either. Your brain isn't a special snowflake. It's subject to the same structural issues as everyone else's brains - instincts, cultural biases, education, etc. If you want to understand your own brain, it's very important to study great thinkers on the subject, both modern scientists and thinkers from the past whose insights have survived the test of time. That doesn't mean you need to commit to any one of them (especially when they are often at odds with one another), but their insights are valuable.

cowb0yl0gic 8y ago

The greatest advantage of culture is not having to learn everything, through brutal life experience, ourselves. Often, we only learn some bit of truth or wisdom after suffering its absence.

anoncake 8y ago

The only way to find out if something works for you is to try it. It makes sense to first try hacks that worked for other members of your species. However, you shouldn't follow other peoples' solutions to problems you don't have.

wtracy 8y ago

There is something to be said for not reinventing the wheel. That said, it is very easy to read a list like this, "feel inspired", and then go right back to your old habits.