Terence Tao on Nostr: nprofile1q…evw7e I think the mental model of treating "big actions" as some sort of ...
nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqkx52dgqw2egf5yvaqqzaxtzy4jc4lkxzkh880a57fw4yhdfx8tvspevw7e (nprofile…vw7e) I think the mental model of treating "big actions" as some sort of persistent non-depreciating object that one can "save" or "spend" isn't particularly realistic. If, for instance, one is capable of performing 6 big actions in 20 years, but spends the first 18 years doing no big actions at all, it doesn't seem to me that one still has the capability to perform 6 big actions in the last two years of this window; one may be lucky to pull off one. But the question may be more valid for other qualities that have this sort of persistency, such as financial assets, or more intangible assets such as credibility and reputation. For instance, should one stake one's reputation on a risky bet early in one's career, late in one's career, or not at all?
One way I like to think about long term life or career decisions is as a collaboration between your current self, your past self, and your future self. Investing in skills or connections, or saving for the future, is transferring resources (such as available time) from your present self to your future self; conversely, taking advantage of past investments is drawing from your past self. So the question is which of these versions of your selves is deemed most capable of achieving one's goals. For instance, increased uncertainty makes the capability of one's future self less reliable, and thus incentivizes immediate action over long term action.
One way I like to think about long term life or career decisions is as a collaboration between your current self, your past self, and your future self. Investing in skills or connections, or saving for the future, is transferring resources (such as available time) from your present self to your future self; conversely, taking advantage of past investments is drawing from your past self. So the question is which of these versions of your selves is deemed most capable of achieving one's goals. For instance, increased uncertainty makes the capability of one's future self less reliable, and thus incentivizes immediate action over long term action.