I recently read Levels of Action, an awesome post on Less Wrong by tommccabe. Awesome, because he pegged down one of my greatest flaws (and therefore excellent low-hanging fruit).
Level 1 actions are concrete object-level actions: things that directly move the world towards a more desirable state, like taking a typing class to improve your typing skills.
Level 2 actions are meta-level actions: things that you do to improve the effectiveness of your Level 1 actions, like reading reviews on typing software before picking which one to use. Pick the best one, and you will more effectively achieve your goal of learning to type fast.
Level 3 actions are meta-meta-level actions: things that you do to improve the effectiveness of your Level 2 actions, like reading books on the best methods of decision-making.
Level 4 actions are meta-meta-meta-level actions, etc. etc.
The great thing about Level 2 and higher actions is that they compound the effectiveness of your Level 1 actions. Spending 30 minutes to pick out the best language learning software (Level 2) could save you week or months of time spent trying to improve your proficiency in the language. Likewise, having a good method handy for deciding how to find the best learning method, like using language software versus living in a country for a few months without English, could save you years of time. Level 3 actions determine what methods you use to make decisions (Level 2) to determine your actions (Level 1).
For example:
“Engineering technology that helps improve people’s productivity is then a Level 2 action. Doing science that helps with engineering is then a Level 3 action (meta-meta), and doing math that helps with science is a Level 4 action (meta-meta-meta).”
Many people do not spend time on higher-level actions, and stick with the bottom level, because we are not good at being strategic.
The opposite problem also exists, and here is precisely my problem. Some people recognize the value in Level 2 and higher thinking—I can’t stand doing things without knowing why I’m doing it a certain way and whether there are better ways. The problem is that some people—like me—end up worshiping the higher levels, without doing anything at Level 1. But, it doesn’t matter how effective your higher levels are, if they are never pulled down to earth and use to do stuff. Efficiency x 0 = 0.
The risk is that we spend too much time trying to be perfectly strategic without every doing anything.
He further says:
“How should we counter this, while still getting the benefits of the higher levels? One suggestion that gets talked about a lot is simply to always do something directly useful – do something instead of nothing, which is the first step towards accomplishing any goal. […] It is, of course, also important to choose effective actions, in addition to simply choosing to act.”
In other words, just get out there and do stuff, while still thinking about how to be effective, but not only thinking about effectiveness.
This is, unfortunately, a huge issue of mine. Going out and doing stuff without absolute certainty of the effictiveness or worth of the actions is something I naturally avoid. And in retrospect, this is likely more than anything else what has stopped me from achieving all the things I’ve wanted to achieve by now. Far too much time has been spend figuring out the best way to do it, and as a result doing nothing.
So if you never think about how to be strategic, I highly recommend you start trying. And if you’re like me and tend to only think about being stragetic, then try to stop thinking about it so much and go do something.
