This seems true, but obvious. I’m not sure that I buy that fiction promotes this idea: IMO, fiction usually glosses over how the characters got their powers because it’s boring. Some real-life examples of power for cheap would be very useful. Here are some suggestions:
Stick your money in index funds. This is way easier and more effective than trying to beat the market.
Ignore the news. It will waste your time and make you sad.
Go into a high-paying major / career
Ask for things/information/advice. Asking is cheap, and sometimes it works.
I was using “power” in the sense of the OP (which is just: more time/skills/influence). Sorry the examples aren’t as dramatic as you would like; unfortunately, I can’t think of more dramatic examples.
I had that problem too (from the commentary here, this lack of specific examples is the post’s biggest issue) -- whatever examples I could come up with seemed distinctly unspectacular.
However, I think avoiding common failure modes—being less wrong—is a decent way to increase the expected value of your power.
Unfortunately, it seems much easier to list particularly inefficient uses of time than particularly efficient uses of time :P I guess it all depends on your zero point.
This seems true, but obvious. I’m not sure that I buy that fiction promotes this idea: IMO, fiction usually glosses over how the characters got their powers because it’s boring. Some real-life examples of power for cheap would be very useful. Here are some suggestions:
Stick your money in index funds. This is way easier and more effective than trying to beat the market.
Ignore the news. It will waste your time and make you sad.
Go into a high-paying major / career
Ask for things/information/advice. Asking is cheap, and sometimes it works.
Anyone have other real-world suggestions?
Get enough sleep. Exercise regularly.
None of your examples look like they provide power for cheap.
I disagree.
1 and 2 are “negative”: avoiding common failure modes.
3 and 4 are “positive”: ways to get “more bang for your buck” than you “normally” would.
A list of useful things to do, or a list of effective ways to do something are not ways to get “power for cheap”.
Avoiding minor failure modes does not get you power. Getting a little bit more bang for your buck is still not “power for cheap”.
I was using “power” in the sense of the OP (which is just: more time/skills/influence). Sorry the examples aren’t as dramatic as you would like; unfortunately, I can’t think of more dramatic examples.
I had that problem too (from the commentary here, this lack of specific examples is the post’s biggest issue) -- whatever examples I could come up with seemed distinctly unspectacular.
However, I think avoiding common failure modes—being less wrong—is a decent way to increase the expected value of your power.
Unfortunately, it seems much easier to list particularly inefficient uses of time than particularly efficient uses of time :P I guess it all depends on your zero point.
I think that’s the point :-)