Principles
2,201 principles · page 15 of 46
Preserve the first and last links of a normal chain…
Preserve the first and last links of a normal chain when designing emergency variants, compressing only the middle section, to maintain identity signals and reduce activation cost.
Define activation triggers for emergency chains using…
Define activation triggers for emergency chains using observable conditions evaluable in under two seconds without deliberation, rather than internal states requiring self-analysis.
Rehearse emergency chains monthly even when not needed…
Rehearse emergency chains monthly even when not needed, because infrequently-run sequences remain fragile unless the basal ganglia encode them through deliberate practice.
Design social chain links to specify your own behavior…
Design social chain links to specify your own behavior precisely while allowing the other person's response to vary within an acceptable range, since you cannot control autonomous agents.
Make social chains explicitly shared structures when both…
Make social chains explicitly shared structures when both parties benefit from coordination, converting encounters into collaborative sequences rather than one-sided impositions.
Keep pre-social and post-social links tight while allowing…
Keep pre-social and post-social links tight while allowing only the social interaction itself to flex, preventing the entire chain from becoming loose.
Conduct quarterly reviews comparing current chain execution…
Conduct quarterly reviews comparing current chain execution against documented specifications to detect accumulated drift before it compounds into structural failure.
Execute chains in deliberate observe-mode during reviews…
Execute chains in deliberate observe-mode during reviews to generate accurate pictures of current operation, since automatic execution conceals what has changed.
Document changes that have occurred before evaluating…
Document changes that have occurred before evaluating whether they should be kept, preventing premature reversion while capturing the architecture as it actually runs.
When a chain breaks mid-sequence, jump to the nearest…
When a chain breaks mid-sequence, jump to the nearest downstream anchor rather than restarting from the beginning, accepting lost links as degraded performance rather than total failure.
Externalize competing evidence side-by-side rather…
Externalize competing evidence side-by-side rather than holding it in working memory, where confirmation bias will weight confirming evidence more heavily.
Install behavior patterns during low-stress periods because…
Install behavior patterns during low-stress periods because they will be tested most severely during high-stress periods when deliberate control fails.
Design productive defaults around activities…
Design productive defaults around activities that are intrinsically enjoyable rather than merely valuable, because defaults compete with immediately rewarding alternatives when cognitive resources are depleted.
Reduce restraining forces maintaining unwanted behavior…
Reduce restraining forces maintaining unwanted behavior rather than amplifying driving forces toward desired behavior, because force amplification increases system tension without producing movement.
Accumulate high-value activity in unstructured time gaps…
Accumulate high-value activity in unstructured time gaps through single pre-committed defaults rather than scheduling every moment, because scheduling creates rigidity while defaults capture opportunistic time.
Pre-commit specific alternative behaviors for default…
Pre-commit specific alternative behaviors for default replacement contexts, because generating alternatives in real-time under cognitive load reliably fails while pre-loaded redirects can execute automatically.
Design stress defaults to be physically simple rather…
Design stress defaults to be physically simple rather than cognitively sophisticated, as acute stress degrades prefrontal function making executive-dependent responses unavailable precisely when needed.
Design phone-free physical zones and time blocks…
Design phone-free physical zones and time blocks as environmental defaults rather than willpower-based rules, as context-driven impossibility eliminates the decision point where executive function would otherwise fail under load.
Identify and replace the default that feeds the most other…
Identify and replace the default that feeds the most other defaults first, as disrupting high-leverage patterns creates cascade effects that resolve downstream defaults without direct intervention.
Audit environments in three layers—proximity (within reach)…
Audit environments in three layers—proximity (within reach), visibility (within sight), and friction sequence (steps to begin)—to surface invisible defaults.
Use cognitive reappraisal before emotion peaks rather…
Use cognitive reappraisal before emotion peaks rather than suppressing emotional expression after it forms to reduce both subjective distress and physiological cost.
Temporarily disable expert pattern recognition by describing
Temporarily disable expert pattern recognition by describing what you observe before categorizing it, preventing automatic schemas from filtering out category-inconsistent details.
Classify your interpretations along three…
Classify your interpretations along three dimensions—permanence, pervasiveness, and personalization—to identify systematic biases in how you explain events.
Deploy different thinking modes—optimistic, pessimistic…
Deploy different thinking modes—optimistic, pessimistic, realistic—based on context rather than defaulting to a single interpretive frame across all situations.
When cognitive load is high, reduce the complexity…
When cognitive load is high, reduce the complexity of intended behaviors rather than increasing effort, because executive function required for override degrades under the same conditions that activate problematic defaults.
Observe your actual behavior over time to infer…
Observe your actual behavior over time to infer your operative identity, because repeated automatic actions accumulate more identity-defining evidence than occasional deliberate choices or stated aspirations.
When initiating extinction, prepare for and endure…
When initiating extinction, prepare for and endure the temporary behavioral intensification (extinction burst) without reinstating reinforcement, as the burst is evidence the process is working.
Never reinforce a behavior at burst-level intensity…
Never reinforce a behavior at burst-level intensity, as doing so trains the system that escalation is the new price of the reward.
Install physically incompatible competing responses…
Install physically incompatible competing responses for unwanted behaviors, because structural blockades at the motor level do not depend on willpower or conscious monitoring.
To make a replacement behavior competitive…
To make a replacement behavior competitive with an established behavior, ensure it delivers the same functional outcome faster, more reliably, or with greater magnitude — or compensates deficits in one dimension by exceeding in another.
Expect social extinction bursts when you stop behaviors…
Expect social extinction bursts when you stop behaviors that others have been reinforcing — they will escalate attempts to elicit your old behavior because they are experiencing loss of a reinforcer they relied on.
Track extinction progress using dimensional measurement…
Track extinction progress using dimensional measurement (frequency, peak intensity, duration) rather than binary measurement to reveal the non-linear decline curve that binary tracking erases.
Explain established systems to newcomers not as onboarding…
Explain established systems to newcomers not as onboarding but as defamiliarization practice—articulating what you automate exposes hidden assumptions.
When spontaneous recovery occurs weeks into extinction…
When spontaneous recovery occurs weeks into extinction, compare current intensity to initial burst intensity rather than to immediately preceding quiet days to accurately assess whether progress has been lost.
Interpret a single lapse as a predicted phase of extinction…
Interpret a single lapse as a predicted phase of extinction that carries no prognostic significance, and focus solely on preventing the second consecutive occurrence within 24 hours.
Use relapse episodes diagnostically to identify which…
Use relapse episodes diagnostically to identify which contexts, reward exposures, or time intervals reactivate the original learning, then strengthen extinction specifically in those conditions.
Pre-commit to the accurate attribution for relapse before…
Pre-commit to the accurate attribution for relapse before it occurs, because once the abstinence violation effect activates, you lose the capacity to generate the reframe in real time.
Re-engage replacement behaviors immediately after setbacks…
Re-engage replacement behaviors immediately after setbacks rather than waiting for emotional readiness, because speed of re-engagement predicts long-term success independent of setback severity.
Build lasting behaviors through sequential time-boxed…
Build lasting behaviors through sequential time-boxed experiments with interim evaluations rather than single permanent commitments, grounding each continuation decision in accumulated evidence.
Create bright-line rules for behaviors maintained…
Create bright-line rules for behaviors maintained by variable-ratio reinforcement, because any engagement re-triggers the complete reinforcement loop.
Calibrate commitment stakes to hurt meaningfully without…
Calibrate commitment stakes to hurt meaningfully without devastating, because stakes that are too low lack force while stakes that are too high trigger shame spiraling.
Establish accountability relationships with neutral…
Establish accountability relationships with neutral witnessing rather than moral evaluation, because shame transforms accountability into surveillance and reduces honest reporting.
Match redirect behaviors to the specific function…
Match redirect behaviors to the specific function the unwanted behavior served, because functional vacuums create pressure for behavioral return.
Ask 'If we were starting from scratch today, would we build…
Ask 'If we were starting from scratch today, would we build it this way?' to simulate the perspective of someone without your accumulated assumptions.
Treat each urge as a wave with a predictable temporal…
Treat each urge as a wave with a predictable temporal structure (onset, escalation, peak at 8-15 minutes, decline), using observational attention rather than resistance to allow the wave to complete its natural 15-30 minute cycle.
Establish post-extinction monitoring with four defined…
Establish post-extinction monitoring with four defined components—specific observable signal, scheduled observation frequency, explicit threshold for intervention, and predetermined response protocol—to detect behavioral drift before rationalization normalizes deviations.
Taper monitoring frequency as extinction stabilizes (daily →
Taper monitoring frequency as extinction stabilizes (daily → weekly → monthly → quarterly) but increase frequency preemptively during life transitions, because context changes weaken extinction learning while simultaneously reducing monitoring likelihood.
Conduct functional analysis before attempting extinction…
Conduct functional analysis before attempting extinction by observing the behavior without intervention for at least five days using ABC recording, then generate and test a functional hypothesis, because intervention without understanding function produces symptom substitution rather than genuine elimination.