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How to ThinkIn the Age of AI
Principlev1PR-261

Schedule consequential decisions outside metabolic depletion

Schedule consequential decisions outside metabolic depletion windows and defer irreversible commitments when running a sleep deficit of more than one hour.

Why This Is a Principle

This principle derives from multiple axioms about cognitive resource depletion. Exponential Information Decay establishes that cognitive capacity decays predictably; Directed Attention as Depletable Resource establishes that executive function draws from finite resources that deplete with use; Glucose-Cognition Dependency Threshold shows glucose depletion impairs specific cognitive functions; Conscious Processing Is Metabolically Expensive shows conscious deliberation is metabolically expensive. The principle prescribes a specific protective action (schedule control) based on these foundational limits. It is actionable across contexts (any consequential decision) and general enough to be a principle rather than a rule.