Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
Consensus is for existential decisions only — founding…
Reserve consensus decision-making exclusively for existential decisions where the group cannot survive executing an outcome some members fundamentally oppose—founding documents, core values, irreversible strategic pivots—because consensus is the slowest inclusive framework and should match its cost to decision stakes.
Classify decisions as speed-dominant or accuracy-dominant…
Before any analysis begins for a decision, explicitly classify it as speed-dominant (reversible, low cost of wrong, high cost of delay) or accuracy-dominant (irreversible, high cost of wrong, low cost of delay), then let that classification dictate process—fast decisions get 15 minutes and bias toward action, slow decisions get structured analysis.
Score process and outcome independently on a 2x2…
Evaluate decision quality separately from outcome quality by scoring process and results independently, placing decisions in a 2x2 matrix to distinguish deserved success, bad luck, dumb luck, and deserved failure.
Run four diagnostic questions in 60 seconds to select…
Before selecting a decision framework, run four diagnostic questions in sequence: (1) How reversible? (2) How many competing criteria? (3) What time horizon of consequences? (4) What is the cost of analysis itself?—using the answers to converge on the appropriate framework class within 60 seconds.
Add 'Did I use the right framework?' to every decision…
In post-decision review, explicitly add the meta-question 'Did I use the right framework for this decision?' and note framework-decision mismatches (comprehensive analysis on trivial reversible choices, satisficing on irreversible high-stakes decisions) to build your personal routing table.
Categorize weekly decisions as routine or novel — build…
Audit your work week by categorizing each decision as 'routine' (similar decision made before, could use framework) or 'novel' (requires fresh thinking), then for the five highest-frequency routine decisions, draft simple frameworks (default answer, two-option heuristic, or pre-commitment rule) and implement all five within one week.
After recurring activities, spend 60 seconds recording…
Add a 60-second structured observation step immediately after recurring activities, recording one sentence about output and one about potential changes, to convert open-loop repetition into closed-loop learning.
A complete feedback loop needs three elements
For any recurring activity, explicitly define three elements—the specific output being measured, the standard for comparison, and the adjustment rule triggered by deviation—to create a complete minimal feedback loop.
Measure feedback delay in actual time units before…
Before attempting to improve any feedback loop, measure the current delay between action and signal in concrete time units (seconds, minutes, hours, days) rather than accepting vague assessments, because unmeasured delays appear shorter than they actually are through habituation.
Substitute a faster noisy signal for a slower precise one…
Find a faster correlated signal that approximates delayed feedback rather than waiting for the original signal, accepting that speed compensates for increased noise in the approximation.
Daily activities need weekly feedback; strategic…
For daily activities, if feedback latency exceeds one week, or for strategic activities if latency exceeds one month, design a leading indicator or checkpoint that shortens the delay before drift compounds.
Build measurement systems when you design the strategy…
Build measurement dashboards and leading indicators at the same time you design the strategy they measure, not after problems appear, because instrumentation designed during crisis measures symptoms rather than causes.
Strengthen virtuous loops through one lever at a time
Strengthen a reinforcing loop you want to amplify by reducing friction at any node, increasing gain at a single node, or shortening cycle time, implementing one intervention per loop rather than attempting simultaneous multi-variable changes.
Only optimize the constraint — verify that improving…
Before attempting to improve a feedback loop component, verify it is actually the constraint by measuring whether improvements there would increase total system throughput, as optimizing non-constraints produces local gains without system-level improvement.
When feedback is slower than behavior frequency, the brain…
When feedback consistently arrives in days or weeks while the behavior repeats daily, the brain cannot reliably attribute consequences to specific actions due to temporal credit assignment failure—requiring external tracking systems to maintain the causal connection.
Schedule reviews at intervals shorter than natural…
Schedule forcing functions (weekly reviews, monthly retrospectives, quarterly strategy assessments) at intervals shorter than the natural feedback latency to artificially tighten loops that cannot be structurally accelerated.
Document every deviation from standards — repeated silent…
Treat any deviation from established standards as a potential normalization-of-deviance signal requiring documented evaluation rather than silent acceptance, because repeated deviations without consequence train the system to accept the deviation as normal.
Reverse a vicious cycle by flipping one node's signal…
Convert vicious cycles into virtuous ones by intervening at a single node to reverse signal direction rather than attempting to dismantle the entire loop structure, because loop topology is often more stable than loop content.
Translate every discrepancy into a specific behavioral…
When a feedback loop identifies a discrepancy between current and target state, translate the evaluation into a specific behavioral adjustment for the next cycle rather than stopping at awareness, because learning occurs during adjustment not observation.
Diagnose broken loops by mapping onto…
Map any broken feedback loop onto the four-part structure (Act, Observe, Evaluate, Adjust) to diagnose which specific component is missing, because each missing part produces a distinct failure signature.
Before correcting in a delayed system, inventory pending…
Before adding corrective action in a delayed-feedback system, inventory pending actions already taken but not yet producing results to avoid pipeline overfilling and subsequent overshoot.
Pre-define how long you'll persist with slow-feedback…
Separate the decision to continue a slow-feedback strategy from subjective feelings of progress by defining persistence duration in advance, because delayed systems provide zero felt momentum before delivering concentrated results.
Wait 48 hours between receiving criticism and deciding…
Separate feedback reception from feedback evaluation by implementing a mandatory 48-hour delay between receiving criticism and deciding whether to act on it, as identity triggers fire faster than analytical capacity and premature evaluation guarantees defensive rejection.
The faster you dismiss feedback, the more likely it hits…
When feedback triggers immediate counter-argument before you finish listening, treat the speed of that dismissal as diagnostic evidence that the feedback addresses an important blind spot rather than as evidence the feedback is invalid.