Frequently asked questions about thinking, epistemology, and cognitive tools. 4568 answers
When an agent handles a recurring decision you preserve energy for novel decisions.
When an agent handles a recurring decision you preserve energy for novel decisions.
Audit your last workday. List every recurring decision you made — what to eat, what to wear, which task to start with, how to respond to routine messages, when to take breaks. Count them. Now select the three most frequent and design an agent for each using the trigger-condition-action structure.
Automating decisions that should not be automated. Not every recurring decision is a good candidate for an agent. If the decision involves genuine novelty each time — a nuanced interpersonal judgment, a creative choice, a situation where context shifts meaningfully between instances — then forcing.
When an agent handles a recurring decision you preserve energy for novel decisions.
Vague agents do not fire reliably — specificity is required.
Vague agents do not fire reliably — specificity is required.
Vague agents do not fire reliably — specificity is required.
Vague agents do not fire reliably — specificity is required.
Vague agents do not fire reliably — specificity is required.
Vague agents do not fire reliably — specificity is required.
Vague agents do not fire reliably — specificity is required.
Vague agents do not fire reliably — specificity is required.
Select one agent you currently run — a rule, habit, or protocol you follow in recurring situations. Write it down exactly as it exists in your mind right now. Then apply the specificity test: (1) Can you identify the exact trigger — the observable event that should activate this agent? (2) Can you.
Confusing the feeling of having a plan with the reality of having a specific one. You say 'I have an agent for that' and feel the relief of having addressed the problem. But the agent is vague — 'When I feel stressed, I will take care of myself' — and because it lacks specificity, it never fires.
Vague agents do not fire reliably — specificity is required.
Internal agents run in your mind while external agents are embedded in tools and systems.
Internal agents run in your mind while external agents are embedded in tools and systems.
List five agents currently operating in your life. For each one, label it internal (runs in your head) or external (embedded in a tool, environment, or system). Then ask: which internal agents are unreliable enough that they should be externalized? Which external agents have you internalized so.
Treating internal agents as inherently superior because they feel more 'authentic' or 'natural.' This bias causes you to resist externalizing critical processes — like checklists for high-stakes procedures or automated reminders for recurring commitments — because relying on tools feels like a.
Internal agents run in your mind while external agents are embedded in tools and systems.
Inventory your existing agents both designed and default to understand what is running.
Inventory your existing agents both designed and default to understand what is running.
Inventory your existing agents both designed and default to understand what is running.