It’s a Mental models to identify which systems (contexts, activities) in our life that are worth optimizing using First-principles thinking.
Repeatedly ask whether you’re optimizing a cog in a machine instead of the machine itself. If you realize it’s a cog, go one level higher.
For example, work:
- Try to raise salary 15%
- Swap jobs and increase salary by 25%
- Is my end goal something outside the professional realm? What if I reduce living expenses so I don’t have to work to climb the corporate ladder