Goerge Mac (@george__mack) posted a list of rules and razors that he’s found useful. Before Twitter deletes them, I recorded them here.
The originals are all here: https://twitter.com/george__mack/status/1649835213982408704
The most useful razors and rules I've found.
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
Rules of thumb that simplify decisions: pic.twitter.com/3nfxFujviP
The Bloom-Bilal Rule:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If bored and struggling with ideas -- keep walking until the day becomes interesting.
(via @sahilbloom + @bzaidi) pic.twitter.com/PmjTKvFfwu
Bragging Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
• If someone brags about their success or happiness, assume it’s half what they claim.
• If someone downplays their success or happiness, assume it’s double what they claim.
The map is not the terrain.
Instagram Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
When you see a photo of an influencer looking attractive on Instagram -- assume there are 99 worse variations of that photo you haven't seen.
They just picked the best one.
Gell-Mann Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
Assume every media article contains a % of false information.
Sandbox the article from your worldview until you've:
1. Seen primary sources
2. Spoken to 3 domain experts
Taleb's Surgeon:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If presented with two equal candidates for a role, pick the one with the least amount of charisma.
The uncharismatic one has got there despite their lack of charisma.
The charismatic one has got there with the aid of their charisma.
Network Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If you have 2 quality people that would benefit from an intro to one another, always do it.
"Networks don't divide as you share them, they multiply" - @ChrisWillx
High Agency Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If unsure who to work with, pick the person that has the best chances of breaking you out of a 3rd world prison.
Mack's Rule:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
Break down the investments your parents made in you: Time, Love, Energy, and Money.
If they are still alive, aim to hit a positive return on investment (or at least break even.)
Narccism Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If worried about people's opinions, remember they are too busy worrying about other people's opinions of them.
99% of the time you're an extra in someone else's movie
H/T - @waitbutwhy pic.twitter.com/0AjHCebyCx
Luck Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If stuck with 2 equal options, pick the one that feels like it will produce the most luck later down the line.
I used this razor to go for drinks with a stranger rather than watch Netflix.
In hindsight, it was the highest ROI decision I've ever made.
Cummings Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
When confused by politicians' decision-making, remind yourself of this tweet.
They rarely use metrics or dashboards to guide decisions like CEO's.
Instead, they react to random news stories each day.
(h/t @balajis) pic.twitter.com/7XSMBWI2yM
Munger's Law:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
• Never allow yourself to have an opinion on a subject unless you can state the opposing argument better than the opposition can.
Steelman Arguments > Strawman Arguments
Everyday Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
1. If you go from doing a task weekly to daily, you achieve 7 years of output in 1 year.
2. If you apply a 1% compound interest each time, you achieve 54 years of output in 1 year pic.twitter.com/NAkApu9cXY
Skinner's Law:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If procrastinating, 2 ways to solve it:
1. Make the pain of inaction > Pain of action
2. Make the pleasure of action > Pleasure of inaction
Bezos Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If unsure what action to pick, let your 90-year-old self on death bed choose it it.
Branding Rule:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
The more tattoos people have of something, the bigger the brand is.
People branding themselves is the best sign a brand exists. pic.twitter.com/Es4gggS9sq
Deutsch's Rule:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If it doesn't deny the law of physics, it's possible.
Do not confuse society's current lack of knowledge -- with this knowledge being impossible to attain.
E.g. The smartphone seems impossible to someone from the 1800s -- but it was just a lack of knowledge.
Buffett's Law:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
"The value of every business is 100% subject to interest rates" - Warren Buffett
via @FoundersPodcast pic.twitter.com/Bsb0E6qDjS
Perell's Hotel Bathroom Principle:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If unsure what to wear:
"Always dress well enough to walk into any bathroom at a hotel you're not staying at and get away with it." - @david_perell pic.twitter.com/FELnWQ8Svw
Naval's Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If a task is worth less than your ambitious hourly rate - outsource, automate, or delete it.
Jocko's Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
• The more uncomfortable the activity, the more likely it will lead to growth.
• The more comfortable the activity, the more likely it will lead to stagnation.
1000 uncomfortable hours > 10,000 comfortable hours
Graham's Rule:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
Combat identity bias by identifying publicly as having a small identity.
Identity bias will work in your favor -- and prevent you from getting identity bias.
The Early-Late Razor:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
If it's a talking point on Reddit or Twitter, you might be early.
If it's a talking point on LinkedIn or Facebook, you're definitely late.
Walt Disney's Rule:
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
• If struggling to think clearly about a subject, draw it out.
Here's Walt Disney's drawing he made in 1957 of the Media Empire he wanted to build.
It's iconic. pic.twitter.com/3J8wd4ewa4
PS. If you enjoyed this, then you should join 30K+ people in my Clouds & Dirt newsletter.
— George Mack (@george__mack) April 22, 2023
Clouds = Theory / Big Questions
Dirt = Technology / Tacticshttps://t.co/du72StsxKu
