LessWrong: Strategic inner work beats optimizing for entertainment

Chris Lakin’s latest LessWrong essay applies the ‘humans are not automatically strategic’ insight to inner work—the realm of mental and emotional self-improvement. Drawing on a quote from Anna Salamon, Lakin argues that people rarely systematically choose the most effective actions for their personal growth goals. Instead, they act from habit, impulse, or convenience, often mistaking activity for progress. For example, someone who says they want to learn Chinese downloads Duolingo rather than a proven immersive method; someone who wants to get fit chooses activities that maximize fun and social community over those that produce measurable physical changes. Lakin’s diagnosis: these people are optimizing for entertainment, community, or feeling like a good person—not for actual results.

To counter this, Lakin offers a strategic framework borrowed from effective decision-making. First, ask who has successfully solved your problem and copy their plans. Second, commit to work that you know is good for you—and directly address avoidance when it arises. Third, avoid practitioners who don’t track long-term outcomes; they cannot know if they’re facilitating lasting change or fleeting breakthroughs. Fourth, seek out people who have produced the results you want for others before. Fifth, share success stories that feature observable, undeniable improvements. Finally, align incentives: pay more when lasting results are achieved faster, less otherwise. By following these steps, individuals can shift from haphazard tinkering to strategic, evidence-based inner work that actually transforms their lives.