Attention is a form of payment. That person who's constantly annoying you is getting exactly what they seek every time you react. Likewise, that one annoying ad you see continuously is doing its job just right: staying in your mind. You need to be more picky about what your attention is on. Because you are paying. All the time.

"Study microeconomics, game theory, psychology, persuasion, ethics, mathematics, and computers." - @naval

Most negotiation advice fails because it's made for people who already have leverage and influence. In reality, that's rarely the case. Here's the full guide on how to negotiate when you have no leverage and still win: structuralist.substack.com/p…

Game theory advice: Whenever you plan something grand, do not start planning from the beginning (t=0). Start at the end, at the final state you wish to reach. From there, you will now go backwards. Constantly ask yourself, "What do I need to do to get there?" and break the large goal down into smaller steps. This method is called backward induction, and it works particularly well when you lack direction. You will be able to work toward your goals with unmatched clarity.

This is the article people have been asking me to write for months. Here it is: the first guide to game theory, for free. structuralist.substack.com/p…

Steal this blueprint if you want to build leverage/influence: 1. Build your position. It’s the first thing you should do. Ask: Who is this for? Who is this NOT for? How do I reach the people it’s for? 2. Try out a lot of different formats. Example: if you’re a writer, try short-form, try long-form, perhaps even try something in between and mix different structures. Find out which concepts work best, then iterate on those. 3. Make your standards readable. Stick to a schedule, let others know when they should expect something, and build a reputation for what you do. If you stick to this for a whole year, you will make progress. Don’t let anyone fool you; this suffices for the first year. The fancy stuff everyone else preaches is just a bonus that’s worthless if you don’t get these 3 things right.

This piece of game theory advice has been going really viral over on Substack. I can see why.

Disciplined mediocrity is the immediate aftermath of years of self-help advice.

Why people don't tell you the truth (game theory)

Success is usually dependent on: 1. being good at what you do (competence) 2. being visible (positioning) Most struggle with one of those two. The people who are good at what they do typically aren’t visible enough; those who are visible typically aren’t good enough. I urge you to stick to the basics. Find which one you’re lacking and build it. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to become successful.

Your biggest issue is that you're trying to make better decisions when you should instead be making better responses. It sounds awkward, but it's rather simple: according to game theory, practically everything is a game. In these games, you don't make decisions at all. They're called responses instead. That's because everything is dynamic. When you're making a decision, you're asking, "What is the next step right now?" which is shortsighted. When you're responding, you're thinking, "How does this impact my position, and could it come back to bite me?" This is a seemingly irrelevant shift that thoroughly changes how you think. Responding beats deciding every time.

Total game theory takeover. This week has been crazy. We're now in the top 100 on the Science leaderboard on Substack.

All it takes to practice game theory is a subtle mindset shift and a harsh realization: you are a player. And you're either playing or being played. Non-participation is a strategy, one that allows others to leverage you, regardless of whether the game is zero-sum or cooperative.

What no one really tells you is that having more options can ruin your life.

No one talks about how success actually works. In most cases, you won't know what you’re doing until something you do works out. That’s when you look into it and start to see a pattern emerge. Before that terminal point, you're utterly lost. That’s the unromanticized truth: throw everything at the wall and see what sticks, and then you throw even more into the direction where it sticks the most. Success is brute-forced. Don't overthink it for too long.

Game theory explains why unorganized groups are horrendous at communication. It's demonstrated through the volunteer's dilemma.

Reputation is your greatest asset, and it's also one most people sacrifice first when their circumstances get complicated. Any short-term advantage you get from cutting that corner or cheating your way out of it needs to be absorbed by your reputation. Eventually, it shatters, and you're left with nothing. The honest path may screw you short-term, but it always surpasses deception in the long-term. Always being the Machiavellian is the perfect way to mature into a resented nobody.