"Razors" - That simplify decisions

 "Razors" are rules of thumb that simplify decisions. Here are 10 of the most valuable razors I've discovered:

The Smart Friends Razor: If your smartest friends are all interested in something, it’s worth paying attention to. If that something seems crazy, it's worth paying a lot of attention to. The passions of the smartest people in your circles are a looking glass into the future.

The Feynman Razor: Complexity and jargon are often used to mask a lack of deep understanding. If you can’t explain it to a 5-year-old, you don’t really understand it. If someone uses a lot of complexity and jargon to explain something to you, they probably don’t understand it.

The Opinion Razor: "I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that I don’t know the other side’s argument better than they do." - Charlie Munger. Opinions are earned, not owed. If you can't state state the opposition's argument clearly, you haven't earned an opinion.

The Optimist Razor: When choosing who to spend time with, prioritize spending more time with optimists. Pessimists see the doors that are closed. Optimists see the doors that are open—and probably kick down the closed doors. Remember: Pessimists sound smart, optimists get rich.

The Man in the Arena Razor: It's easy to throw rocks the sidelines—it's hard to step into the arena. It's lonely and vulnerable, but it's where growth happens. When faced with two paths, choose the path that puts you in the arena—choose the path with real skin in the game.

The Rooms Razor: If you have a choice between entering two rooms, choose the room where you are more likely to be the dumbest one in the room. Once you are in the room, talk less and listen more. Bad for your ego, great for your growth.

The Serendipity Razor: Some of what we call luck is actually the macro result of 1,000s of micro actions. Your daily habits put you in a position where luck is more likely to strike. When choosing between two paths, choose the path that has a larger serendipity surface area.

The Uphill Decision Razor: When faced with two options, choose the one that’s more difficult in the short-term. Naval calls this making "uphill decisions”—overriding your biological pain avoidance instinct. It's worth it—short-term pain creates compounding long-term gain.

The Rare Opportunity Razor: There is a rare class of opportunities that the average person will get 0 to 1 chances at in their lifetime. They look scary, but have insanely asymmetric return profiles. If you are fortunate to be faced with one of these opportunities, jump at it.

Hitchens’ Razor: What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence. The burden of proof regarding a claim lies with the one who makes the claim. If unmet, no argument is required to dismiss it.