2024 Goal Setting: The Midwit Meme Guide

Thought experiment: If you had to cure your midwit syndrome in 2024, what would you do?

George Mack

2024 Goal Setting: The Midwit Meme Guide

Thought experiment: If you had to cure your midwit syndrome in 2024, what would you do?

The irony: If you're a midwit, most solutions you come up with will be midwit solutions.                  

The 1st rule of curing midwit syndrome: You'll never be the guy on the right.

The midwit mistake is to think you're smarter than you are -- and pursue non-obvious complex solutions rather than the obvious simple solutions.

The 2nd rule of curing midwit syndrome: Try to become the guy on the left.

Find the simple ideas -- and take them seriously.

How do you find the simple ideas?

The 3rd rule of curing midwit syndrome: Inversion.

If you want to become the guy on the left: Write down your goal, write down how you'd assure failure, and avoid that.

Example 1: "I want to become happier in 2024"

The midwit will start researching complex nootropics to ingest or esoteric gurus on the meaning of life.

Instead, how would you ensure you were miserable in 2024?

1. Awful sleep
2. Terrible diet and exercise
3. Do things you hate
4. Surround yourself with terrible people

Now you've found the simple ideas the guy on the left will come up with:

1. Good Sleep
2. Great diet and exercise
3. Do things you enjoy
4. Surround yourself with the best people you know.

Before you look at any complex solutions, make sure you've maxed out the simple solutions.

Example 2: "I want to become a writer in 2024"

The midwit will start learning about writers' coffee-drinking routines or researching the perfect keyboard to enhance their word count.

Instead, how would you ensure you become a worse writer in 2024?

1. Do not write
2. Write inconsistently
3. Write about things you find boring

Now you've found the simple ideas the guy on the left will come up with:

1. Write
2. Write consistently
3. Write about things that excite you

Do not move onto any complex solutions until you've maxed out those 3 things.

Take the simple idea as seriously as possible.

------

2024 midwit cure:

1. Admit you'll never be the guy on the right.

2. Try to become the guy on the left.

3. Write down how to ensure failure -- and avoid that before you do anything complex.

Table of contents

2024 Goal Setting: The Midwit Meme Guide

Thought experiment: If you had to cure your midwit syndrome in 2024, what would you do?

The irony: If you're a midwit, most solutions you come up with will be midwit solutions.                  

The 1st rule of curing midwit syndrome: You'll never be the guy on the right.

The midwit mistake is to think you're smarter than you are -- and pursue non-obvious complex solutions rather than the obvious simple solutions.

The 2nd rule of curing midwit syndrome: Try to become the guy on the left.

Find the simple ideas -- and take them seriously.

How do you find the simple ideas?

The 3rd rule of curing midwit syndrome: Inversion.

If you want to become the guy on the left: Write down your goal, write down how you'd assure failure, and avoid that.

Example 1: "I want to become happier in 2024"

The midwit will start researching complex nootropics to ingest or esoteric gurus on the meaning of life.

Instead, how would you ensure you were miserable in 2024?

1. Awful sleep
2. Terrible diet and exercise
3. Do things you hate
4. Surround yourself with terrible people

Now you've found the simple ideas the guy on the left will come up with:

1. Good Sleep
2. Great diet and exercise
3. Do things you enjoy
4. Surround yourself with the best people you know.

Before you look at any complex solutions, make sure you've maxed out the simple solutions.

Example 2: "I want to become a writer in 2024"

The midwit will start learning about writers' coffee-drinking routines or researching the perfect keyboard to enhance their word count.

Instead, how would you ensure you become a worse writer in 2024?

1. Do not write
2. Write inconsistently
3. Write about things you find boring

Now you've found the simple ideas the guy on the left will come up with:

1. Write
2. Write consistently
3. Write about things that excite you

Do not move onto any complex solutions until you've maxed out those 3 things.

Take the simple idea as seriously as possible.

------

2024 midwit cure:

1. Admit you'll never be the guy on the right.

2. Try to become the guy on the left.

3. Write down how to ensure failure -- and avoid that before you do anything complex.

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