But what’s often lost amongst depressed altruists is another core principle: some good things you can do matter 100x or 1000x more than others.
If you’re doing impact-oriented research, then picking an important thesis topic matters far more than whether you finish writing it in four years or five. If you’re earning to give, negotiating your salary matters far more than whether you take an additional two weeks of holiday. If you’re building community, following up with promising people matters far more than whether you postpone an event until next month.
You don’t have enough time and energy to do everything perfectly. Some actions/decisions are much more important than others (“big wins”), so focus on doing those well. Don’t waste time on trivialities.
There’s a corollary that should be intuitive to the EA community. Someone working 40 hours per week can totally dwarf the altruistic output of someone working 60 hours per week.
This point is similar to Ramit Sethi’s concept of “big wins” in personal finance. I have found this to be an extremely valuable heuristic.
You don’t have enough time and energy to do everything perfectly. Some actions/decisions are much more important than others (“big wins”), so focus on doing those well. Don’t waste time on trivialities.
There’s a corollary that should be intuitive to the EA community. Someone working 40 hours per week can totally dwarf the altruistic output of someone working 60 hours per week.
Maintaining good mental health is a big win.