Giving Advice

Sat 27 September 2025

Good advice should rule out large parts of the possibility space - if you don't find yourself disagreeing with the advice or changing what you are doing, then the advice is just generic fluff.

Advice should be based on experience. Not necessarily your own, observing others can also make good advice, and it scales a lot better.

Good advice is contentious or not widely known. If everyone agrees with it already it’s just common sense.

It's often easier to give advice on what not to do, rather than on what you should do. It's less useful, but the process of elimination can still save you lots of time.

You are least likely to be able to tell which advice is good in the areas where you most need it - you might find yourself actively disagreeing with what is actually the best advice.

The advice you viscerally reject is often exactly what you need to hear.

Tags: life