Episode Details

An insidious pattern among smart people is feeling that because something is familiar and obvious, you are impervious to ignoring or forgetting it. In challenging times, I have often heard these clichés and reflexively shrugged them off.

“Oh, I should dust myself off and pick myself up? What a lazy aphorism. What a patronising throwaway line. They must think I’m some kind of idiot. No, it must be something else…”

There is a filter in many people's heads that functions to ignore clichés on the basis that they are mere clichés. However, looking closely at your actions, decisions and attitudes will almost invariably reveal you are dropping the ball on at least a few of the most obvious bits of pop wisdom that are all clearly good practices.

Some (non exhaustive) examples of these “yeah, obviously” pieces of advice that are worth deliberately checking on a regular basis include:

• Believe in yourself

The greatest example of an eye-rolling cliché is also one of the highest impact pieces of advice ever articulated. Self-belief is the foundation of morale, and without morale, you are doomed. If the words “believe in yourself” evoke a sense [...]

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First published:
May 15th, 2026

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/J5L3PxKYv7XctQyQK/don-t-be-too-clever-to-take-obvious-advice

Linkpost URL:
https://hidefromit.substack.com/p/dont-be-too-clever-to-take-obvious

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.