Sahil Bloom Profile picture
Jan 29, 2022 32 tweets 7 min read Read on X
“Razors” are rules of thumb that simplify decisions.

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 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 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 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 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.
The Buffett Reputation Razor

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.” - Warren Buffett

Your reputation is built over decades, but it's made of glass, not stone.

Remember that—act accordingly.
The Narrative Fallacy Razor

Humans are storytelling creatures—we weave together sequences of events to identify cause-and-effect when the reality is just luck.

When reading stories of success, it's fair to assume they downplay the role of luck as a contributing factor.
The Time Billionaire Razor

Time is our most precious asset.

When choosing between two paths, choose the path that places the highest appreciation on the value of your time.

This is not about money—it's about leverage.

The path where you spend more time in your Zone of Genius.
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 Worrying Razor

If someone says "don't worry about it”—you should probably worry about it.

If you ask a question and the response involves an elevated voice, hand-waving, or scoffing—you should probably dig deeper on it.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
The Boasters Razor

Truly successful people rarely feel the need to boast about their success.

If someone regularly boasts about their income, wealth, or success, it’s fair to assume the reality is a small fraction of what they claim.
Newton’s Flaming Laser Sword

If something cannot be settled by experiment or observation, it is not worth debating.

This will save you from wasting a lot of time on pointless arguments—on the internet and in real life.
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.
The Grit Razor

If forced to choose between two people of equal merit, choose the one that has been punched in the face.

The one who has been punched—metaphorically or literally—is likely to have true grit.

Applies to investing (founders), hiring (candidates), and more.
The "Look the Part" Razor

If forced to choose between two options of seemingly equal merit, choose the one that doesn’t look the part.

The one who doesn’t look the part has had to overcome much more to achieve its status than the one who fit in perfectly.

h/t @nntaleb
Hanlon’s Razor

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

In assessing someone's actions, we should not assume negative intent if there is a viable alternative explanation—different beliefs, lack of intelligence, incompetence, or ignorance.
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 Pygmalion Razor

The Pygmalion Effect says that high expectations lead to high performance (and vice versa).

When working with new people and teams, choose to see each individual as their highest potential self—they will begin to achieve more.

h/t @KatColeATL
The "What Stays the Same" Razor

It's difficult to predict the future.

Jeff Bezos famously said that investing in what might change is risky, but investing in what will remain constant is safe.

When building for the future, focus on the constants—focus on what stays the same.
The Crazy Idea Razor

If someone proposes a seemingly crazy idea:

(1) Are they a domain expert?
(2) Are they reasonable?

If yes on (1) and (2), you should take the idea seriously, as it may be an asymmetric bet on the future.

h/t @paulg
Those are 20+ of the most valuable razors I’ve discovered.

Follow me @SahilBloom for more threads on growth, business, and decision-making.

I will write a deep-dive on these razors in my newsletter. Join 66,000+ others and subscribe so you don’t miss it! sahilbloom.substack.com
And be sure to check out my new podcast—Where It Happens—for deep dives with amazing guests on many of these razors, frameworks, and more. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whe…
Since everyone is asking about Occam’s Razor, here’s the thread I wrote about it a while back!

Simple is beautiful.
Wonderful visual summary from @SachinRamje!
Adding a few more that I’ve found valuable:

The Steve Jobs Quality Razor

When building, take pride in carrying the quality all the way through.

Would you be proud for your work to be seen from every angle and perspective?

If not, keep working.
Buffett’s Rule of Holes

“The most important thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging." - Warren Buffett

When things aren’t working, change course and try something different.

When you find yourself at the bottom of a hole, stop digging and climb out of it.
The Duck Test

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.

You can determine a lot about a person by regularly observing their habitual characteristics.
Machiavelli’s Razor

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by self-interest.

In assessing someone's actions, we should not assume negative intent if there is a viable alternative explanation that they are acting on rooted self-interest.
Occam’s Razor

The simplest explanation is often the best one.

Simple assumptions > complex assumptions.

Simple is beautiful.

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More from @SahilBloom

Jun 10
In 1958, a 20-year-old Hunter S. Thompson wrote a letter to a friend with his advice on finding his life purpose.

It is a work of art.

5 brilliant lessons on finding purpose (everyone should read this): Image
Lesson 1: Avoid the Perils of Advice

Using someone else's map of reality to navigate your terrain is risky.

My advice (ironic, I know): When giving or receiving advice, focus on the general, not the specific.

Take the general, wrestle with it, and make it specific to you. Image
Lesson 2: Seek Perspective-Altering Experiences

The concept of neuroplasticity says that experiences can actually change the structure and function of your brain.

Seek out the perspective-altering experiences.

Every single one contributes to your growth and change. Image
Read 9 tweets
May 24
This is the best thing you will read all week...

A beautiful true story, written by a woman named Pam Kearney, on the impact of even the most tiny, inconsequential actions... Image
Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Every single day, you will face moments when you'll feel completely helpless—unable to move or create the necessary momentum to improve the situation.

In these moments, you have a decision to make:
A. You can freeze, paralyzed by the imperfection of your options...

OR

B. You can act. You can do what you can, with what you have, where you are. You can make the coffee.

It is the most important decision of your life.
Read 10 tweets
May 19
Ok, random interesting experience yesterday that I want to share:

Playing in the backyard with my son, when I notice some bees flying around a tree.

Take my son inside and get closer to investigate.

Here's what I saw (and what I learned):
Let me preface this by saying two things:

1. I hate bees. Got stung by too many wasps and hornets while playing barefoot as a kid.

2. I know nothing about the different types of bees.

Worried about my kid getting stung, so I start looking for exterminators.
Apparently it's really hard to find an exterminator willing to come out on a Saturday to deal with a bunch of bees.

Go figure.

I get one on the phone who is willing to do it.

Asks for a picture, so I send him one.

He replies:
Image
Image
Read 14 tweets
May 18
10 differences between amateurs and professionals:

1. Amateurs make it look effortful, Professionals make it look effortless.

Effortless, elegant performances are the result of a large volume of effortful, gritty practice. Small things become big things.

(thread)
2. Amateurs love the prize, Professionals love the process.

You’ll never make it if the view at the summit is the only thing motivating you to climb. The hunt has to be just as exciting as the meal at the end.

Professionals truly fall in love with the process.
3. Amateurs blame others, Professionals are accountable.

The Amateur looks outward: Bad luck, unfair circumstances, a cheating opponent.

The Professional looks inward: Lack of preparation, gaps in routine, uneven intensity.

Accountability breeds progress.
Read 11 tweets
May 13
My Anti-To-Do List

(15 things I want to avoid on a daily basis)

1. Do not complain about anything.

If the thing is within your control, then go do something about it. If the thing is out of your control, then it's just a waste of energy to complain about it.Image
2. Don't allow negative people to steal your energy.

Stop avoiding difficult conversations. Embrace the need to remove toxicity from your life.

3. Do not allow more than 2 hours of inactivity.

Get up and go for a walk. Do a few pushups or lunges. Move your body regularly.
4. Do not "graze" on low-value tasks.

Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. When you don't set fixed windows for managing low-value tasks, you end up "grazing" on them. Create short windows for processing low importance tasks.
Read 17 tweets
May 11
These 7 questions changed my life...

(ask them and they may change yours): Image
1. If I repeated this day for 100 days, would my life be better or worse?

You live your life zoomed in. It makes it difficult to assess your course.

Force a zoom out:

How would your actions from a typical day compound?

Would they steer you off course?

Adjust accordingly.
2. If someone observed my actions for a week, what would they say my priorities are?

You have two sets of priorities:

• The ones your words say you have.
• The ones your actions show you have.

If a third party observed you, would your actions reveal alignment or dislocation?
Read 13 tweets

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