Separate Effort from Progress
Added 2026-11-04
A busy week is not the same as moving forward.
I have been busy but am unsure whether I made progress (context below). Do: 1) split what I did into activity and actual advancement; 2) judge which items only maintained the status quo, marking maintenance that is still necessary; 3) point out the three biggest time sinks that can be compressed; 4) give a weekly test for progress that ignores busyness; 5) warn me which kind of busyness most easily masquerades as progress.
Site original
Chinese original
How to use
努力可以自我感动，进展必须能被别人看见。
Try tweaking it
- Ask what evidence would overturn the judgement.
- Have it argue both sides with three reasons each.
What you should get
- A decision table: assumptions, evidence, counter-evidence
- A next action with an observable signal
Common mistakes
- Asking only "should I?" and getting equally valid answers both ways.
- Never asking for counter-examples, so you only hear support.
How to check the output
- It states what evidence would overturn the conclusion.
- Both sides are argued, with assumptions marked as such.
Where it works
- Good for: splitting a decision into assumptions, evidence and counter-cases, leaving the call to you.
- Watch out: ask what evidence would overturn the judgement, or you will only hear supporting reasons.