I’m currently reading the book Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World, and the message here aligns. Thank you for this attention given to the psychological aspects of this game (which mirror our psychology more generally, so well).
I devour everything Oliver Burkeman writes, and indeed he was the one who recommended Tiny Experiments, in a recent blog post! I’m about halfway through the book, and so far it has already been well worth it (though there is a little bit of fluff in it, as well).
✅ Really appreciated this one — especially the idea that reducing mistakes often comes down to reducing friction. That clicked differently after I took the Archetype6 quiz and realized I’m an Architect. I’d been over-engineering my routines and missing simple fixes that actually reduce errors.
Here’s what helped me improve:
1. I now design for ease of execution first, not just clever systems.
2. I review habits in context — where and when the mistake tends to happen.
3. Learning from other Architects showed me that simplifying isn’t laziness — it’s strategy.
Has anyone created a “pre-mistake” checklist or trigger that works without adding complexity? Still working on getting that balance right.
Thank you for the comment! That's a great idea about a pre-mistake list. I've heard of a pre-mortem, listing things that would have to go wrong for you to lose a game. Maybe it's something like that?
For me, the simpler the better only because I know when I'm fully in the game it's hard to remember to remember much
Doc - Thanks again for another always informative and always relevant article. On a side note, I just started watching the series "The Pitt" on Max+. It's about the daily activities of doctors and nurses in an ER. If what they depict in the series is half as realistic as what you experience in your daily real life, hats off to you and I am amazed that you have the time or energy to write articles like this, study and play chess.
That show is so realistic to what we deal with that it's hard to watch, it's like being back at work. The medical writers come from a group called EMRAP, a company that educated ER docs. The medicine is spot on and so is the feel of the place. The only flaw I saw was that the residents and students were all amazingly educated. Often I find they have knowledge gaps. Otherwise... 100% accurate.
Great article! I think the idea of the journal next to where you play only works if you’re playing online. I try to mimic OTB conditions when I play online, precisely to develop habits that will work OTB.
I’m currently reading the book Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World, and the message here aligns. Thank you for this attention given to the psychological aspects of this game (which mirror our psychology more generally, so well).
Thanks! Let me know if that book is worth it. I also recommend 4000 Weeks if you like that kind of message
I devour everything Oliver Burkeman writes, and indeed he was the one who recommended Tiny Experiments, in a recent blog post! I’m about halfway through the book, and so far it has already been well worth it (though there is a little bit of fluff in it, as well).
✅ Really appreciated this one — especially the idea that reducing mistakes often comes down to reducing friction. That clicked differently after I took the Archetype6 quiz and realized I’m an Architect. I’d been over-engineering my routines and missing simple fixes that actually reduce errors.
Here’s what helped me improve:
1. I now design for ease of execution first, not just clever systems.
2. I review habits in context — where and when the mistake tends to happen.
3. Learning from other Architects showed me that simplifying isn’t laziness — it’s strategy.
Has anyone created a “pre-mistake” checklist or trigger that works without adding complexity? Still working on getting that balance right.
Thank you for the comment! That's a great idea about a pre-mistake list. I've heard of a pre-mortem, listing things that would have to go wrong for you to lose a game. Maybe it's something like that?
For me, the simpler the better only because I know when I'm fully in the game it's hard to remember to remember much
Doc - Thanks again for another always informative and always relevant article. On a side note, I just started watching the series "The Pitt" on Max+. It's about the daily activities of doctors and nurses in an ER. If what they depict in the series is half as realistic as what you experience in your daily real life, hats off to you and I am amazed that you have the time or energy to write articles like this, study and play chess.
That show is so realistic to what we deal with that it's hard to watch, it's like being back at work. The medical writers come from a group called EMRAP, a company that educated ER docs. The medicine is spot on and so is the feel of the place. The only flaw I saw was that the residents and students were all amazingly educated. Often I find they have knowledge gaps. Otherwise... 100% accurate.
Great article! I think the idea of the journal next to where you play only works if you’re playing online. I try to mimic OTB conditions when I play online, precisely to develop habits that will work OTB.
Good choices!
Nick have you decided to play in a over the board tournament in 2025, or are you restricting you play to online chess?
No, OTB is going to happen...just not as much as I would wish