Inner scorecard
Judge yourself by your own standards rather than by how the world grades you
Two ways of grading yourself. An inner scorecard asks whether you met your own standards; an outer scorecard asks what other people think of what you did. People who run on the outer version spend their time managing appearances and end up anxious, while people who run on the inner one can be wrong in public and still sleep. The test question: would you rather be the world's best at something and have everyone think you are the worst, or the reverse? It is a mindset, not a technique, so it costs nothing and takes years.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Morgan HouselRecommends
Writer · The Psychology of Money
At the top of his list of realistic finance hacks: a habit of not caring what other people think of you. He calls it the most underrated skill in the field. Spending past a basic level of comfort is mostly ego and social climbing, he says, which is why plenty of people on decent incomes save so little.
Source: Collaborative Fund: Realistic Personal Finance Hacks - Warren BuffettRecommends
Investor · Berkshire Hathaway chairman
Credits his father with the idea: what is on your inner scorecard matters more than the outer one. Some people, he told students in 2005, spend their lives on what the world will think of a decision instead of what they think of it themselves, and he believes those who make peace with the inner scorecard live happier lives.
Source: CNBC Make It: Billionaire Warren Buffett has a simple test for making tough decisions
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress.
- Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Deliberate cold exposure
Cold showers or ice baths used deliberately, usually a few minutes at a time
On record from 25 of 62 tracked people: 19 do it, 6 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Sauna
Regular heat exposure, often 4 sessions a week at 20 minutes
On record from 17 of 62 tracked people: 11 do it, 3 recommend it, 3 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Yoga
Regular yoga practice for flexibility, strength and a calmer nervous system
On record from 8 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Breathwork
Structured breathing sessions to shift the nervous system up or down
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it, 1 has discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Running
Regular running, from a short daily loop up to ultramarathon distance
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 1 recommends it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Swimming
Lap swimming as low-impact cardio and a reset for the head
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 6 do it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.