Algorithms to Live By

ALGORITHMS TO LIVE BY: The Computer Science of Human Decisions

by Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths

How do you make good decisions when your time, attention, and information are limited, and many problems have no perfect answer? This book shows how you can make better everyday choices using algorithms (step-by-step rules) developed by computer scientists to solve the same kinds of problems.

In this summary, you’ll learn:

• When to stop searching and start choosing (with the 37% Rule and other stopping rules), and when to explore new options or exploit old favorites.
• How to organize your things and your time (with the LRU rule and other tools), what to keep within easy reach, and how to match the right task-sequence to your goal.
• How to decide well when there’s no perfect answer, predict from limited data, avoid overanalyzing, and add randomness to get unstuck.
• How to deal wisely with others, from exponential backoff (when messages go unanswered) to avoiding information cascades and group traps.

Who should read this:

• Anyone who wants simple, sound rules for everyday choices, from major decisions to daily to-dos.
• Professionals who want practical rules for prioritizing work and solving complex problems with limited data.