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The world has too few people who are solution-oriented. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the problems of our time—or worse, to become jaded and cynical, develop "Cheems Mindset," and discourage others from even trying.

This page is my personal antidote to such thoughts. It's a reminder that a Solutionist mindset is the most effective one, acknowledging problems as challenging yet still solvable. It's an attitude that says we've felt similarly daunted before and yet found a way forward.

Remember: every previous generation also faced problems that felt just as unsolvable at the time. A lot of progress (especially moral progress) seemed impossible, until it wasn't. We have more knowledge, experience, and tooling than at any preceding point in history. We have greatly expanded access to the democratic process. We have the Internet and artificial intelligence now! We have more reason to believe in our ability to make a difference than ever before.

What we do not have is a guarantee of progress. Time to do our part.

The fastest, most immediate action you can take right now is to donate. I recommend following the recommendations of Giving What We Can. This non-profit identifies the best evaluators of high-impact charities. They then collect those evaluators' recommendations and make it easy to donate to them. I personally donate via the All Causes Bundle for simplicity's sake, but you can also donate to recommended funds/charities directly.

Some readers may be skeptical of this approach to giving. In that case, I recommend GiveDirectly, which sends money directly to people in extreme poverty. This lets them use their local knowledge to decide what would improve their lives most.

Volunteer

Sometimes what's needed is a reminder of the difference you can make. Near-term results are key for sustaining long-term commitments, by giving positive reinforcement within human-scale feedback loops.

Local volunteering often isn't globally optimal but it reaffirms the identity of being someone who does their part. It's viscerally satisfying to see a blighted neighborhood be restored to splendor. Link the short-term joy of volunteering to the long-term impact of your donations and career. Find ways to see and feel the results of your work on a more immediate timeline. Rather than being limited by our biology, we can transcend it.

In addition, some volunteering can be quite impactful, such as serving on a board of directors, speaking at a conference, providing mentorship/sponsorship, or doing pro bono work.

Pivot

If you're interested in how to orient your career towards doing more good, start with this summary or this guide. For thoughtful critiques of this approach to doing good, see this post, this one, this article. and this one. I've also found Progress Studies to be a key source of inspiration.