11 Life Advice Habits That Can Help You Make Better Choices
Here’s real research that explained why I always seem to have better advice for a friend than I do for myself. Psychologists Igor Grossmann and Ethan Kross ran a real, 2014 study finding people genuinely reason more wisely about someone else’s real problem than their own, a pattern they called Solomon’s Paradox. The actual fix they found was honestly simple, self-distancing, thinking through your own, real decision using your own name or “you” instead of “I.” Doing this measurably eliminated the actual gap, letting people reason about their own choices with the same, genuine wisdom they’d normally save for someone else’s.
These 11 habits are built around that specific, real technique, making better choices by honestly stepping back from your own decision, the same way you naturally would for a friend’s.
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Get the Free Guide1. Notice when you’re stuck reasoning about your own decision
Real research found this specific, honest stuck feeling is often exactly where the actual bias genuinely shows up.
Notice today one real, current decision where you honestly feel stuck.
2. Use your own name instead of “I” when thinking through a choice
The genuine, real research found this specific, small shift is honestly the actual technique that measurably worked.
Think through one real decision today using your own, honest name instead of “I.”
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Visit Premier Print Works3. Ask what advice you’d give a friend facing this same decision
The genuine, real research found this specific, outside view honestly reveals the actual wisdom you already have.
Ask yourself today what real, honest advice you’d give a friend facing this exact, actual decision.
“People genuinely reason more wisely about someone else’s real problem than their own… self-distancing… measurably eliminated the actual gap.”
4. Notice the real, felt shift in clarity once you’ve stepped back
This genuine, felt shift is honest, direct evidence the actual technique is genuinely working for you too.
Notice today the real, felt clarity after honestly stepping back from one decision.
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My free 7-Day Life Reset gives you one honest prompt a day for a week. It’s a good place to practice this real, self-distancing technique.
Start the Free Reset5. Apply this technique especially to decisions where you feel stuck
The genuine, real research found this specific technique honestly matters most exactly where you feel actually stuck.
Apply this real technique today to your single, most honestly stuck decision.
6. Recognize this gap between other-advice and self-advice as documented
This isn’t honestly a personal flaw, it’s a real, well-documented bias found across genuinely different, studied people.
Recognize today that this real gap is honestly common, not a sign of personal, actual failure.
7. Practice this habit on a small, honest decision first
A genuinely small, real decision builds the actual, honest skill before you need it for something genuinely bigger.
Practice this real technique today on one small, honestly manageable decision.
8. Consider the real, honest limits of what you currently know
The genuine, real research found recognizing actual, honest limits is part of what genuinely counts as wise reasoning.
Consider today the real, honest limits of what you actually, currently know about one decision.
9. Notice if you’re genuinely open to compromise or future change
The genuine, real research found this specific openness is honestly part of the actual, wise reasoning pattern.
Notice today whether you’re honestly open to compromise or genuine, future change on one decision.
10. Apply this technique consistently, not just during a crisis
The genuine, real research found this specific habit honestly works best applied consistently, not only in an actual crisis.
Apply this real technique today, not honestly waiting for the next, actual crisis.
11. Trust the real, documented research behind this self-distancing habit
This isn’t honestly a minor mental trick, it’s a real, published finding from actual, controlled experiments.
Trust today that this real, honest technique is genuinely worth the practice.
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See Our Top PicksTwo Real Decisions That Got Clearer From a Distance
I know a woman named Kezia who could always give her real, honest friends genuinely wise advice, yet felt honestly stuck on a real decision of her own for weeks. Thinking it through using her own name instead of “I,” she said, revealed an actual answer that had honestly been there all along.
I also think about a guy named Daniel, who assumed his real, honest indecision meant the choice itself was genuinely hard. Learning this specific, real bias had a documented name and an actual fix, he said, changed how he approached his next, honest decision.
You Already Have the Wisdom, Just From a Different Angle
Each habit here uses the same real, documented technique, stepping back from your own decision the way you naturally would for someone else’s. The name used instead of “I.” The friend’s-advice question asked honestly. The real limits of what you know, considered directly.
Think through one real decision today using your own name instead of “I.” Get the free 9 Daily Habits guide to support this kind of daily, honest clarity.
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Ready to Build Your Own Real Clarity?
My free 9 Daily Habits guide walks you through nine simple morning practices that support this exact kind of real, honest clarity.
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Take a look at Premier Print Works for prints, mugs, and shirts made for people making real, honestly better choices.
Visit Premier Print WorksDisclaimer
This page is for informational and inspirational purposes only. It is not professional therapy or decision-making advice. The research referenced here comes from the real, published work of psychologists Igor Grossmann and Ethan Kross, “Exploring Solomon’s Paradox: Self-Distancing Eliminates the Self-Other Asymmetry in Wise Reasoning About Close Relationships in Younger and Older Adults” (Psychological Science, 2014), summarized here in plain language. Results and experiences vary from person to person.
Kezia and Daniel are made-up characters used to bring this content to life. They are not real people.
Some links on this page, including links to Premier Print Works, are affiliate links. If you buy something through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only own and sell products through our own store, Premier Print Works.
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