The Paradox of Actionable Advice

Why the only stuff that's universal is terribly cliché

Most action-based advice is bad. It’s condescending. (Work hard!) And it’s frequently contradictory (Do whatever doesn’t feel like work!)

Fortunately, it’s not just me —a post I recently saw on Hacker News argued this very thing, making fun of the uselessness of truisms like “Be hard to compete with.” Some other favorites: Follow boring advice. Practice …