Sit Still, Strike Hard
Interactive · from the back of the book

The Inversion Audit

Munger’s method in one exercise: find the ways you are reliably making your life worse, and stop. Mark each statement 0 (never), 1 (sometimes), or 2 (often). Answers stay in this browser.

Body

I sleep less than seven hours on most nights.
My phone is within reach when I sleep.
I drink alcohol on more than two nights a week.
I eat until I'm stuffed at least once a day.
I go a full week without lifting anything heavy.
I go a full day without walking at least twenty minutes.
I've been avoiding a medical checkup or a symptom.
There is a habit I couldn't stop for thirty days without distress.

Will

I start changes "on Monday" or "next month."
I do pleasant tasks first and hard ones later, if at all.
I keep temptations within easy reach.
I complain out loud about things I can't control.
I send messages or make decisions while angry.
I say yes when I mean no.
I hide my opinion until I know what others think.
I feel envy when I scroll through other people's lives.

Investing

I check my investment balances more than once a week.
I have bought something because it had been going up.
I have sold something because I couldn't stand watching it fall.
I own investments I couldn't explain to a teenager.
I have used borrowed money to invest.
I don't know the fees I pay on my investments.
I have no written plan for what I'll do when the market falls.

Wealth

I carry a credit card balance from month to month.
I couldn't cover three months of expenses from cash.
My spending rose the last time my income did.
I've bought something mainly so others would see it.
I don't know what "enough" means for me, in numbers.
I accept gifts or favors that leave me obligated.
I talk about money to impress people.
I have no will, and no one would know where my accounts are.

Your map

0–3 strong · 4–8 leaking · 9+ frozen. Repeat every ninety days. Your score is not a judgment of your worth; it is a map of where your strength is draining away.

Read the opening free
The Council Card · Rule 1

Run every decision over $100 or an hour through these five questions.

  1. Control: What part of this is actually up to me?
  2. Inversion: How could I guarantee this goes badly?
  3. Incentives: Who benefits, and how is that shaping what I’m being told, or telling myself?
  4. Circle: Do I really understand this, or do I just feel like I do?
  5. Margin: If I’m wrong, can I survive it easily?