“I’m grouchy because I’m tired, but he’s grouchy because he’s a good-for-nothing scoundrel who can’t control his temper.”

The fundamental attribution error is a well-documented psychological quirk: we tend to blame others’ bad behavior on their basic character while blaming ours on our circumstances.

The classic example is driving behavior. When we cut someone off in traffic, we recognize we’re behaving poorly. But we’re late for an appointment—what choice do we have? When someone cuts us off, though, we assume they’re just a bad driver (at best). It doesn’t occur to us that they may have a good reason for driving like a 16-year-old on her third Red Bull.

As a productivity nerd who works with college students all day, I’m naturally interested in what highly successful college students do differently than their peers. Many factors contribute to academic success, and they’re certainly not all within a student’s control. Here’s one that is, though, and it’s under-acknowledged: successful students simply notice what’s working for them and what’s not.

When an approach or tool is serving them—be it a time management method, a Lily Pulitzer planner, a note-taking style, or even a certain major—these students double down. They see what’s working in their lives and what’s not, and when something’s not working, they change tacks almost immediately.

Monster tumbleweed, with Loki in foreground

When we lived in New Mexico, our first backyard was a giant sandbox. In one corner, a tumbleweed grew. And grew. “I should pull that thing,” I remarked every couple of weeks.

Eventually, it was over 6 feet across—a monstrous, thorny creature beyond my ability to dig up. Months earlier, it would have taken about ten seconds to pull it loose with one hand. Now, it was a permanent fixture of the yard (at least until a violent windstorm blew it into the next county, where it probably destroyed someone’s car).

Nerd Emperor here.¹

We’ve talked before about why planning your day the night before is the bee’s knees. It helps you get the important stuff done, and it saves you from spending your “doing” time deciding what to do.

About nine months ago, spurred by a blog post by Cal Newport, I took things a step further and began planning my week. Friend, I’m here to tell you that the benefits conferred by daily planning are multiplied by weekly planning.

What’s the best way to save more money?

It doesn’t involve goal-setting, self-discipline, or even budgeting. If you want to increase your savings rate, call Payroll and have a portion of your paycheck direct deposited into your savings account. You’ll quickly adjust to living on less, and your savings will grow steadily without any action on your part. Save, then spend what’s left. Even if you dip into your savings from time to time, you’ll save far more than if you spend, then save what’s left.