| |
| Stage | Common mistake |
| Setting priorities |
| 1. Learn what the wellbeing of the future is.* | Operate under a partial understanding of the world. People who know more will see more possibilities that match the future's real needs — those who know less resort to desperation. |
| 2. Develop commitment until this is your top priority. | Give priority to things that do not ultimately make a difference |
| Personal capacity |
| 3. Improve skills related to personal life until you have plenty of quality time. | Not investing limited time to free up more time |
| 4. Develop proficiency with skills needed to protect the future. | Make very little progress with inadequate skills |
| Societal capacity |
| 5. Ensure there are quality institutions assessing global risks and assets.† | Pick an issue that seems important and underinvest in global situation assessment |
| 6. Change society until it reduces global risks faster than it creates them, and creates global assets faster than it consumes them (GRAM). (You are done at this step.) | Trying to make the changes yourself (inefficient at best) or to “be the change” (rarely relevant unless it is contagious) |
| Amuse-bouche |
| 7. (For dessert: nice but not necessary) Become engrossed in a particular problem or solution that you personally feel is important. | Jumping right to here (and skipping the actual saving the world stages) |