The Nonlinear Library EA - You can have an hour of my time, to work on your biggest problem, for free. by John Salter
Dec 11, 2023
03:18
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: You can have an hour of my time, to work on your biggest problem, for free., published by John Salter on December 11, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
Who the fuck are you?
I run EA's biggest volunteer organisation. We train psychology graduate volunteers to treat mental illnesses, especially in LMICs. To lead by example, I don't take a salary despite working >50Hs per week. To pay the bills, I coach rich people's children to be happier and more productive. While it funds my living expenses, it's not very impactful. I'm hoping to start serving EAs to fix that.
EA stuff I've done
Authored or co-authored ~$350 000 of successful grant applications for EA charities
Grew my org from 1 person to ~60 FTEs in the first 3 months post-launch
Now treating one case of depression / anxiety / phobia for ~$50 on the margin (although, just ~ 1000 clients a year right now; planning to treat 13 000 for ~$20 on the margin by 2025)
Trained coaches who've helped ~100 EAs overcome social anxiety, depression, procrastination and other barriers to being happily productive.
I played on hard difficulty
No relevant connections
Cause area for which EAs give few shits
Bottom 10% of familial income between age 13 and 21
Shoestring budget to start charity
Not extraordinarily smart or hardworking
Lost three of the prior five years, before starting the charity, to depression
I raise this because it's likely that disproportionate amount of my success is due to my decision-making, as opposed to my circumstances or character, and is thus replicable.
People I think could be a good fit
Early career EAs, especially entrepreneurs and people with leadership ambitions
University students struggling to get the most out of their time
People who know they are being held back by psychological issues (e.g. fear / risk aversion / procrastination / anxiety / depression / lack of discipline / bad habits)
Anyone interested in entering mental health as a cause area
How the hour would work
Tell me what you'd like to make progress on and we work on it directly via Zoom. Based on the value provided, decide if you want to continue as a paying client. If so, pay by the session (no contracts etc). If not, no hard feels.
~80% of people who chat with me for an hour decide to hire me on a session by session basis thereafter, sticking around for ~9 months on average.
How much would you charge afterwards?
Full-time EA coaches charge ~$300 per hour
I'm going to start out at $80 per hour. I'd only raise it for new clients thereafter.
Relevant Links
Website for my charity: https://www.overcome.org.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-salter-b685181ba/
To book the free hour
https://calendar.app.google/N1iBRnPHEBis8NXy5
If no time works, but you're really keen to give it a go, dm me and I'll see what I can do.
Thanks for listening. To help us out with The Nonlinear Library or to learn more, please visit nonlinear.org
Who the fuck are you?
I run EA's biggest volunteer organisation. We train psychology graduate volunteers to treat mental illnesses, especially in LMICs. To lead by example, I don't take a salary despite working >50Hs per week. To pay the bills, I coach rich people's children to be happier and more productive. While it funds my living expenses, it's not very impactful. I'm hoping to start serving EAs to fix that.
EA stuff I've done
Authored or co-authored ~$350 000 of successful grant applications for EA charities
Grew my org from 1 person to ~60 FTEs in the first 3 months post-launch
Now treating one case of depression / anxiety / phobia for ~$50 on the margin (although, just ~ 1000 clients a year right now; planning to treat 13 000 for ~$20 on the margin by 2025)
Trained coaches who've helped ~100 EAs overcome social anxiety, depression, procrastination and other barriers to being happily productive.
I played on hard difficulty
No relevant connections
Cause area for which EAs give few shits
Bottom 10% of familial income between age 13 and 21
Shoestring budget to start charity
Not extraordinarily smart or hardworking
Lost three of the prior five years, before starting the charity, to depression
I raise this because it's likely that disproportionate amount of my success is due to my decision-making, as opposed to my circumstances or character, and is thus replicable.
People I think could be a good fit
Early career EAs, especially entrepreneurs and people with leadership ambitions
University students struggling to get the most out of their time
People who know they are being held back by psychological issues (e.g. fear / risk aversion / procrastination / anxiety / depression / lack of discipline / bad habits)
Anyone interested in entering mental health as a cause area
How the hour would work
Tell me what you'd like to make progress on and we work on it directly via Zoom. Based on the value provided, decide if you want to continue as a paying client. If so, pay by the session (no contracts etc). If not, no hard feels.
~80% of people who chat with me for an hour decide to hire me on a session by session basis thereafter, sticking around for ~9 months on average.
How much would you charge afterwards?
Full-time EA coaches charge ~$300 per hour
I'm going to start out at $80 per hour. I'd only raise it for new clients thereafter.
Relevant Links
Website for my charity: https://www.overcome.org.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-salter-b685181ba/
To book the free hour
https://calendar.app.google/N1iBRnPHEBis8NXy5
If no time works, but you're really keen to give it a go, dm me and I'll see what I can do.
Thanks for listening. To help us out with The Nonlinear Library or to learn more, please visit nonlinear.org