What is self-binding decisions?

Self-binding decisions is a concept in personal epistemology: Deciding in advance what you will do in a specific situation removes in-the-moment temptation.

Example: You know you'll be tempted to check Slack during deep-work blocks. So on Sunday evening you write a rule: 'Between 9am and 11am on weekdays, Slack stays closed and my phone goes in the drawer.' Monday at 9:47, when the pull hits, the decision is already made. You don't resist temptation — you removed the branch point where temptation operates.

This concept is part of Phase 23 (Decision Frameworks) in the How to Think curriculum, which builds the epistemic infrastructure for decision frameworks.