[ivape]

but to design systems (or habits) that surface the most structurally important signals

Right, the “filter”. Again, the simplest thing people do is put up their mental firewall and don’t manage the whitelist. That means things don’t even get through to be classified as important.

The other variant of that is there is no filter at all, but the person lacks the ability to classify anything as important (classified incorrectly).

If we filter correctly, and classify correctly, that’s probably best. The filter part is easy, just do it. The classification part requires, in my opinion, some kind of value system.

[krst252009]

Exactly — the filter is only half the equation. Without a value system to guide classification, even well-curated inputs can lead to misaligned priorities. I think that’s where most people struggle: not just in filtering noise, but in knowing what matters to them long-term.

In finance, I’ve seen this play out when people chase trends without anchoring decisions to personal goals or values. That’s why I’ve been exploring ways to build tools that help users define their own “signal criteria” — not just what gets through, but why it’s worth acting on.

Would love to hear how others have built or discovered systems that help with this kind of value-driven classification — whether in news, tech, or life.