First off, we've updated our guide to how you can make a positive difference no matter what career they're in: Three ways anyone can make a difference

Happy new year! First off, we've updated our guide on how you can make a positive difference no matter what career you're in: Three ways anyone can make a difference, no matter their job In short: you can donate a fraction of your income, volunteer, or engage in thoughtful advocacy. If you choose how you spend your time or money carefully, you can do a lot of good even with few resources. If you're interested in making a difference though donating, and you can afford it, you might consider taking the Giving What We Can pledge — a commitment to donate 10% of your income to where you think it can do the most good. Pledge to donate 10% In May of last year I became the 4,666th person to take the pledge, and it's one of the things I'm most proud of doing in 2020. If you might be interested in joining me but aren't sure, you can also try taking the pledge for one year to see how it goes. In the above article we also discuss some reasons it might be better not to take the pledge. For example, if you're not financially stable, or you work in a lower-paying job, it's probably best to wait or find other ways to contribute. Speaking of different ways to contribute, I interviewed Owen Cotton-Barratt on what small actions people can take in everyday life to help make the long-run future go well — from voting thoughtfully to helping kids develop good argumentative norms. Owen calls these acts 'everyday longtermism': Owen Cotton-Barratt on everyday longtermism, epistemic systems, and layers of defence against potential global catastrophes We also discuss how to prevent smaller disasters from becoming bigger catastrophes, how 'epistemic systems' can push human knowledge forward and make it more accessible, and how mathematically-minded people can apply their skills to make a positive difference. Finally, I spoke to our CEO Benjamin Todd on the podcast again in November, this time about what kinds of resources are most useful for solving different global problems, and what people can do to best help the effective altruism community: Benjamin Todd on what the effective altruism community most needs That's it from me — stay safe, and have a great week! Arden If we want to try to prevent an existential catastrophe, there are a lot of things we could do. We could try to keep risks from ever beginning to materialise — e.g. by taking measures to decrease the chance that dangerous pathogens are able to escape in lab settings. Or, we could keep disasters from getting worse — e.g. by taking measures to keep any pathogen that does arise from spreading. As another option, we could focus on the most extreme case, making sure that if everything else goes wrong, at least humanity will survive. How do we choose which of these strategies to take? Owen Cotton-Barratt models the different options as strengthening different 'layers of defence' against global catastrophes. In our discussion he takes me through the relationships between these layers, as well as reasons we might prioritise some over others: Owen Cotton-Barratt on everyday longtermism, epistemic systems, and layers of defence against potential global catastrophes 80,000 Hours is a non-profit that provides research and support to help people switch into careers that effectively tackle the world's most pressing problems. Read about our key ideas, subscribe to our podcast, or find a job on our job board.