Revolutionize Your Thought process and Make Wiser Decisions

10 practical lessons you can learn from David Robson's thought-provoking book, "The Intelligence Trap: Revolutionize Your Thinking and Make Wiser Decisions"

1. Slow Down for Better Decisions: The book challenges the idea that faster thinking equates to better thinking. Taking time to analyze information, consider different perspectives, and avoid impulsive reactions can lead to wiser choices.

2. Beware the Curse of Knowledge: Once you know something, it's difficult to imagine not knowing it. This can hinder communication and decision-making. Actively try to see things from the perspective of others, especially those who may not have the same level of knowledge.

3. Embrace Strategic Ignorance: Not knowing everything can be a good thing. Focus on what's truly relevant to the situation and avoid getting bogged down in irrelevant details. Prioritize the most important information for making sound decisions.

4. Question Your Expertise: Even experts can fall victim to biases and blind spots. Don't be afraid to question your own assumptions and actively seek out alternative viewpoints to challenge your thinking.

5. Develop Your "Metacognition": This refers to your awareness of your own thinking processes. Reflect on how you make decisions, identify your biases, and learn to adjust your thinking patterns to avoid common pitfalls.

6. The Power of Intuition (Used Wisely): Intuition can be a valuable tool, but it should be tempered by logic and reason. Don't rely solely on gut feelings; analyze the situation and use intuition as a starting point, not the final answer.

7. Embrace Ambiguity: Life isn't always black and white. Learn to navigate uncertainty and make decisions even when all the information isn't available. Focus on gathering the best available evidence and be comfortable with imperfect solutions.

8. Beware of Confirmation Bias: We tend to seek information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore evidence that contradicts them. Actively seek out opposing viewpoints and challenge your own assumptions to avoid biased decision-making.

9. The Value of Diverse Teams: Diversity of thought and experience can lead to better solutions. Surround yourself with people who challenge your perspective and bring different viewpoints to the table.

10. Develop a "Growth Mindset": Believe that your intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort and learning. Approach challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than roadblocks to success.

Source: David Robson's thought-provoking book, "The Intelligence Trap: Revolutionize Your Thinking and Make Wiser Decisions"

6 Steps to Changing Habits

1.?????? Identify cues: Something has to trigger a habit, and a cue can be anything. Maybe stress makes you crave chocolate, or the sound of your alarm triggers you to hit the snooze button. Identifying cues helps you understand what puts your habits into motion.

2.?????? Disrupt: Once you know the cues, you can throw bad habits off track. If the alarm cues you to bash the snooze button every morning, put the alarm clock on the other side of the room. Trekking across the floor will likely disrupt the snooze habit.

3.?????? Replace: Research shows that replacing a bad behavior with a good one is more effective than stopping the bad behavior alone.?The new behavior “interferes” with the old habit and prevents your brain from going into autopilot. Deciding to eat fruit every time your mind thinks “cookie” substitutes a positive behavior for the negative habit.

4.?????? Keep it simple: It’s usually hard to change a habit because the behavior has become easy and automatic. The opposite is true, too: New behaviors can be hard because your brain’s basal ganglia, the “autopilot” part, hasn’t taken over this behavior yet.?Simplifying new behaviors helps you integrate them into your autopilot routines.

5.?????? Think long-term: Habits often form because they satisfy short-term impulses, the way chewing on your nails might immediately calm your nerves. But short-term desires often have long-term consequences, such as nasty, splintered, chewed-up fingers. Focusing long term while trying to change some habits will help you remember why you’re investing in the effort.

6.?????? Persist: Research has shown that what you’ve done before is a strong indicator of what you’ll do next. This means established habits are hard to break. But if you keep at it, your new behaviors will turn into habits, too.?Persistence works — at first it might be painful to get up at 5 a.m. for that jog, but soon it will be second nature.

Practice these

a)????? Practice positive thinking: Research suggests that positive thinking can help with stress management, improve your overall health, and help you have a more positive outlook on life.

b)????? Practice emotional balance: Try to stay calm and avoid letting small thoughts control you.

c)?????? Practice self-knowledge: Knowing yourself can help you deal with situations in the best way possible.

d)????? Practice cognitive restructuring: This cognitive therapy technique can help you identify and change thought patterns and beliefs that cause stress.

e)????? Celebrate your daily decisions: Think about all the small decisions you make every day, like what to wear or which way to walk.

f)?????? Examine your value system: Your values may have changed over time as you've evolved and your responsibilities and circumstances have changed.

g)????? Identify cues: Try to identify what triggers your habits, like stress or the sound of your alarm

Knowing well your competences and your vulnerabilities is the key to success

Understanding your competences and vulnerabilities is indeed crucial for achieving success. Your mental models, encompassing your thinking traits, past decisions, life lessons, and circumstances, serve as the toolkit guiding your decision-making process. Hence, shaping these mental models effectively is paramount, equipping your mind with the necessary tools to navigate challenges and optimize outcomes.

Here are three key strategies to enhance your decision-making process:

a)????? Know Your Strengths and Seek Help for Weaknesses: Recognize your areas of proficiency and embrace them. Seek assistance or delegate tasks in areas where you lack expertise. Acknowledging your circle of competence ensures efficient task completion and minimizes the risk of failure. By leveraging your strengths, you maximize productivity and conserve valuable time.

b)????? Apply First Principles and Practice Inversion: Instead of addressing the symptoms, delve into the root cause of problems using first principles thinking. Inversion, the process of reversing problem-solving perspectives, offers fresh insights. By identifying underlying causes and envisioning scenarios from different angles, you can devise effective solutions and prevent recurring issues.

c)?????? Evaluate Decisions with Long-Term Perspective: Prioritize long-term consequences over short-term gains when making decisions. Conduct thought experiments to simulate real-life scenarios and anticipate potential outcomes. Assess the impact of your actions on future goals and consider second-order effects. Balancing short-term benefits with long-term consequences ensures prudent decision-making and fosters personal growth.

CA Harshad Shah, Mumbai [email protected]