Your Willpower for Decisions Runs Out Like a Battery
Make important decisions early in the day and automate the trivial ones to preserve mental energy.
22
Thinking
Critical thinking, cognitive biases, decision-making, and learning to see clearly. The operating system behind everything else.
138 advices
Perfect Information Never Arrives — Decide with What You Have
You will never have all the facts — most good decisions are made with incomplete information.
8
Sometimes "Good Enough" Is the Optimal Strategy
Picking the first good-enough option often beats exhaustively comparing every alternative.
7
What You Choose Not to Do Is Also a Decision
Inaction is a choice too — every yes carries a hidden no, and every no carries a hidden yes.
9
Doing Nothing Is Sometimes the Smartest Move
Action bias makes us prefer doing something over doing nothing — but patience is often the better strategy.
12
Before Starting, Imagine This Already Failed — Then Ask Why
Assume the project has already failed and work backwards to find the blind spots optimism hides.
20
Before You Decide, Define What "Good" Looks Like
Define your success criteria before you start — it turns vague aspiration into a concrete finish line.
5
Ask What Problem This Solution Creates
Every solution creates new problems — the key is identifying the trade-offs before you commit.
8
Make Reversible Choices Quickly, Irreversible Ones Slowly
Most decisions are reversible and don't need agonizing — save your careful deliberation for the rare ones that aren't.
5
Don't Let Urgency Pretend to Be Importance
Urgent tasks demand attention but rarely matter most — the truly important things almost never feel urgent.
7
A Bad Process Can Produce a Good Outcome — That Doesn't Make It a Good Process
Judge decisions by their process, not their outcome — luck is not a strategy.
20
Use a Postmortem Without Blame
After failure, ask what went wrong in the system — blame shuts down learning, curiosity opens it up.
12
Never Make Important Decisions Late at Night
Your late-night self has impaired judgment — sleep on important decisions.
6
The Mark of a Good Thinker Is How Often They Say "I Don't Know"
Intellectual humility opens the door to real learning — pretending to know closes it.
11
Separate Observation from Interpretation
Most conflicts start when we treat interpretations as facts — learn to notice the gap.
8
"I Disagree" and "I Don't Understand" Feel the Same but Aren't
Before debating, make sure you truly understand the other position — disagreement and confusion feel alike.
15
If You Can't Explain It Simply, You May Not Understand It Yet
The real test of understanding is the ability to explain something simply.
8
Changing Your Mind in Public Is a Sign of Strength
Updating your views publicly shows intellectual integrity — stubborn consistency is just performance.
7