Best Practices make Best Decisions Possible
Often people judge a decision by its results. When they don't like the way the decision turned out, they conclude they must have made a bad decision. But that doesn't follow. When you make a decision, you make it in a very specific context. You choose between...
Burnout
Burnout is a common problem. When you "burn out," you lose the motivation to do productive work that you have done in the past — and used to enjoy doing. There are three common sources of motivation: a personally meaningful (selfish) purpose, an inspiring person, or...
Don’t mistake your questions for your choices
Perhaps the biggest mistake you can make in decision-making is to confuse your questions about the future with your choices. For example, I was asked, suppose you love music, and like medicine, but you are concerned about pursuing a career in music because it is so...
Eyes-Wide-Open Decision Making: An Overview
I’ve been asked to explain the difference between my Eyes-Wide-Open Decision Making Process1 and a typical decision process. The short answer is — my method offers a way to validate difficult decisions, when you can’t reach certainty. Many decision methods can speed...
How do you remember what you read?
A member of my Thinking Lab asked me how to remember better what he reads. He said: "I read vast amounts of information (news, articles, books), which I need to think about and retain. I've not had the greatest success. For a long time, I have simply read things and...
Book Recommendation: SPIN Selling
by Neil Rackham
Do you have the slightest desire to persuade another person to take an action that you believe is clearly in his or her best interest? If so, run out and buy a copy of Neil Rackham's 1988 book, SPIN Selling. Rackham presents the most rational approach to selling that...
Don’t Motivate Yourself, Lead Yourself
There was a theme in the questions that members of the Thinking Lab asked me this week. They all involved some form of, "how do I motivate myself?" I've had an epiphany. This is a mistaken way to conceptualize the problem. Motivation is an effect, not a cause. When...
If you don’t have resources for self-awareness, you don’t have resources for anything
I had a call with a member of the Thinking Lab the other day. He was concerned that he was reverting to some old behavior. He had changed jobs, and as a result he was very busy ramping up his knowledge and activity in the new position. He said it had occurred to him...
What’s the value of planning?
You have probably heard the saying, "no plan survives contact with reality." There's a lot of truth in this — so what's the value of planning? Planning pays off before you take action, while you are taking action, and after you have taken action. The most obvious...
Getting More Emotional Impact from Good Things that Happen in Life
Some years ago I recommended the daily practice of identifying three good things that happen each day. This idea, which I got from Martin Seligman, helps you develop a more optimistic mindset. The original tip is also on the blog. In addition to making you more...
