The Art of Thinking Clearly: The Secrets of Perfect Decision-Making

by Rolf Dobelli

The confirmation bias is the mother of all misconceptions.

‘Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored,’

‘What the human being is best at doing, is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact.’

‘All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone,’

is

‘We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it – and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again – and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.’

We must learn to close doors. A business strategy is primarily a statement on what not to engage in. Adopt a life strategy similar to a corporate strategy: write down what not to pursue in your life. In other words, make calculated decisions to disregard certain possibilities and when an option shows up, test it against your not-to-pursue list. It will not only keep you from trouble but also save you lots of thinking time. Think hard once and then just consult your list instead of having to make up your mind whenever a new door cracks open. Most doors are not worth going through, even when the handle seems to turn so effortlessly.

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