Clear Thinking
One Quote
How can we get better at reasoning? Why do people make bad decisions? Why do some people consistently get better results than others who have the same information? How can I be right more often, and decrease the probability of a bad outcome when lives are on the line?
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If you’re like me, no one ever taught you how to think or make decisions. There’s no class called Clear Thinking 101 in school. Everyone seems to expect you to know how to do it already or to learn how on your own. As it turns out, though, learning about thinking – thinking clearly – is surprisingly hard.
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The overarching message of this book is that there are invisible instincts that conspire against good judgment. Your defaults encourage you to react without reasoning – to live unconsciously rather than deliberately.
When you revert to defaults, you engage in a game you can’t win. When you live a life run on autopilot, you get bad results. You make things worse. You say things that can’t be unsaid and do things that can’t be undone. You might accomplish your immediate goal, but you fail to realize that you’ve made it harder to achieve your ultimate goals. All of this happens without consciously being aware you are exercising judgment in the first place.
Synopsis
Clear Thinking identifies what the author calls our “defaults”. These are self-defeating biases and tendencies that can sabotage us. They are nefarious because they are hidden in our DNA and subconscious. We don’t even realize we are using them. The procedure for thinking clearly (as I understood it) is:
Recognize the defaults that are running your life (or might run it)
Build an identity to know what you want and why you want it
Set high standards for yourself and your team
Build strength to overcome the defaults
Design algorithms in your life to safeguard yourself against “defaulting”
Pay attention to notice a default guiding your behavior so you can switch to decision making mode
When you get to decision making mode…
Define the problem
Explore possible solutions
Evaluate the options
Do it
Learn from the decision
The book is organized into 5 sections:
The defaults
Building strength
Managing weakness
Decision making
Wanting correctly (not wishing for the wrong stuff)
My Notes
Our Emotional, Egotistical, Lazy Animal Tendencies
I personally got the most benefit from the first 2 sections of the book. From the first section, you learn to identify a default. Thinking clearly is discouraged by our natural animal/emotional tendencies. The rational mind has to take charge and recognize that it’s time to think. Sometimes that’s the hardest part. We speak before we think. We lash out because we’re tired or hungry. I’m reminded of the HALT acronym. Take a pulse… am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired? If so… halt!
The Emotion Default
This is when we act because our emotions tell us to act. Maybe something makes you feel good so you do it. Maybe it’s to soothe. Maybe you get sad, and whenever you get sad you tend to push people away. Maybe the news gets you all riled up and spins you into an irascible miser who can’t help but spout off about all the problems in the world. Losing your cool can cost you an Olympic gold medal. It can also sour your last conversation with a loved one before they die.
The Ego Default
Somebody stepped on your turf. They dissed you. HOW DARE THEY!?
The ego default tells you that you’re the best thing since sliced bread. You’re the cat’s pajamas. Your shit doesn’t stink. If somebody else cuts you off on the road, they’re a terrible driver, but if you’re late for date night and your wife sends you a petulant text message, you cut somebody else off because “there are just so many situational things going on”, not because you’re a terrible driver.
Ego loves it when somebody depends on you. You will subconsciously make yourself a bottleneck in the <family/organization/company/church/whatever>. Where would they be WITHOUT ME?
Benedict Arnold turned coat because he felt like he should have been in charge.
Ego can lead us to blame the world for “misbehaving” instead of seeing how the world really works.
The Social Default
We love to go with the crowd. We need ‘social proof’ before we accept what is good. We do what everyone else does, and we get the same results everyone else gets. Being in the crowd is safe. It’s hard to get bad press when everyone was doing it.
The Inertia Default
Once our minds are set, it’s hard to change them. This is like Newton’s 2nd Law, but for cognition. People will often double down when they’re wrong because they can’t change their mind. Be mindful when you utter the phrase “that’s the way we’ve always done it”.
Strength
From the second part, personal character growth helps build the strength needed to be a good judge, make good decisions, and be a better human.
Self-(.*)
Parrish goes through some of my favorite topics, and the all start with the word “Self”. Here are some of my favorites:
Self-discipline
Self-confidence
Self-accountability
Self-motivated
Self-knowledge
Self-control
Self-Confidence is about trusting in your abilities and your value to others.
You need self-confidence to think independently and to stand firm in the face of social pressure, ego, inertia, or emotion. You need it to understand that not all results are immediate, and to focus on doing what it takes to earn them eventually.
People who are confident aren’t afraid of facing reality because they know they can handle it. Confident people don’t care what other people think about them, aren’t afraid of standing out, and are willing to risk looking like an idiot while they try something new.
Positioning
One of the themes Parrish returns to sometimes is positioning. Playing life on “easy mode” vs “hard mode”. Putting yourself into win-win situations where a good outcome is almost inevitable.
Standards
Experts have high standards. Their kindness might not be “nice”. Be around people with high standards and adopt those standards to level up. Choose a personal board of directors. For myself, I chose the Invisible Council as described in Think and Grow Rich. Choose a Cato. A model of a good life who you can aspire to become.
Manage Weakness
Install safeguards to prevent yourself from making egregious errors. This can be an algorithm that you follow to keep yourself safe. Set personal rules. In a quirk of psychology, people don’t question your maxims.
Think before speaking, listen before talking. One guy had success because he had a rule when somebody was complaining to him. To prevent himself getting defensive, you would mirror back what the other person said (like Chris Voss in Never Split the Difference). Then he would ask “what did I miss?”. If they respond with anything new, he had to do it over again. This was all before he gave any response. It served to clarify, detach himself from his position, and give himself some extra time to think. I need to implement that.
Handling Mistakes
If you don’t get the results you expect, there are 2 possibilities. If you ever catch yourself thinking “this makes no sense”, that’s a perfect cue! The 2 options are: 1) you were unlucky, or 2) your idea of how things work was wrong.
Don’t waste this opportunity. Learn whatever the world is teaching you.
Exceptional people are Anti-Fragile. This is a topic I plan to study in the future, and a book by the same title is on my reading list.
Decision Making
I think this potion of the book is slightly less useful than the rest of the book. I prefer Clint Rusch’s protocol for decision making… Decision Making Flow
To me the most useful part of this section was when the author said “One way to keep meetings short and avoid the signaling that comes from repeating information that everyone knows is simply asking everyone, “What do you know about this problem that other people in the room don’t know?””. I have personally witnessed meetings that go round and round, and people are talking just because they love the sound of their own voice.
I also like the part about ‘second level thinking’. What happens when this works out like it’s supposed to? What happens when it doesn’t?
The Rest of the Book
Throughout the book, Parrish sprinkles other nuggets of wisdom that echo many of the guests he has interviewed over the years. Here are some of my most notable or favorite “sprinkles”:
Many references to Stoicism
Memento Mori
Marcus Aurelius quote “think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.”
Focus on what’s in your control
Epictetus' quote on surrounding yourself with good people to avoid “getting a little grimy yourself”
Seneca quote about choosing a Cato
Section on habits with shout outs to Aristotle and James Clear
Judging an expert from an imposter, and how to effectively communicate with an expert
The ‘Both-and’ principle
Clarity on commander’s intent - “what is the most important criterion?” so that your subordinates can make decisions in your absence.
Avoiding analysis paralysis using “stop, flop, know”
Bullets and cannon balls
Live with a decision before announcing it or acting
Summary
This was a fabulous book and I’d recommend it to anyone. It gives motivation for growing personally. It also illuminates a few scenarios where you might not realize you’re sabotaging yourself.
