Idiots and Geniuses Think the Same...

Last week’s newsletter was pretty heavy so I figured I would lighten it up a little bit!

Here’s a handful of my favourite concepts for making better decisions.

The Midwit Meme

This one is a reminder that all the life hacks in the world aren’t better than following common sense advice that everyone already knows.

Chesterton’s Fence

Chesterton’s Fence says that you should never destroy a fence, change a rule, or do away with a tradition until you understand why it’s there to begin with.

The principle assumes that fences have a purpose, were carefully planned, and cost time and money to build.

The Illusory Truth Effect

This effect is the reason that propaganda works!

We have a bias towards believing things are true if we’ve heard them multiple times. This happens as quickly as the second time you hear something.

This is because we examine old information less than new information to conserve cognitive horsepower.

Abilene Paradox

The Abilene Paradox states that people or groups make decisions that nobody likes because they wrongly assume the preferences of the group or other person.

A couple of examples:

You invite Steve to the wedding because you think he wants to come, even though you don’t really want him there. Steve RSVPs yes because he received an invitation despite not wanting to go.

You didn’t want Steve to come. Steve didn’t want to come. Steve is there anyways.

This is the explanation for a lot of poor corporate decision making. Most high level decisions are made by committee and not by individuals. When committees make good decisions everyone can claim responsibility, when committees make bad decisions the blame can easily be passed around.

Assumption vs Confirmation

You will run into a lot of barriers in your life.

It is useful to know which of these barriers are real and which are imagined.

Next time you run up against a barrier, ask yourself: “Have I confirmed it?”

You’re 100% sure that the girl sitting over there in the student centre doesn’t want to talk to you.

Are you really 100% sure? You can’t be 100% sure until you talk to her.

You can even do the opposite, Michael tells the story of how he met his wife that way in episode 14 of the podcast.

Regularly test barriers in your life.

Hanlon’s Razor

The Cynicism Safety Blanket

Cynicism has become popular as a lens to view the world. It’s an excuse to not try.

If everything sucks and it can’t get better and you know that to be true, it absolves you of any need to try and make your life better.

The world is burning. Women would never date me. The food supply is making me fat.

“The upside of never trying is never having to feel the pain of failure.” - Chris Williamson

Take off the blanket and take some responsibility for your life.