Clear Thinking
How to Think Clearly

Preface

In order to get the results we desire, we must do two things. We must first create the space to reason in our thoughts, feelings, and actions; and second, we must deliberately use that space to think clearly. Once you have mastered this skill, you will find you have an unstoppable advantage.

Decisions made through clear thinking will put you in increasingly better positions, and success will only compound from there.

The first half is about creating space for it. First, we identify the enemies of clear thinking. You will learn how most of what we consider to be "thinking" is in fact reacting without reasoning, prompted by biological instincts that evolved to preserve our species. When we react without reasoning, our position is weakened, and our options get increasingly worse. When we ritualize a response to our biological triggers, we create the space to think clearly, and strengthen our position. Then, we identify a number of practical, actionable ways to both manage your weaknesses and build your strengths so that space is consistently created when you're under pressure.

The second half is about putting clear thinking into practice. Once you are in a place where you've shored up your strengths and managed your weaknesses---when you've created the pause between thought and action---you can turn clear thinking into effective decisions. In Part 4 you will find the most practical tools you can use to solve problems.

What happens in ordinary moments determines your future.

We're taught to focus on the big decisions, rather than the moments where we don't even realize we're making a choice. Yet these ordinary moments often matter more to our success than the big decisions.

This can be difficult to appreciate. The enemies of clear thinking---the more primal parts of our nature---make it hard to see what's happening and instead just make our lives more challenging. When we react with emotion to a colleague in a meeting, we must make amends. When we make a decision to prove we're right rather than get the best outcome possible, we only end up with a mess to clean up later. If we start bickering with our partner on Friday, the entire weekend can be lost. No wonder we have less energy, more stress, and feel busy all the time.

The accumulation of these moments makes accomplishing our goals easier or harder. Each moment puts you in a better or worse position to handle the future. And while these moments don't seem to matter much at the time, they compound into our current position. And our position determines our future.

A good position allows you to think clearly rather than be forced by circumstances into a decision. One reason the best in the world make consistently good decisions is they rarely find themselves forced into a decision by circumstances. You don't need to be smarter than others to outperform them if you can out-position them. Anyone looks like a genius when they're in a good position, and even the smartest person looks like an idiot when they're in a bad one.

The greatest aid to judgment is starting from a good position. Time is the friend of someone who is properly positioned and the enemy of someone poorly positioned.

What a lot of people miss is that ordinary moments determine your position, and your position determines your options. Clear thinking is the key to proper positioning, which is what allows you to master your circumstances rather than be mastered by them.

It doesn't matter what position you find yourself in right now. What matters is whether you improve your position today.