Clear Thinking - Cognitive Defaults
The Default Cheat Sheet
As we’ve now learned, it’s really hard to think independently. We have so many biases at work all the time in our monkey brains that we get constantly sidetracked from our true goals.
This week we learned about the four major enemies to clear thinking as described by Shane Parrish. Here’s a quick recap of what we learned.
Emotion default is when we respond based on our emotions instead of the facts.
Ex. I insult my partner on a project for contributing bad work. That doesn’t help me reach my goal of submitting a better project. My thoughts were hijacked by anger.
Ego default is when we respond in a way that protects our self-image.
Ex. I watched one video on seed oils. I tell people they’re bad. I get pushback and don’t know what to say so instead of admitting I know nothing, I question the other person’s intelligence and beliefs.
Social default is when we respond with the goal of agreement instead of correctness.
Ex. I want to order a burger for lunch but I order a salad because everyone who ordered ahead of me did.
Bonus - This is one of my favorite social experiments - click here to watch the 5 minute video. It’s very funny and shows the social default is full effect!
Inertia default is when we respond by trying to avoid change.
Ex. Starting a new habit is hard work. Maintaining the habit once it's established is much less work.
I Know The Enemies of Clear Thinking… Now What?
Now that we’ve identified and understood the main enemies of clear thinking, how can we counter them?
Willpower?
Grit?
Maybe. That works for some people but usually only in the short-term! To counter your cognitive defaults forever, let’s try a more strategic approach.
We can use cognitive biases to our advantage instead. We can design our environment to encourage and discourage behaviors as we choose.
Starting tomorrow, we’ll spend the next 7 days looking at techniques to Build the Strength we need to beat our monkey brain’s impulses.
Dec 9: Self-Accountability
Dec 10: Self Knowledge
Dec 11:Self Control
Dec 12: Self Confidence
Dec 13: Strength in Action
Dec 14: Setting The Standards
Dec 15: Exemplars & Practice
Brains Gains
What’s your behavior building process like now? When you want to change your behavior, what do you do?
Your Friend,
Noah “BigNerd” Sochaczevski
PS. HAPPY HANUKKAH BIG NERDS! Chag Sameach to everybody celebrating the miracle that is the survival of the Jewish people.
Wow, how’d they get a picture of me lighting candles?