Frequently asked questions about thinking, epistemology, and cognitive tools. 3434 answers
Most decisions you face are variations of types you have encountered before.
Most decisions you face are variations of types you have encountered before.
Weight your criteria and score options systematically when multiple factors matter.
Spend minimal time on easily reversible decisions and maximum time on irreversible ones.
Spend minimal time on easily reversible decisions and maximum time on irreversible ones.
One-way doors deserve careful analysis — two-way doors should be walked through quickly.
For most decisions good enough is better than perfect because the search cost exceeds the improvement.
The faster you get feedback on an action the faster you can adjust.
Self-correcting loops maintain balance by countering deviations.
Self-correcting loops maintain balance by countering deviations.
Real situations often involve several interacting feedback loops simultaneously.
No process works perfectly every time — error correction must be built in from the start.
Execution errors knowledge errors and judgment errors require different correction approaches.
Execution errors knowledge errors and judgment errors require different correction approaches.
Execution errors knowledge errors and judgment errors require different correction approaches.
Reviewing key conditions before starting a task catches errors before they propagate.
Reviewing what happened after completing a task surfaces errors for future correction.
Reviewing what happened after completing a task surfaces errors for future correction.
Reviewing what happened after completing a task surfaces errors for future correction.
For every important process have a documented way to recover from common failures.
Recurring errors point to structural problems not personal failures.
Use tools and systems to catch errors that manual vigilance misses.
Every correction takes time and energy — reduce the error rate rather than just correcting faster.
Every correction takes time and energy — reduce the error rate rather than just correcting faster.