Book SummaryThe Master Guides: Making Better Decisions, by Shortform

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Master Guides: Making Better Decisions

Decision-making skills play a key role in every part of life, from professional advancement to personal relationships. Therefore, the ability to pick the best choices available can measurably improve your career, family life, and even happiness. This master guide will cover four principles you can use to improve your decision-making:

1. **Know...

The Master Guides: Making Better Decisions Summary Principle #1: Know When to Trust Your Instincts

While contemplation can be important for some decisions, the authors argue that you shouldn’t discount going with your instincts. In some cases, intuitive decisions are preferable to slower, more thoughtful ones. Popular science author Malcolm Gladwell (Blink) argues that trusting your instincts is particularly useful for split-second decisions.

Making Split-Second Decisions

Gladwell notes that...

The Master Guides: Making Better Decisions Summary Principle #2: Understand the Decision You’re Making

While sometimes intuition is enough, more important and consequential decisions—career choices, large purchases, and so on—require more contemplation to ensure you make the best possible decision. In these cases, several authors we’re discussing suggest that you start by making sure you fully understand the decision. When you fully grasp the issue, you’ll have an easier time making an informed choice. Specifically, they suggest you consider what you want out of your decision and what options are available.

1) Your Goal

Barry Schwartz (The Paradox of Choice) suggests that the first step of the decision-making process is establishing your goal, or **what you want to get out of your...

The Master Guides: Making Better Decisions Summary Principle #3: Get Help

Once you fully understand what you want and what your options are, you can start comparing them. But you don’t have to do this alone. In fact, the authors recommend you seek outside help during your decision-making process. This allows you to get new perspectives on your decision that you wouldn’t otherwise. They recommend two forms of help: seeking out relevant information and participating in group discussions.

1) Seek Out Relevant Information

Chip and Dan Heath explain that a helpful source for decision-making is outside information: The more you know about the choice you have to make, the better you can predict and compare the outcome of each option. They recommend you speak with experts or research the subject related to your decision.

But to make the most of this information, you...

The Master Guides: Making Better Decisions Summary Principle #4: Avoid Biased Thinking

Many authors note that another important part of making better decisions is avoiding or limiting your bias, or preexisting beliefs, emotions, and preferences. When you act on bias, you stop thinking logically and pick the option you want to be best—instead of the actual best option. The authors offer a couple of ways to avoid biased thinking, including examining your beliefs or potential biases and considering your decision’s impact on your future.

1) Question Your Beliefs

Chip and Dan Heath suggest you avoid bias by questioning your existing beliefs about your decision. They explain that one of the most common forms of bias is confirmation bias, or [the tendency to focus on information that reinforces your existing...

Shortform Exercise: Analyze Your Decision

Use the four principles mentioned above—knowing when to trust your instincts, understanding your decision, getting help, and avoiding bias—to help you with a decision.

Write down a decision you have to make or have recently made. Is this decision important enough to deliberate on, or can you make it intuitively? Why?