Decisive

We're all constantly faced with important decisions. How do we ensure that we're making the right ones?

In Decisive, bestselling authors Chip and Dan Heath draw on decades of psychological research to explain why we so often get it very badly wrong — why our supposedly rational brains are frequently tripped up by powerful biases and illogical, wishful thinking. At the same time, by offering four simple principles that we can learn and follow, they show how we can avoid common pitfalls and arrive instead at the best answers. Drawing on case histories that range from high-stakes business calls to personal dilemmas, they offer both a fascinating tour through the workings of our minds and an invaluable guide to making smarter decisions.

1. The Four Villains of Decision Making
• Widen Your Options
  
2. Avoid a Narrow Frame
3. Multitrack
4. Find Someone Who's Solved Your Problem
• Reality-Test Your Assumptions
  
5. Consider the Opposite
6. Zoom Out, Zoom In
7. Ooch
• Attain Distance Before Deciding
8. Overcome Short-Term Emotion
9. Honor Your Core Priorities
• Prepare To Be Wrong
10. Bookend the Future
11. Set a Tripwire
12. Trusting the Process
• Next Steps
• Recommendations for Further Reading
• Clinics
• Overtcoming Obstacles
• Endnotes