Making better decisions by thinking like an artist (with Elspeth Kirkman)

1. Deliberately Frame Decisions

When making significant choices, consciously foreground what truly aligns with your values and fade less important details, like an artist composing a canvas. This helps ensure you focus on what matters most and consider options outside the initial frame.

2. Challenge “Toddler’s Choice” Options

Be aware that many choices presented by culture or others are often pre-curated; actively question the available options and seek out alternative or “third way” solutions that might not be immediately obvious.

3. Future-Pace Decisions (6-Month Rule)

To overcome immediate anxieties or perceived difficulties in a decision, project yourself six months into the future and consider what you will genuinely care about then. This helps prioritize long-term values over short-term discomfort.

4. Gain Perspective by Advising a Friend

To create psychological distance and step outside your own immediate perspective, ask yourself: “What would I tell a friend who was going through this exact situation?”

5. Actively Seek Out Failures/Non-Survivors

To counteract survivorship bias, deliberately seek information about failures or those who didn’t succeed, as this provides a more complete and accurate picture than focusing solely on successful outcomes.

6. Question Explanations of Success

When encountering stories of success, critically evaluate the role of luck and randomness, and consider whether the strategies are truly applicable to your unique situation. This helps avoid misattributing success solely to effort or specific methods.

7. Recognize and Resist Rage Bait

Be aware that social media algorithms often incentivize content designed to provoke anger and argument for engagement; consciously resist engaging with these tactics to avoid contributing to a distorted online discourse.

8. Beware the “Majority Illusion”

Understand that extreme or polarizing views amplified by algorithms can create a false perception that these views are widely held. This awareness helps prevent self-censorship or misjudging public opinion.

9. Reframe “Sunk Cost” Decisions

To overcome the sunk cost fallacy, ask yourself: “If I weren’t currently involved in this project, would I choose to join it today, knowing everything I know now?” This helps make decisions based on future potential, not past investment.

10. Manipulate Construal for Visioning

When conducting visioning meetings or brainstorming future directions, encourage a high construal level by thinking abstractly and loosely, rather than getting bogged down in granular details. This fosters creativity and broad thinking.

11. Ground Vision with Low Construal

After establishing a high-level vision, shift to a low construal level by focusing on specific, granular details and practical steps. This ensures the vision can be effectively planned and connected to reality.

12. Reduce Distance for Charitable Giving

To encourage more impactful charitable giving, reduce psychological distance by focusing on identifiable victims or specific stories, as people are more compelled by personal narratives than by statistics.

13. Prioritize Costly Sacrifice in Relationships

Recognize that genuine care in relationships is often demonstrated through “costly sacrifice” (time, effort, thoughtfulness). Be mindful that convenient, AI-assisted gestures may erode perceived meaning if they lack this investment.

14. Preserve Authenticity in Communication

Be cautious of using AI-suggested messages or automated communication, as they can erode authenticity by replacing your genuine words and feelings with generic or algorithm-generated content.

15. Create “Raw Interaction” Rituals

In an age of pervasive AI assistance, consider establishing rituals (e.g., mutually agreeing to turn off smart devices) to ensure genuine, unassisted interactions where attention and memory are truly human-driven.

16. Challenge “Main Character” Syndrome

When experiencing social anxiety or catastrophic thinking, reflect on “What if I weren’t the main character?” to gain perspective and realize that many situations are not primarily centered around you.

17. Question Technology’s “Co-pilot” Narrative

Be critical of the common narrative that technology is merely a “co-pilot” assisting humans; recognize that humans can become subservient to technological demands, potentially prioritizing efficiency over human well-being.

18. Be Aware of Technology’s Social Control

Understand that control over dominant technological infrastructure (e.g., social media platforms) can translate into significant social power, influencing discourse and shaping collective reality.

19. Recognize Rationalization of Randomness

Be aware of the human tendency to interpret random events as meaningful trajectories or fated outcomes; actively challenge these assumptions to avoid misattributing success or failure.

20. Use Framing Tools for Reflection

Utilize tools like tarot or horoscopes as prompts for self-reflection and to explore different framings of a situation (e.g., “what if this was a romantic comedy?”), but do not mistake them for factual knowledge or use them for serious life decisions.

21. Advocate for Leisure from AI

At a national or organizational level, deliberately question the default of reinvesting all AI productivity gains into more work; instead, advocate for increased leisure time or direct investment back into people and society.

22. Focus Math Education on Practical Concepts

For effective math education, prioritize foundational concepts like basic arithmetic, percentages, fundamental probability, and core statistical principles (e.g., uncertainty, data impact) over complex tests or extensive geometry.

23. Increase Distance to Avoid Overwhelm

When facing an overwhelming number of options, allow your brain to naturally down-weight factors that are psychologically distant (e.g., far in the future, affecting others far away) to simplify your decision-making process.

24. Prioritize Close Relationships/Society

Actively invest more heavily in the relationships you have with people you know and love, and in the immediate fabric of your society, as this is a natural protective factor that fosters strong community bonds.