Decisive - Heath Brothers
W.R.A.P. framework
Widen Your Options
- Avoid a Narrow Frame: Make sure you consider other options besides what seems obvious. Instead of whether/not and either/or, try and.
- Multi-track: Try out several good ideas at the same time. Have a Plan B running at the same time as Plan A, that way you aren’t screwed if/when Plan A fails.
- Find Someone Who’s Solved Your Problem: What it says on the tin.
Reality-Test Your Assumptions
- Consider the Opposite: Get a devil’s advocate to knock some sense into you. You’re probably ignoring important details.
- Zoom Out, Zoom In: 1) You are not a special snowflake, so stop asking experts what they think will happen for you. Ask what usuallyhappens for people like you. 2) Ask people for the gory details they won’t tell you in the job description/want ads/brochures/Google.
- Ooch: Try it out. Run a mini-experiment.
Attain Emotional Distance
- Overcome Short Term Emotion: Let’s say you did it. How do you feel ten months from now? Ten years? What would you tell your best friend to do?
- Honor Your Core Priorities: Which decision matches your core values? (If you don’t know what those are, you should probably find out.)
Prepare to Be Wrong
- Bookend the Future: Figure out what you need to make back-up plans for, and make back-plans for them. Give yourself some breathing room in case things go horribly wrong (or unexpectedly well).
- Set a Tripwire: Once you’ve made your decision, how will you know when it’s time to turn back and try again?
- Trust in the Process: If you’re making decisions with other people, make sure everybody feels good heard moving forward.
