The other day I was reading an article from fs.blog. It’s a fascinating blog about thinking, mental models, how we learn and think, and all kinds of brain activities.
In the article, “How not to be stupid”, Adam Robinson discusses seven factors that lead to stupidity. In no particular order, they are
- Being outside your normal environment or changing your routines
- Being in the presence of a group
- Being in the presence of an expert or if you, yourself, are an expert
- Doing any task that requires intense focus
- Information overload
- Physical or emotional stress, fatigue
- Rushing or a sense of urgency
These are additive, which means the more factors that are present, the more likely you’re going to do something stupid.
As a Salesforce consultant, we make dozens of decisions on a daily basis. It’s part of our DNA, and we pride ourselves on making “good enough” decisions.
Sometimes, knowing the pitfalls of decision making, like being stupid, can help us avoid making bad decisions.
The takeaway
Now that you know the seven activities, you can be more aware of them. Avoid doing something stupid when one or more of them are present.
Another tip is to have a decision-making tree, which forces you to confirm major decision approaches before proceeding.