Mental Model Practices

Intuitive Thinking

Benefit: Better decisions
Prerequisites:

Description

There are three types of decision-making:

  • Logical
  • Emotional
  • Intuitive

Intuition is what you feel about a certain action, event, place, or person after separating emotion and logic. It gives a clear internal signal about whether something will be good or bad for you.

Practice

Length: 2 minutes (the practice takes around 2 minutes)

  1. Write down an action, event, or location you will interact with today.
  2. Close your eyes and imagine yourself doing that thing.
  3. Write down how you feel while doing it. Start with “I feel…”
  4. Close your eyes and imagine yourself not doing that thing.
  5. Write down how you feel when you don't do that thing. Start with "I feel"

Example-1

Going to Toastmasters: I feel excited when I imagine going there.

Not going: I feel anxious, like I am missing something.

Example-2

Going to the BBQ party: I feel like it will be interesting, and I’ll get to meet new people and spend time with my friends.

Not going to the BBQ party: I feel like I will miss out on a lot of fun with my friends and the opportunity to meet new people.

Example-3

Allotting an extra hour for work: I feel productive and confident that I will be able to finish my pending tasks.

Not working: I feel anxious that I will have unfinished tasks and that I might not meet my deadlines.

Extra

Knowing cognitive biases increases the strength of intuitive thinking.