This Working Life Making decisions like a pro
Aug 15, 2025
Renowned psychologist Dr. Ellen Langer, the mother of mindfulness, joins the conversation alongside experts Dr. Janneke Blijlevens and Dr. Adrian Camilleri. They explore the paradox of decision-making, revealing how we often struggle with the mundane yet rush significant choices. Instead of seeking the perfect option, they advocate for embracing randomness to reduce stress. The discussion also touches on career transitions, emphasizing resilience and perspective in making fulfilling choices, while addressing how emotions can skew our decision-making process.
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Stop Overvaluing Pros And Cons
- Pros-and-cons lists collapse everything into costs and benefits that cancel out and create false objectivity.
- Instead of seeking a perfect decision, focus on making whichever choice you take work.
Prediction Is An Illusion
- Decision-making requires predicting individual outcomes, which is fundamentally unreliable.
- You can estimate group trends but cannot predict specific personal consequences accurately.
Practice Decision Shortcuts
- Try a week of making no decisions by using a simple rule (like flipping a coin) for small choices.
- Use that practice to reduce stress and learn to make chosen options work.
