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Zero-Based Thinking: Principles For Making Better Life Decisions
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Zero-based thinking
It gives us the rare opportunity to ask ourselves if there anything in our lives that we should do more of, less of, start or stop.
It is a decision thinking technique developed by Brian Tracy.
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Difficult decisions
Difficult decisions are mostly about weighing the long and short term values. Making objective decisions is difficult because we are biased towards short-term rewards and pre-existing beliefs.
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Optimal choices
Ask yourself, knowing what you know now, is there anything you are doing today that you wouldn't do again if you were able to?
Be willing to stop doing what no longer works. Sometimes it is best to cut your losses and try something else. Be prepared to take risks and understand the potential failure that goes with a new course of action.
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Question everything
Zero-based thinking opens up a world of possibilities that you might not otherwise consider. It helps you to think hard about your choices.
- Applying ZBT to your budget: Carefully decide how you would like to spend or invest your money as if you are starting from scratch.
- Applying ZBT to your schedule: What if you had no time commitments? How would you spend your time that you find enjoyable, exciting, and fulfilling?
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A checklist for faster, better decisions
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- Write down at least 3 realistic alternatives;
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Plan For the Future
Being proactive and thinking long-term while making decisions in the present is something that primes us for a better and deliberate future.
We start to consider the secon...
Self-Investing
Take care of yourself in the long run with these compounding activities:
- Learning how to make something of value to others.
- Learning a skill that makes you stand out of the crowd.
- Reading books about distinct topics that are relevant to your career and personal growth.
- Setting up a broad-based fund that invests some money from your income, to build your wealth.
Reading To Get Smarter
Reading makes our brain exercise, and all successful people share this habit.
Reading reduces stress and increases your emotional intelligence. The slice of life your brain is exposed to, whether you read for self-improvement or pleasure, will make you more focused at work.
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Our emotions are short-term biased
Our emotions are obsessed with the present moment because it’s difficult to look past our immediate fears and anxieties. And this prevents good decision-making.
The sweet spot in de...
“Risky” behavior you should consider
- Propose “moonshot” ideas, knowing that 90% of them will get shot down, but that if one of them gets accepted, it will be a huge boost to your career.
- Be excessively bold in your dating life, stating exactly who and what you want.
- Buy difficult books expecting that most of them won’t be useful to you, but also that, occasionally, one will completely change your life.
- Say yes to every invitation knowing that most of the events/people will be boring, but that occasionally you’ll meet someone really interesting.
Optimizing life for fewer regrets
Most of us are afraid of messing thing up. But we rarely ask, “Would I regret that failure?” If the answer is “no,” then that is absolutely a risk you should pursue.
Sometimes, the right decision becomes crystal clear when put into these terms.