The Headline
The human brain can process 11 million bits of information per second… but our conscious minds can only handle 40-50 per second!
The Situation
We constantly deal with new, fast-changing circumstances. The amount of information available to (or slung at) us continues to increase exponentially. The pace of things is seemingly quicker than ever. Therefore, we feel the need to make rapid decisions (and it’s been estimated that we make 35,000 decisions a day on average). Unfortunately, we all have patterns of thinking that can be unsuited to our circumstances, resulting in critical thinking and decision-making that is frequently impaired.
A Solution
One way to address this is to think more about our thinking. Thinking about thinking is termed “meta-thinking” or “meta-cognition” and it’s all about looking objectively at how we make decisions, and then getting better at making decisions.
A Challenge for You
Explore meta-thinking a bit to understand what it is. For 2 weeks, be very aware of the important decisions you are making each day and think deeply about how you are making them. Track your decision-making thought processes, including how often are you as informed, rational, unbiased, well-reasoned, and emotionally-neutral as you can be. Then, identify a few, key areas where your decision-making can improve and begin your journey to address those areas.
The decisions you make determine your present and your future. However, thinking about your thinking is often misunderstood, under-utilized, or done improperly. Are you really thinking about how you are making your most important decisions every day?