The Rules of Thinking

Table of contents

1. Cover
2. Title page
3. Contents
4. Introduction
5. Publisher’s acknowledgements
6. Think for yourself
   1. 1 Avoid echo chambers
   2. 2 Don’t be scared
   3. 3 Consider the motive
   4. 4 Beware self-interest
   5. 5 Keep hold of your heartstrings
   6. 6 Don’t be gullible
7. Resilient thinking
   1. 7 Know who you are
   2. 8 Seek out support
   3. 9 Take control
   4. 10 Be flexible
   5. 11 Be self-aware
   6. 12 It is what it is
   7. 13 Don’t get over-distracted
   8. 14 Like yourself
   9. 15 Be ready to cope
   10. 16 Better out than in
   11. 17 Cut yourself some slack
8. Healthy thinking
   1. 18 Think yourself happy
   2. 19 Focus on other people
   3. 20 Be in the present
   4. 21 Stress is optional
   5. 22 Normality isn’t normal
   6. 23 Evaluate your emotions
   7. 24 Laugh at yourself
   8. 25 Keep learning
   9. 26 No one likes to be incompetent
   10. 27 Practice makes progress
   11. 28 Turn off the action replays
   12. 29 Sidestep bad habits
   13. 30 Appreciate semantics
   14. 31 Keep the bar steady
   15. 32 Look for the spin
9. Organised thinking
   1. 33 Believe in being organised
   2. 34 Learn to love a list
   3. 35 Think outside your head
   4. 36 Don’t overload your RAM
   5. 37 Make deadlines your friend
   6. 38 Don’t indulge decision making
   7. 39 Get creatively organised
10. Thinking creatively
    1. 40 Train your brain
    2. 41 Feed your mind
    3. 42 Get in the mood
    4. 43 Open up
    5. 44 There are no rules
    6. 45 Spot the box
    7. 46 Think like someone else
    8. 47 Make connections
    9. 48 Make mistakes
    10. 49 Forget about other people
11. Problem solving
    1. 50 Clear your emotions out of the way
    2. 51 Make sure there’s really a problem
    3. 52 Check you’re solving the right problem
    4. 53 Loosen up
    5. 54 Don’t settle for your first answer
    6. 55 If it’s plausible, it’s worthwhile
    7. 56 Find a way in
    8. 57 Don’t get bogged down
    9. 58 Try a new angle
    10. 59 Don’t panic
    11. 60 Get help
12. Thinking together
    1. 61 You’re better together
    2. 62 Play to everyone’s strengths
    3. 63 Think like a hive
    4. 64 Leave your ego behind
    5. 65 Keep an eye on the quiet ones
    6. 66 Question groupthink
    7. 67 Conflict is OK
    8. 68 Think up a storm
    9. 69 Have stupid ideas
    10. 70 Keep in synch
13. Making decisions
    1. 71 Decide what you’re deciding
    2. 72 Don’t start at square two
    3. 73 Set yourself boundaries
    4. 74 Untangle the knots first
    5. 75 Go for Goldilocks
    6. 76 Vet your advisors
    7. 77 Be your own advisor
    8. 78 Don’t jump to conclusions
    9. 79 Understand your emotions
    10. 80 Balance logic and emotion
    11. 81 Learn to compromise
    12. 82 Find option C
    13. 83 Assess the cost of a bad decision
    14. 84 Regret is a waste of energy
    15. 85 Be honest about procrastinating
14. Critical thinking
    1. 86 Read John Donne
    2. 87 Don’t be played for a fool
    3. 88 Stand back and take in the view
    4. 89 Look for what comes next
    5. 90 Don’t bother your pretty little head
    6. 91 Consider the odds
    7. 92 Facts are neutral
    8. 93 Don’t trust statistics
    9. 94 Understand cause and effect
    10. 95 If you can’t prove it’s true, that doesn’t mean it isn’t
    11. 96 Don’t believe it just because everyone else does
    12. 97 Don’t believe it just because you want to
    13. 98 Be devil’s advocate
    14. 99 Don’t go into lockdown
    15. 100 Opinions aren’t facts
15. These are the Rules
    1. 101 How to use the rules
16. Imprint