Simi’s Reviews > CRITICAL THINKING DAILY: 365 LESSONS TO SHARPEN YOUR MIND: Daily Practices for Mental Toughness, Clearer Thinking, and Better Decision Making Every Day > Status Update

There are different kinds of biases and today was a reminder that overconfidence bias can lull us into a sense of security that is false.

Started Chapter 2 which is about Cognitive Biases - how the mind misleads itself. I do think a lot of the training and reading I've done over the past decade has me well-versed in these points, but I want to see how this book breaks it down and phrases things.

I'm seeing a lot of overlap in the foundational things taught in Critical Thinking Daily and my mindset as a BA as well as my personal drive to have a growth mindset. So far, this book has made me pause and revisit some known things through different lenses and reengage in other practices. It's also made me pause every day for some self-reflection, which is a good thing to do daily.

Sharpen through others: talking thoughts, ideas, problems, etc. through with other people helps you become better at considering alternate perspectives, options, solutions and not just live in an echo chamber of self-congratulation, agreement, and limited thought based on past experiences and biases.

Notice Emotions: Unwittingly did this exercise today, when I inventoried the type of tasks I avoid and dug into why. Hitting pause (the first lesson) to give space to respond to a conversation or incident rationally instead of from a place of knee jerk reaction takes conscious effort and practice. It isn't always comfortable work, but it is necessary work.

Ask better questions: once again, tapping into my BA mindset. Be thoughtful and probing in the questions you ask, instead of going down presumptive paths.

How meta to read about the value of writing and journaling, and then journaling about it! Glad to know I accidentally went back to doing a thing that's good for me and can make me a better critical thinker.

Start small - today was a reminder that critical thinking is the cumulative result of a series of building blocks that require training to strengthen into second nature. It will take work to train myself out of certain knee-jerk first thoughts. More importantly, I have to pause and reflect before I react on those thoughts. I think it's as important to be self-critical as it is to question & filter external info.

Signal vs Noise - filter out the nonsense and focus on what helps you understand, grow, be informed. This is great in a work setting or when looking at the news, etc. But the noise is what colors life and brings the human dimension into play. So I'd call this a skill you choose when to apply, because it's not always relevant.

Habits of Mind - as with all habits, critical thinking takes practice and repetition. It isn't a single action, but a system of smaller habits that are interconnected and build upon one another. It's important to exercise each of these habits regularly at any appropriate opportunity.