A quick book review: Decisive (Chip & Dan Heath)

A few weeks back, months even, in making that brain swole too. I  shared with readers that I was about to read the book Decisive by Dan & Chip Heath. As we all know, having a blog is one of the best forms of accountability regardless of the particular department you’re seeking accountability in.

I finished reading Decisive in it’s entirety. I specifically targeted Decisive because, well, decisions have always been my Achilles heel. Hearing about a book packed with research based concepts aimed at combating indecisive sticking points, I was haplessly intrigued.

I find the more analytically minded you are naturally, the more prone to over-thinking you can be. So if you struggle or are struggling with choices, hopefully this little review will help you determine whether Decisive is worth your time.

Decisive was a great read, and it does what it says on the tin; offers fool-proof strategies which can be applied practically to make decisions easier and more effectively.

Engulfed with case studies, the book really has you questioning your personal mindset when it comes to decision making. There are numerous tidbits that force you to make a decision regarding a scenario involving someone else’s circumstances. What then follows is a workshop that highlights the myriad of typical flaws in our thinking and approach to decisions.

There’s many a moment where you’re thinking……….“Ah right, of course, that is a much better method!”

The premise behind the book is a four step process that should be applied to all choices and crossroads occurring in life. From whether or not to break up with your partner, to deciding if you should stick at a venture and even whether taking a new job offer in another country/state is right for you.

Overall, the book has more positives than negatives. Positives are: it sure does arm you with an escape route from ineffective decision making ‘strategies’ such as pros and cons lists. In fact, the book makes a VERY strong case against these. I find myself now using simple questions and theories acquired from reading the book when faced with tough choices – a sign I’ve extracted positives from the book.

Nothing worse than reading a book and taking precious little away from it.

The only slight ‘negative’ if I may call it that, was ironically, the sheer scale of options available in the book. The typical over-thinker (me) tries to remember and use every single process outlined. When in reality, each process is applicable to specific choices or scenarios. So you have to take what you need and use it where you see fit. All chapters are concluded with a compact ‘take away’ section. A section that makes easy future reference if needed.

This book will help you. Whether you’re faced with large scale, important corporate business decisions or personal life decisions. It’s a welcome assist.