Here’s this week’s 200 word idea thanks to Decisive by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.
Participants volunteered to help with a cookie tasting study (that must have been a tough decision) that was actually a test on how partitions affected decision making. They were to report back once they finished their cookie jar with 24 cookies each. Participants took 6 days on average.
However, in boxes where each cookie was individually wrapped, participants took 24 days to finish the cookies!
Similarly, participants gambled less when their funds were divided into different envelopes. Day wage workers managed their finances better when they split their wages in different envelopes. And, venture capitalists made better overall decisions when they split their investments in different rounds.
Partitions like these make sure we set boundaries so we don’t just escalate our commitment to existing choices. These boundaries ensure we make conscious decisions (do I really want another cookie?). Chip and Dan Heath suggest setting up more partitions in our day for conscious decisions – e.g. a call from the family at 5pm to check in on our productivity and ensure we head home in time for dinner.
Source and thanks to: www.EBSketchin.com
‘My approach to living with purpose has always been to create the life I want, one conscious decision at a time.’ | Oprah Winfrey
A Learning a Day 