Head Space

Calm productivity for academics

Tag: decision-making

  • Stuck on a big question? Here’s how to break it down

    Here’s what I’ve learned when trying to answer big questions: the question itself is the problem. Complex questions like “How do I make this work?” feel appropriately serious, but they’re actually asking you to solve for multiple variables simultaneously. The technical term for the solution is tractability—a process of breaking complex questions into components you…

  • A three-stage strategy for navigating conflicting advice

    Modern life demands decisions about topics outside our expertise—from managing children’s screen time to choosing healthcare approaches or evaluating educational options. We’re drowning in conflicting advice from experts who seem to contradict each other. Here’s a three-stage strategy that transforms information overwhelm into systematic understanding you can actually use.

  • Four questions for making sense of contradictory information

    When credible sources contradict each other, ask four questions in sequence: Who’s making this claim and why? What’s the actual evidence behind it? What are they comparing it to? What are they not telling you? This systematic approach works for a wide range of decisions you need to make, no matter what area of your…

  • Annie Duke (2023) Quit

    Annie Duke’s “Quit” provides essential tools for academics who face intense pressure to persist despite diminishing returns. Her research-backed frameworks offer systematic approaches to complex decisions about research directions, career transitions, and resource allocation that typically rely on intuition or cultural pressure. The book’s combination of cognitive psychology research and practical application makes it particularly…

  • Navigate uncertain career decisions with small experiments

    When facing uncertain career decisions in academia, many scholars get stuck in analysis-paralysis. Discover how small, strategic experiments can help you gather real-world information to make more confident choices about research directions, institutional moves, and leadership roles.