Decisive: How to make better choices in life and work

The New York Times-bestselling authors of Switch and Made to Stick offer a fascinating tour through the workings of our minds to reveal how to make smarter decisions.

Research in psychology has revealed that our decisions are disrupted by an array of biases and irrationalities. We're overconfident. We seek out information that supports us and downplay information that doesn't. We get distracted by short-term emotions. When it comes to making choices, our brains are flawed instruments. So, how can we do better?

In Decisive, Chip and Dan Heath draw on cutting-edge psychological research to introduce a four-step process designed to counteract these biases. They reveal how we can stop the cycle of agonizing over our decisions, how can we make group decisions without destructive politics, and how to ensure that we don't overlook precious opportunities to change our course. Along the way, they demonstrate how relatively easy it is to avoid the pitfalls and find the best answers.

Written in a compulsively readable style, Decisive takes us on a tour from a rock star's ingenious decision-making trick, to a CEO's disastrous acquisition, to a single question that can often resolve thorny personal decisions, in order to offer fresh strategies and practical tools that will enable you to make better choices. Because the right decision, at the right moment, can make all the difference.

© Chip and Dan Heath 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020