WPenner's Blog

inspired by some recent thinking I had to do, I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce some of the most useful thinking tools I know in the context of a real-world project. We start our trip with the Trivium

Problem

Hang around anyone who knows about the Trivium and you'll probably hear the phrase, "Input, Processing, Output". Processing is the portion of thinking in focus for this presentation. Since it can be complex, let's look at it in some detail.

Learn more about the Trivium with Autonomy's Mindset 2: Level-Up In Life with the Trivium OS

Processing Probably Isn't…

Instead of thinking linearly, we tend to think circularly, ruminating and speculating over the same information repeatedly. The main cause of not understanding processing is a lack of tools with which to do processing.

Tools? That sounds great, but… Can we bring theory into the world of practice with a real-world example?

Example: A Recent Note

Yes! I recently faced a situation where my current way of trading wasn't adequately keeping up with market conditions. So what you see on the slide is me describing the problem and what I thought to do about it. Exploring the current situation clarifies the problems and opportunities for the future situation. I do this as a writing exercise because writing is thinking: it forces me to be clear about my ideas.

If you know Richard Grove, this step in my thinking process corresponds to one of his index cards. Once you've defined the situation, though, what's next?

Cognitive Research Trust (CoRT) System

One11 possible set of thinking tools comes from Edward de Bono's CoRT system. The system was widely taught from elementary to university level students. Became somewhat popular in the business world, but not as much as the his lateral thinking or 6 Thinking Hats.

The 7 thinking tools are easy to learn. They are useful for thinking through various aspects of an idea. Each one can stand on its own. The one I use most often is Plus, Minus, Interesting, but they each have their place.

But are they really necessary?

The Good

The top benefit of using CoRT to organize your thoughts is that it's super fast. de Bonno recommends using a kitchen timer set for one minute intervals for most of the exercises. This means that you get focussed on one particular part of the problem but never stuck there.

Thoroughness of the thinking derived from these tools is another important benefit. We can be confident the idea was covered from multiple angles, increasing the probability of actually thinking a problem through instead of being stuck on just one aspect.

Going back to the trivium method, more Processing forces more Output possibilities to emerge. When I started working on this problem, I thought only of writing code. As I thought through the problem, I realized there was a presentation here. As I put together the presentation, I realized that this could be part of the book I am writing.

How much time do I need to spend on this thinking?

Use What's Needed

It's not necessary to use all of the tools every time. You can pick and choose the ones you need.

You only need to use the tools that your current project requires. You can also choose the order that most suits the problem your facing. In this project, I didn't feel it was necessary to use Consider All Factors or Other Peoples Values.

So, what did I use?

Explore the Consequence & Sequence

One tool I used was Consequence and Sequence. With the current problem, I turned the Consequence & Sequence around. I started looking at the sequence of actions I need to take, then at the consequences of that sequence. This order better fit my need.

The goal of thinking is not merely to capture what you know, but to get to the unknown. To find insights and opportunities for the expansion of ideas. When I started with C&S, I didn't know any of the consequences. As I dug in, I found more and more.

Getting off track while developing ideas is easy?. How do we stay on track?

Staying on Target

Goal clarity makes staying on track expontially easier. The specific definitions of the word aims, goals, and objectives are not so important. More important is the understanding that Objectives are nested in Goals and Goals are nested in Aims. I find drawing out the mapping of this hierarchy beneficial for larger thinking projects.

Once the target is clarified, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Pros & Cons Upgraded

Pros and cons are a time tested way of exploring a topic. de Bonno's upgrade to the classic list, however, adds the category of "interesting". Interesting is a kind of risk analysis, exploring positive and negative outcomes. Once identified, we can either take advantage of positive outcomes or cleverly turn negative outcomes to enadvantage.

This is the tool I use the most because it is quick, easy, and almost always enlightening. By thinking through interesting possibilities, I often find myself with much better ideas than where I started.

Once some of the consequences and opportunities start coming into focus, how do we know which to prioritize? Doesn't it depend on which values are important?

Ethics

My personal upgrade to the First Important Priorities tool is to use John David Garcia's framework for defining an Ethic. He taught that an Ethic is a value with a set of beliefs and actions which either support or detract from the goal of having more of the value we're aiming for. So, here the priorities are my value. Each belief generates a set of actions (or the actions generate the belief, it's hard to tell the difference).

Recursive & Self-Reinforcing

The last tool I used in this thinking session was Alternatives, Possibilities, Choices. In this case, I saw a new possibility which I used to go back to the other tools and update my thinking. In this way, the CoRT thinking tools are somewhat recursive and self-reinforcing.

Once things start getting repetitive, though, it's time to stop; put it away for another day.

The CoRT system isn't a thinking system so much as systematic thinking. Systematic thinking breaks us out unproductive, circular thinking. It introduces linearity, which directs us towards our goals and most important values, especially when those are clearly defined.

If you have one or more thinking tools you use for processing information inputs, leave me a note! ¹

Learn more about the Trivium with Autonomy's Mindset 2: Level-Up In Life with the Trivium OS