“Going down the rabbit hole,” has come to take on an entirely different meaning than perhaps Lewis Carroll implied. It is now where we go to get lost in the twists, tangents and tributaries of the internet, often emerging hours later not quite remembering what we started looking for in the first place. The rabbit hole that is the internet doesn’t have to be a place of procrastination and lack of productivity (although you may prefer it that way, and I choose not to judge). The key is knowing what you are looking for and how to productively sort it out (while perhaps leaving a trail of metaphorical breadcrumbs behind you).
The Accordion Theory of Decision Making
Getting to good decisions is a product of identifying good options. And while groups will tell you that they value good decisions, their behaviour often exhibits a rush towards making fast decisions. There are several cognitive biases that influence this, and these in turn contribute to some significant barriers in generating good options. Doing that requires thinking about accordions and how they work.
Don’t Force Closure Prematurely
As human beings, we are not wired to embrace uncertainty. We like clear answers, defined outcomes and a well-articulated path to get there. The challenge is that real life doesn’t work that way. Our most important projects and changes are often rife with uncertainty. And forcing the issue and making snap decisions often does more harm than good. If we want to navigate the unknown well, we need to know the thinking styles that will best get us there.