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  • Clear Thinking

  • Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results
  • Written by: Shane Parrish
  • Narrated by: Will Damron, Shane Parrish
  • Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (29 ratings)

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Clear Thinking

Written by: Shane Parrish
Narrated by: Will Damron, Shane Parrish
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Publisher's Summary

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Few things will change your trajectory in life or business as much as learning to think clearly. Yet few of us recognize opportunities to think in the first place.


You might believe you’re thinking clearly in the moments that matter most. But in all likelihood, when the pressure is on, you won’t be thinking at all. And your subsequent actions will inevitably move you further from the results you ultimately seek—love, belonging, success, wealth, victory. According to Farnam Street founder Shane Parrish, we must get better at recognizing these opportunities for what they are, and deploying our cognitive ability in order to achieve the life we want.

Clear Thinking gives you the tools to recognize the moments that have the potential to transform your trajectory, and reshape how you navigate the critical space between stimulus and response. As Parrish shows, we may imagine we are the protagonists in the story of our lives. But the sad truth is, most of us run on autopilot. Our behavioral defaults, groomed by biology, evolution, and culture, are primed to run the show for us if we don’t intervene. At our worst, we react to events without reasoning, not even realizing that we’ve missed an opportunity to think at all. At our best, we recognize these moments for what they are, and apply the full capacity of our reasoning and rationality to them.

Through stories, mental models, and more, Parrish offers the missing link between behavioral science and real-life outcomes. The result is a must-have manual for optimizing decision-making, gaining competitive advantage, and living a more intentional life.

©2023 Shane Parrish (P)2023 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

“Practical advice for thinking clearly” Financial Times

“Shane Parrish has a marvelous gift for asking the right questions to elicit how clear thinkers think. After mining the minds of an impressive array of decision makers, he’s now put it all together in Clear Thinking, giving us a powerful framework of concepts and tools. Incisive. Practical. Full of vivid examples, and enormously fun to read.” —Jim Collins, bestselling author of Good to Great

“Shane Parrish is someone I have been reading for many, many years. This book is his masterwork, the culmination of all his research, interviewing, and experiences that everyone will benefit from.” —Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of Discipline Is Destiny

What listeners say about Clear Thinking

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Actionable

Where the Mental Model collection are more theoretical about thinking different, Clear Thinking is highly practical.
Love the how Shane didn't drag ideas on. It is a flurry of quick blows to changing one's perspective.

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Outstanding book, really enjoyed

Lots of great ideas and several things you know but never thought of too deeply.

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Succinct and powerful

As per Shane’s FS podcasts, this book delivers both business and personal development firepower. Highly recommended!

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Practical wisdom for all aspects of life.

Loved this book, you can apply the knowledge for business, parenting, relationships and everything in between. Will be buying the hard copy of the book now as well.

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A Book About Stoicism

Listening to this book I found myself having a few of those valuable Ah-Ha moments that come so infrequently in life but always provide so much perspective. I'll be honest, there isn't anything terribly groundbreaking here, but it is still a great book and I got a ton out of it. If I had to summarize the overall theme though, it's basically just applying the fundamentals of Stoicism. Shane Parrish does quote the 3 most prominent Stoic philosophers (Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus) several times in the book and doesn't hide their influence on his ideas, but at other times he was directly quoting Stoic teachings such as the dichotomy of control without attributing them to their source. But having already studied a lot of Stoic philosophy allowed me to get more out of this book than some other people might because I already understood the concepts and had a good foundation to apply the advice. Overall I would recommend Clear Thinking and I feel like anyone could get something really useful out of it.

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Amazing book with lots of actionable insights

I've been following the fs.blog for years and the newsletter is one of my oldest subscriptions.
Always with great thoughts and the book is not different.
Shane Parrish puts all his mind and best advices on thinking clearly in this book. I highly recommend and I will definitely share it with friends and coworkers. I will revisit it many times and will definitely be a book I will re-read.

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ALAP vs ASAP is genius and Clear Thinking is a winner!

Shane Parrish once again impresses with his book “Clear Thinking,” a masterclass on enhancing decision-making. Among the valuable lessons, the concept of making decisions “As Late As Possible” (ALAP) stood out, sparking discussions with colleagues on when to choose ALAP over ASAP. Associating downside risk with decision-making helped me connect with the process on a profound level. In my opinion, this book is essential for elevating decision quality by refining decision-making processes, and ultimately leading a happier, more fulfilling life.

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Practical and thought provoking

Absolutely packed with excellent thinking.
Some self affirming, some self realizing...
all important and applicable, especially in today's busy world.
very relatable.
I'm only half way through ... but there's no doubt I'll be recommending this to friends and colleagues.

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Clearly needed

This book was a pleasure to read and a great primer for what it takes to evaluate and make better decisions at work and in life. Lots of take aways and examples. Highly recommend this book for anyone looking to break away from routine thinking and reaction.

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Nope.

This book is nowhere near as compelling as the majority of gushing comments I read here. It is snark masquerading as sage advice. Written like you're being flogged by bullet points, the generalizations are either tiresome or verging on grotesque. It's full of grand assumptions and rhetorical catch-alls like "You can put your energy into short term solutions or long term solutions but you can't do both." To summarize the book: In order to think clearly, you have to think clearly.

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