Here are five types of thinking that I came across recently-
Short term v Long term:
What do I want now versus what my old self would want?
The time frame for short-term thinking could be hours, days, weeks, or even a few years. Whereas, the timer frame for long-term thinking is in decades.
Short term thinking is all about everyday life decisions.
Long term thinking is about how you want to live your life, buying a house, philosophies you subscribe to.
Slow v Fast:
Daniel Kahnemanâs great book popularized the concept of two types of thinking: Fast and Slow.
Fast thinking is all about fight or flight response. Snap judgments. In the moment, decisions.
Slow thinking is more deliberate, logical, calculative. Solve 17 Ă 24. Parking a car in a tight spot. Thinking of second and third-order consequences.
Fixed v Fluid:
Fixed is rigid; It is what it is, and it canât be changed.
Fluid thinking involves challenging the status quo and asking âwhat ifâ questions.
Analysis v Creating:
Analytical thinking involves dissecting, breaking it down. Critiquing existing product, brand, recipe, software system.
Creating is about making something that did not exist before; it involves imagination and creativity.
Reductive v Expansive:
Also called: Truth-seeking vs. option-seeking
Reductive thinking means hacking away until you canât remove anything. Youâre reducing the options until only the essential remains. First-principles thinking. Boiling it down.
Expansive thinking involves asking questions that lead to more options. Deliberately not answering questions. Questioning the questions.
My favorites are Reductive v Expansive and Fast v Slow.