Table of Contents
Introduction 8
1 Focus and Concentration 15
Focusing effectively 16
Maintaining concentration 18
Your focus style 20
When and how to multi-task 24
Setting priorities 26
2 Fresh Perspectives 31
Cultivating creative solutions 32
Brainstorming 34
Visual thinking 35
Tapping into your intuition 38
Creative re-evaluation 40
3 Analyzing Options 45
Convergent and divergent problems 46
Focusing on solutions 51
The limits of control 52
The power of questions 54
Different types of thinking 56
Thought wells … and how to escape them 58
The Baby Elephant effect 62
Changing contexts and passing time 67
4 Making Your Decision 73
Weighing up choices 74
Decision trees 76
Effort and reward 78
Your decision-making style 80
Understanding risk 85
When to flip a coin 89
Group decision-making 92
Competition and game theory 94
Interlude: Lessons from the Past 98
5 Handling Stress and Emotions 103
Discover your true temperament 104
Emotional forecasting 108
The role of self-esteem 110
Conquering worry 113
A state of balance 117
Reducing stress at work 119
Practical NLP techniques 122
6 Taking Action 127
Setting goals 128
Boosting motivation 132
Managing time 134
Scheduling tasks 139
Feelings and actions 142
Ten tips to beat procrastination 143
The 80:20 law 145
Continuous monitoring 147
The action day technique 150
Your new decisive self 152
Further reading 157
Authors' websites 158
Authors' acknowledgments 158
