No time to ponder

By Simon Young, July 19, 2010 @ 10:23 am

Speed Thinking

By Ken Hudson (Allen & Unwin, 2010) $30 Buy@Fishpond

How many things never get done because we think too much? Speed Thinking is a guide to breaking through procrastination, delivering creativity and feeling motivated in the process. Ken Hudson takes readers through Speed Links, a quick process for generating multiple perspectives and choosing a way forward.

Hudson backs up his methodology with academic research, showing a link between thinking fast and doing better work. Not just that, the game-like element of putting a time limit on your thinking (nine ideas in two minutes!) makes life a little exciting when used judiciously.

Wisely, Speed Thinking also addresses the many objections raised by the idea of thinking fast. Speed is not the same as haste (to paraphrase an old proverb) and while haste can lead to ill-considered decisions, speed thinking is all about thoroughly considering decisions in a quick timeframe.

Here's a fun fact from the book: according to Christopher Witt at the Australian School of Business, decisions based on less information frequently generate equal or better results than delayed but more fully analysed decision-making.

In an age where the pace of change is accelerating daily, this is good news.

Simon Young is a director of #sy social media consultancy