In a digitised world with countless platforms to express our voice, we hear less than ever. In a visual world saturated with curated images, we’re seen but not necessarily heard.
Page xvii
In a nutshell
In Tune In, Nuala Walsh teaches you how to make smarter decisions in a noisy world. Described as a modern masterclass, it is aimed at teaching us how to tune into the right voices, tune out the ten traps that bind our reasoning and ultimately make better decisions.
Book Club Notes
I love when a book references authors we’ve read and reviewed. It makes me feel a deep sense of familiarity with the author and sets the tone for the type of book it might be. Among the references were authors Gloria Mark, Johann Hari and Morgan Housel; as well as Indistractable and the Innocence Project. Books and authors we’ve read and learnt from.
Set the tone it did, because this was a really great book, written well, filled with amazing lessons and brilliant quotes. It’s really well structured and the “what to remember” summaries at the end of chapters are helpful and revisitable.
Despite my glowing review, when I sat down to review it months after I finished it, I couldn’t recall what it was about or something actionable that I took out of it. That is until I started reviewing my tags.
It turns out there was one lesson that stood out to me so much that I’ve been using it without even noticing it came from this book. The lesson was the importance of the word “because” and providing reasons when making requests. When a reason is provided for a request, compliance increases by 300%. Reasons connect the dots whether it is ludicrous or even true.
The beauty of using book tags is they become essential reference and recall tools for good books. Often we don’t absorb everything at once but by tagging the things that stand out to you, you allow yourself to keep learning and applying new things based on what you are experiencing at the time of reading them.
What didn’t stick with me months ago but is something I want to share and take forward into my life is Nuala Walsh’s Four Hacks that counteract data overload and support decision focus.
The Four Hacks that counteract data overload and support decision focus
Decision environment redesign
You control the environment in which you make decisions. Does yours resemble a supermarket checkout aisle or an ad for house of the year? To consciously reflect and declutter your mind, you need to declutter and intentionally design your decision space.
Digital distraction detox
It’s important to implement habits that limit our time in the digital world so that we can continue using these tools to serve us rather than allowing them to enslave us.
When we develop a compulsive need to check, skim and scroll, not only are we interrupting ourselves but it also stops us from tuning into the right voice. Ways you can do this are by:
- Using app solutions that hides feeds, removes ads or blocks access at specific times
- Manually removing phone notifications
- Banning phones at certain times
The 4x BIAS screen
When making decisions Walsh has devised a heuristic called BIAS to act as a critical checkpoint. This process introduces friction into decision making and reduces the odds of human error. BIAS stands for:
Bias: Ask yourself what are your biases that might hinder your interpretation?
Intuition: Did anything I hear sound odd or wrong?
Authenticity: What aspects require further probing.
Signal: Is there something you should have heard but didn’t?
The Pomodoro method
The pomodoro method is a popular work method to get tasks done while limiting distractions. To apply this method:
- Choose your task/ problem
- Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on it
- Take a 5-minute break
Repeat this cycle until you’ve completed your task or resolved your problem.
Read If
You want to learn the psychology behind your decision making and how to make smarter ones.
Rating
Writing – 10/10
Applicability – 10/10
Timelessness – 10/10
Shareability – 10/10
The Nitty Gritty
Published by: Harriman House, Distributed by Jonathon Ball
Genre: Non-Fiction, Self Help, Psychology
ISBN: 978-0-85719-995-9
Pages: 348
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A note on our book ratings
Readability: How easy is it to read and understand what the author is saying? Do you need a dictionary or PhD to understand it?
Writing: How well written is the book? Do you find yourself wowed by the writing or unimpressed?
Applicability: How applicable is this book to daily life? Is there enough advice and actions that are easy to start applying?
Timelessness: Is the content of the book timeless or is it something that in a few years won’t have relevance?
Shareability: How likely are you to share the book?
