Descartes square as a decision-making technique

The current century is the century of high technology, cutting-edge developments and a frantic pace of life. Every day, life brings us face to face with the need to solve a huge number of problems, for which we have to constantly think about what choice should be made in each individual situation. And when thinking about which path to take, we all use some of our skills, methods and decision-making techniques, which are based mainly on our life experiences, opinions, positions, views, points of view. But are our decision-making methods always good and effective? It's safe to say that this is not always the case.

The decision-making technique that we will talk about in this article, of course, is not magical, but it is so adaptive and easy to use that it is considered, perhaps, one of the best available today. It is called "Descartes Square".

To avoid unnecessary questions, it should be said that the author of this technique is Rene Descartes - a French philosopher, physiologist, physicist, mechanic, mathematician, as well as the founder of algebraic symbolism and analytical geometry and the author of the philosophical method of radical doubt.

Descartes square

Descartes Square is an extremely simple decision-making technique that requires very little time to use. With the help of Descartes Square, it is easy to establish the most significant selection criteria, as well as evaluate the consequences of any decision option.

If you look at the life of an ordinary person, you can see that when he finds himself in a situation where it is necessary to make decisions, he, as a rule, concentrates on one or two of its features, thereby driving himself into a kind of dead end, in which other significant ones are not noticed Criterias of choice. In addition, a person’s standard thinking contributes to the fact that he asks himself only one question: “What will happen if this happens?”, because the usual scenario of behavior involves performing an action and evaluating the feedback that follows. But in practice it has already been proven hundreds of times that, first of all, it is necessary to first think thoroughly and only then perform an action. And the Descartes Square is precisely designed to first think, but not just go through several options in your head, but write everything down on paper, following a certain technology.

An example is the following situation: you want to change your occupation (get a new job, start your own business, go freelance, etc.), but you just can’t get rid of doubts about this. You, of course, see all the advantages and benefits of a new type of activity, but you don’t know what it is to do something that you haven’t done before, and, accordingly, you hesitate in making a decision. So: using Descartes Square, you can look at the current situation from four different sides (we will continue to consider this example a little later).

general information

Descartes square is the simplest decision-making technique. It takes little time and is effective. You will consider different ways to solve problems. Just 4 questions will allow you to look at the situation from a different angle and, perhaps, find a non-standard way out of it.

Every person makes decisions. They concern all areas of life. You decide what to wear, what to cook for breakfast, what kind of education to get, where to go on vacation. In most cases, one or two paths are considered. You draw up a rough plan of action, hoping to follow it exactly. But you often encounter problems and difficulties.

When making a choice, a person asks himself one question. He wonders what will happen if he chooses this option? This is not enough. A more thorough analysis is needed. And the technique from Rene Descartes helps to carry it out. You will be surprised how simple the answer is to the one you spent a lot of time looking for.

A Descartes square is a quadrilateral divided into 4 parts. You can draw it yourself. Prepare a blank sheet of paper. In each part of the square, write your question (from right to left):

What will happen if this happens?
What happens if this doesn't happen?
What won't happen if this does happen?
What won't happen if this doesn't happen?

Let's answer these questions one by one. This way you will see the advantages and disadvantages of all solutions. You will also be able to understand which direction is best to move.

How to use Descartes Square?

To use the Cartesian Square you will need a piece of paper, pen or pencil. Once these tools are ready, you can begin working with the Square, which involves answering four basic questions. These four questions can be figuratively represented as four points of observation of the problem, from which you can look at the problem from different angles and get the most objective picture of it. And one more thing: it is very important to give as many answers as possible to each of the four questions, because... This will allow us to consider the maximum number of features of the problem.

So, Descartes Square looks like this:

We ask ourselves four questions in sequence and answer them as follows: To visually examine the principle of operation of the Descartes Square, let’s take the same example with a change in the type of activity that we considered above.

Practical benefits

Everyone knows that important decisions need to be made carefully and with a cool head. But, unfortunately, in 90% of cases we are guided only by our current mood and emotions!

The technique allows you to “turn off” feelings and “turn on” logic and reason. Analyzing the situation from four sides makes it possible to make the right choice. Using different opinions and reviews, as well as your own and others’ life experiences.

Thoughtful filling of the Descartes square eliminates confusion in thoughts and clarifies the situation as much as possible!

What will happen if this happens?

This question implies a search for the advantages of getting what you want. The word “this” should mean the implementation of the decision being made. The first question is the most obvious and for this reason it is very important to find as many answers as possible, i.e. don't stop with what first comes to mind. The answers to this question will motivate you to make a decision.

What happens if I change my occupation?

If I change my occupation, I will take the first step towards my dream - to do what I really like.
If I change my occupation, I can stop working “for my uncle” and control both my work and my income myself.
If I change my occupation, it will show my courage, and I will respect myself more.
If I change my occupation, I can prove to those around me that I am serious about changing my life.
If I change my occupation, this will become my motivation to gain new knowledge and master new skills.
If I change my occupation, I can start doing something new sooner.
If I change my occupation, I will stop doubting the correctness of my choice.

The ability to make the right decisions

We are taught to make decisions after the first year of life. Starting from simple natural ones, what to eat or what to wear, to complex ones, where to go to study, work or choose a life partner.

We use our own life experiences, as well as the opinions of others and various attitudes, and constantly reflect on the effectiveness of our previous and future choices.

The older people are, the more responsible they should be about the decisions they make, because this can actively affect personal relationships, financial status, as well as their position at work and in society.

For example, when you have your own business, you will have to develop your own skills to quickly resolve all emerging issues. So, we understand the importance of making the right choices, so the next question is: what is the best way to do this?

What happens if this does NOT happen?

This question implies a search for the advantages of not getting what you want. In other words, the answers to the second question will show you what will happen if you refuse to implement the decision you are making, and everything remains the same as it was before. As you answer, write down all the advantages of the current state of affairs that you would not want to lose.

What happens if I don't change my occupation?

If I don’t change my occupation, I won’t have to give up my usual lifestyle.
If I don’t change my occupation, I won’t worry about having to acquire new knowledge and learn new things, because it may not work out.
If I don't change my occupation, I can rest peacefully on my days off.
If I don’t change my occupation, I won’t have to explain myself or make excuses to anyone.
If I don't change my occupation, I can think about it in the future. It might really be worth holding off.
If I don't change my occupation, I can indulge in daydreams about doing what I really like.
If I don’t change my occupation, I will prove to the people around me that I am satisfied with the current state of affairs.

Where is the formula?

Simple solutions are given to us quite easily, but with serious ones some difficulties arise? If you are tormented by vague doubts, you don’t know what to do and which side to take, then this technique was created especially for you.

Rene Descartes is a French philosopher, scientist and mathematician who developed a unique formula for decision making. The essence of the technique is quite simple. Ask yourself just 4 questions and find the answers to them. Based on your arguments, the solution will appear on the surface.

What will NOT happen if this happens?

This question involves looking for the disadvantages of getting what you want. Simply put, the answers to the third question will represent the price you will have to pay to implement the decision you are making.

What won't happen if I change my occupation?

If I change my occupation, I will no longer be able to live the life to which I have become so accustomed over many years.
If I change my occupation, I will no longer be able to put off taking action to find new opportunities.
If I change my occupation, I will no longer be able to rest on my usual days off.
If I change my occupation, I will no longer have enough time for aimless but pleasant pastime.
If I change my occupation, I will no longer have the opportunity to communicate with my previous colleagues and go to fun corporate events.
If I change my occupation, the people around me will no longer have the same attitude towards me.

Introduction

The Descartes square is a truly unique invention that can be applied to absolutely any area of life. It doesn’t matter where and who you work for, it doesn’t matter how old you are, what country you are from and what ethnic group you belong to. Descartes' square is universal. Millions and billions of people around the world every day face a choice of what to do, how to act, how not to make mistakes, and so on. At the same time, the modern rhythm of life, which is accelerating more and more every year, forces people to make decisions even faster. In this regard, it is extremely important to think through your actions in detail and efficiently, but at the same time with minimal waste of time. This is only possible if you own a specific decision-making tool.

Descartes' decision square has one very characteristic feature - it encourages you to make decisions without involving third parties, that is, to independently justify why a given decision is the only logical one in a given situation. The fact is that in the classical form, a person ties the decision-making process to two or three specific parameters, which, in the process of deliberation, greatly limit the range of possible decisions. Most often, the choice is based on an assessment of the answers to two completely formulaic questions: “What will I gain from this?” and “What do I have to lose from this?” Each of us does exactly this because only one pattern is obvious to us, this is action and result. However, its effectiveness is very low.

ADVICE. I also recommend reading the incredibly fascinating articles “Survivor Bias,” “The Feynman Method,” and “The Law of Supply and Demand.”

What will NOT happen if this does NOT happen?

This question implies a search for the disadvantages of not getting what you want. By answering the fourth question, you cut off the remaining “nons” that interfere with the implementation of the decision being made. At this stage, it is recommended to answer as quickly as possible, relying on intuition.

What won't happen if I don't change my occupation?

If I don’t change my occupation, I won’t have the opportunity to realize my dream of making money doing what I really like.
If I don’t change my occupation, I won’t be able to stop working “for my uncle,” which means I won’t be able to independently control my work and my income.
If I don't change my occupation, I won't respect myself anymore, because... I will show fear of changes in life.
If I don’t change my occupation, no one (including myself) will believe in the seriousness of my intentions to change my life.
If I don’t change my occupation, I will never have the motivation to gain new knowledge and master new skills.
If I don’t change my occupation, I won’t be able to get rid of my doubts and will remain worried about the fact that I didn’t make a decision.

In fact, Descartes Square can be applied not only to the sphere of professional activity, but also to any other area of life. But it is important to understand once and for all that all your answers need to be written down, and not answered mentally. Firstly, you may simply get confused in your answers, and secondly, a person’s subconscious works in such a way that it ignores the “NOT” particle, which is why there is a high probability of making mistakes. Therefore, be sure to use a piece of paper and a pen, you can even print out the Square in a large format, and answer each of the questions in the appropriate sector. And the very process of writing down answers will, as it were, convert mental arguments and fantasies into a logical letter form, which will provide you with significant assistance in making a decision.

Descartes Square is one of the many techniques used globally for time management. We discuss more of these techniques in the “Best Time Management Techniques” course. Join us!

We also recommend reading:

Storytelling
Decision making system PrOACT
3 Problem Analysis Techniques
How to overcome decision fatigue
Decision Matrix
Instructions for making the right decisions
How to make a decision when you don't have time
Enemies of good decisions
Decision Making: A Brief Guide
Medium Project Planning
When to decide to act

Key words:1Cognitive science

What can get in the way of effective decision making?

Solutions must be implemented at both the personal and societal levels. Therefore, it is your responsibility to stick to your chosen decision personally and be able to convince others of its merits.

Therefore, an effective decision-making process should ensure that you are able to do this.

There are a number of problems that can interfere with effective selection, let's look at them.

Lack of information

If you don't have enough information, you may feel like you're making a decision without any basis.

Take some time to gather the necessary data to inform your decision, even if the deadlines are very tight. If necessary, prioritize your information collection by determining what information will be most important to you.

Too much information

The opposite problem is one that occurs surprisingly often: with so much conflicting information, it is impossible to see the “forest for the trees.”

This is sometimes called analysis paralysis and is also used as a tactic to delay the adoption of organizational change when those involved demand more and more information before they can make up their mind.

This problem can often be solved by getting everyone together to decide what information is really important and why, and setting clear time frames for decisions, including the information gathering phase.

Too many people

Decision making by a large group of people is very difficult. Everyone has their own views, their own values. And while it is important to know what those views are and why and how they are important, it may be important for one person to take responsibility for making the decision. Sometimes, any action is better than nothing.

Interested environment

Sometimes choice processes develop under the weight of selfish interests. These self-interests are often not expressed openly, but can be a decisive obstacle. Because they are not expressed openly, they are difficult to clearly identify and therefore address, but this can sometimes be done by exploring them with someone outside the process but in a similar position.

The environment can also help explore rational/intuitive aspects, usually with the help of a separate facilitator.

Emotional attachment

People are often very attached to the status quo. Decisions typically involve the prospect of change, which many people find difficult.

Lack of emotional attachment

Sometimes it's hard to make a decision because you just don't care. This is where a structured decision-making method can often help by highlighting the pros and cons of specific issues that the person may not have thought about before.

Many of these problems can be overcome using this decision-making method.

Possible difficulties when a choice situation arises

Often decision-making occurs spontaneously, spontaneously, which excludes thoughtful analysis and the right choice.
A person usually thinks about the cause-and-effect relationships of one or at most two options, ignoring the rest.
People often begin to consult with family, friends, acquaintances, subconsciously shifting the burden of responsibility onto others.
Sometimes a person has to make a general decision not only for himself, but also for someone else, which imposes additional responsibility.
The tricky part is understanding all the possible selection criteria.

Here's the thing

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