​In addition to decluttering our physical spaces like our house and desk, it’s equally important to declutter our brain. Organizing our thoughts ensures that we communicate more clearly and tackle problems systematically, thereby minimizing errors and biases. Here’s a summary of what we’ve learned so far about practical framework thinking tactics, which you can immediately apply in your daily life.

1. Keeping a journal is a top priority for staying organized. Regularly writing down thoughts, think more, and reflections helps us understand ourselves better. We can start decluttering our minds by listening to our inner voice and befriending it before making any judgments. Journaling helps clear our minds by reflecting, exploring, and releasing stress with brain dumping. Only after studying our thoughts can we identify patterns in our thinking, focus on our goals, and make our minds allies rather than enemies.
2. Use mind maps to navigate. Start by visualizing your thoughts using mind maps. This tool helps break down complex ideas into manageable segments by drawing connections between them, aiding in clearer thinking and better problem-solving.
3. Compare with Matrix to prioritize. The matrix is designed to consider two major factors and then divide the given space into four regions based on these factors. Each region represents a combination of a certain level of differences. The Eisenhower matrix is the most popular one which helps in showing what is important and urgent. Hence, there are four regions - important-urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and not important and not urgent. The matrix helps in deciding how to deal with each of these regions.

Hope this is helpful. 

Kolb's Learning Cycle posits that effective learning is achieved through a four-stage process: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. Implementing Kolb's theory benefits students, educators, and employers.

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Formulating effective questions lies at the core of critical thinking. Here's a helpful process for doing so.

​Asking ourselves questions is an excellent way to reflect on our thoughts, analyze situations, and examine our own observations. This is known as having a "think-again" mindset. Before making any decision, it is important to ask ourselves questions to avoid bias and think thoroughly.

• Questions to Ask | Before Making a Purchase
• Questions to Ask | When Making Decisions​
• ​​Questions to Ask | When Performing Stakeholder Analysis
• Questions to Ask | How to Ask What If Questions
• Questions to Ask | Before Starting a Major Software Development Project
• Questions to Ask | During Project Manager's Morning Routine
• Questions to Ask | When Evaluating Risks

In addition to asking questions to ourselves, there are also several scenarios where we can ask questions to communicate with others. 

• We can ask domain experts for advice. It is best practice to listen to what they say, especially if they are experts in the field. ​
  • ​Questions to Ask | How to Ask for Advice
  • Questions to Ask | When Exploring Organization Culture​
• We can ask for clarification to better understand what is being said. This is part of the active listening approach
  • ​Questions to Ask | Talk to Your Boss​
  • Questions to Ask | When Positioning a Product
  • Questions to Ask | After Sr Leader Presents the Organization Vision
• We can ask questions to reject someone's point of view. Instead of giving our own conclusion, we can ask questions to help people think and give feedback gently
  • Questions to Ask | When We Don't Agree​ 
  • Questions to Ask | How to Avoid Confirmation Bias
• Sometimes, asking questions can also be a suggestion. We can ask to influence and lead the team. 
  • Questions to Ask | How to Avoid Group Bias
  • Questions to Ask | When Communicating Organization Visions

Search “Questions to Ask” to find out more of our collected good questions. ​​

This framework is simple yet very useful. Whenever you need to make a decision, plan something, or express your opinions, take a moment to pause and reconsider.

There are several reasons why we should use this model. Firstly, our intuitive decisions can be incorrect due to logical limitations and fallacies. Secondly, our subconscious mind can influence us through emotions when making decisions. Thirdly, we are often swayed by others or social pressure to comply with norms. To avoid these pitfalls, it's best to slow down and avoid acting on impulse. Instead, take a step back and re-evaluate what you want to do. Ask yourself questions such as: Is this the right thing to do? Why do I need to do it? Why now? Why at this particular stage? What happens if I don't do this?

​Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being." The Ikigai framework suggests that finding one's purpose and happiness in life lies at the intersection of four elements:

• What you love (passion) 
• What you are good at (vocation)
• What the world needs (mission)
• What you can be paid for (profession).

Discovering your Ikigai involves deep self-reflection and understanding in these areas, leading to fulfillment, satisfaction, and a sense of well-being by aligning your life's work with your personal strengths, societal contributions, and economic viability.

The "Scale it 1-100" mental model is a simple and effective tool that can be used for decision-making and assessment processes. It involves rating or evaluating a concept, situation, or decision on a scale from 1 to 100. This model brings objectivity into subjective matters, making complex evaluations more tangible and more accessible to communicate. For instance, instead of vaguely determining how confident you feel about a decision, you can rate your confidence on a scale of 1 to 100. This model is instrumental in business and personal decision-making for clarifying and communicating the degree of certainty, priority, or importance of various options or opinions. The following are some examples:

• Rating (1-5): We use a lot of ratings when we buy books on Amazon, visit restaurants suggested by Yelp, and pick up travel services listed on TripAdvisor. People are used to using 1-5 to rate services or products. We also see this used for performance reviews at work. It's a popular use of this thinking framework.
• Progress (1-100): When measuring progress, we use a scale of 1 to 100, where 100 represents completion, and the rate indicates our progress. 
• The Net Promoter Score (NPS 1-10) is a metric used to measure customer satisfaction levels. To calculate the NPS, customers are first asked to rate their experience on a scale of 1-10. Based on feedback, customers are then categorized into three groups: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. Promoters are customers who rate their experience 9 or 10, indicating that they are delighted and likely to continue using the product or service. They may also refer new customers. Passives are customers who rate their experience 7 or 8, indicating that they are satisfied but need strong loyalty and may need to provide references. Detractors are customers who rate their experience 0-6, suggesting that they are unhappy and may negatively impact the product or service adoption. The NPS is calculated as the percentage difference between the promoters and detractors (NPS = % Promoters - % Detractors).

If you plan on making a New Year's resolution or revisiting your life goals, you'll need a framework to help you make decisions and act. Let's discuss a framework that can make things easier. The framework consists of three parts:

• Where are you in life right now? - Reflection 
• Where do you want to be in 12 months? - Planning
• How can you can make it happen? - Taking Action 

The Wheel of Life is a reflection tool that can help you assess your overall balance in life. It is a wheel divided into several major areas of interests. For example, Ali Abdaal in his How to Make 2024 The Best Year of Your Life divides his wheel into three sections: Health, Relationships, and Work. You can tailor the categories to your priorities. Once the categories are defined, rate your satisfaction with each one on a scale of 1-10. This exercise will help you organize your thoughts and assess your current status. It will also help you align your everyday actions with where you want to be in each category.

The 12-month celebration plan involves setting achievable goals and taking specific actions to accomplish them. Start by deciding what you want to celebrate in 12 months, and enjoy every step of the process. Write down your SMART  goals and review them regularly to stay on track. This will help you remain focused, intentional, and motivated. At this step, you have to also narrow the focus by using the 80/20 rule and the One Thing rule to identify the most satisfying action as described in (5 Frameworks) Set Your 2024 System by Vicky Zhao.

The Ideal Week model is a scheduling tool that helps you prioritize essential tasks and block out time on your calendar to work on them. This is an effective way to avoid procrastination and delays due to a lack of prioritization. By following this model, you can make the most of each week and stay on track towards your goals.

​In summary, it is a good practice to set goals, stay focused and take action. By regularly reflecting on what we wished for throughout the year, we ensure that by the end of the year, we feel accomplished.

• Make our message memorable: Narratives are more likely to be remembered than standard data-driven or purely factual presentations. It is best to follow a flow or structure of narration that will help us clearly explain the issue, our solution, the benefits, and actions that the audience can take after the conversation.
• Simplifies Complex Ideas: A story can simplify complex business concepts, making them more accessible.
• Tell Stories: Effective storytelling can be a powerful, persuasive tool, aligning your audience with your vision and goals.

The best model to achieve this is the combination of the SCQA model (Situation, Complication, Question, Answer) and the Pyramid Principle:

• Situation: Start with setting the stage. we can use the current situation or context to describe the environment in which the business operates.
• Complication - Identifying the Problem/Opportunity: Introduce the main challenge or opportunity your proposal addresses. This creates a hook that piques interest.
• Question - Journey and Struggles: Describe the journey so far, including the struggles and hurdles faced. This builds empathy and connection.
• Answer - The Revelation/Solution: Introduce your product, service, or solution as a revelation that can overcome challenges or seize opportunities. This is about How the issue can be addressed or solved.
• Pyramid Principle - Proof and Credibility: Provide evidence of success or potential. This can be through data, case studies, testimonials, or expert opinions.
• Future Vision and Call to Action: Please envision the future with your solution in place and describe how to get there. Then, discuss who will be involved and what resources will be required. Please identify any challenges, risks, and issues that may arise and how they will be addressed. Most importantly, let the audience know what we need from them with a clear call to action with guiding steps.

The SCQA provides the context of the discussion and answers why our discussion today matters and What the topic is about. The Pyramid Principle elaborates on the validity of the proposal. We can present a compelling and persuasive proposal by covering all these critical aspects of the topic. 

ChatGPT Prompt: I'm about to propose [a data-driven project plan optimizer that can generate project plans with accurate project estimates]. Can you create a presentation using SCQA and the Pyramid principle for a slide presentation? 

Remember, each slide should be visually engaging and not overloaded with text. Use graphics, charts, and bullet points to convey your message effectively. We will discuss these tips in a different post.