The Shape of the Problem

Most poor decisions come from the wrong kind of thinking, not too little of it. The Shape of the Problem is a practical guide to decision making that shows you how to choose the right way to think for each problem you face.

You might spend forty minutes choosing a phone case and five minutes deciding to change jobs. This book starts from a simple idea: every problem has a shape, and that shape should decide how you think. Seven diagnostic questions help you read it in a minute or two.

INSIDE, YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO:

- Decide small things quickly with rules of thumb and habits.

- Find root causes with the Five Whys and first-principles thinking.

- Think in probabilities and spot the cognitive biases that matter.

- Weigh trade-offs and choices you cannot undo.

- Negotiate with game theory and fix recurring problems with systems thinking.

- Plan when the future cannot be predicted.

- Tell a good decision from a lucky outcome.

Unlike books that list mental models one after another, it orders tools by the difficulty each solves. Every claim about human behaviour carries an evidence label. Four recurring cases run through 22 chapters, with diagrams, exercises and twelve worksheets.

For professionals facing career, money and family decisions, and for managers, founders and students. No background in psychology or mathematics is needed.

This is not a book of answers. It is a book about asking the right question first.