了解必须先于决定。大脑在你的潜意识、机械记忆和习惯中储存着不同类型的知识。但不管如何获取知识、在哪里储存知识，至关重要的是，你了解到的东西能够真实、丰富地反映相关现实，从而使你做出更好决策。所以在了解过程中保持头脑极度开放，向可信的人请教，始终是有帮助的。许多人在情绪上不愿意这么做，而这会妨碍他们了解现实，做出更好的决策。始终提醒自己，至少听一下相反的观点，永远都没有害处。
决策过程分两步：先选择作为决策基础的知识，既包括相关事实（“是什么”），也包括你对事实背后的因果机制的宏观理解；然后根据这些知识来确定行动计划（“怎么做”），这需要你反复权衡不同的可能性，以设想如何实现符合你愿望的目标。为了做好第二步，你需要综合权衡直接结果、后续结果和再后续结果，而且做决定时不能只看到短期结果，还要看到长远结果。
Learning must come before deciding. Your brain stores different types of learning in your subconscious, your rote memory bank, and your habits. But no matter how you acquire your knowledge or where you store it, what’s most important is that what you know paints a true and rich picture of the realities that will affect your decision. That’s why it always pays to be radically open- minded and seek out believable others as you do your learning. Many people have emotional trouble doing this and block the learning that could help them make better decisions. Remind yourself that it’s never harmful to at least hear an opposing point of view.
Deciding is the process of choosing which knowledge should be drawn upon—both the facts of this particular “what is” and your broader understanding of the cause-effect machinery that underlies it—and then weighing them to determine a course of action, the “what to do about it.” This involves playing different scenarios through time to visualize how to get an outcome consistent with what you want. To do this well, you need to weigh first-order consequences against second- and third-order consequences, and base your decisions not just on near-term results but on results over time.
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