We’ve all faced dilemmas like the following:
- Go out for the evening or stay home and watch a movie
- Buy something now or wait until it goes on sale
- Read Borden’s Blather or the IRS Tax Code
I know, the last one is obvious. You keep a copy of the tax code on your nightstand for that exact reason.
But for those tougher choices, Dan Pink uses a simple decision-making tool.
This approach recognizes that we are good at solving problems, except our own. When we confront our own issues, we are too immersed in the details.
We need to step back and see the big picture.
The solution is nine simple words, in the form of a question:
What would you tell your best friend to do?
So go ahead and give it a try.
Tell your best friend to read the past seven years of Borden’s Blather.
It’s a sure way to ensure the two of you will never speak again…
*image from Borden’s Blather
I finished reading the tax code so had to read your blog. š
But Dan is right. That question can really work. I have used it before in asking a friend the advice she would give to a friend in her exact same situation and she answered without hesitation. Then it was like Oooh….. as it sank in what she had said.
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maybe you can start reading another country’s tax code.
and thanks for sharing that personal anecdote that shows that this approach can be useful!
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I wouldn’t be able to understand the language.
It really did help put things in perspective for her.
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yet you can understand the language of the U.S. tax code?
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Generally, the sort of advice I ask for is always worded as, “I’m asking for a friend.” So in some sort of way, I think I’ve always been using this approach.
And weren’t you the one who wrote the tax code?
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How does one get blood stains out of the carpet? Asking for a friend.
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Exactly.
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So you have asked the same question?
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Not exactly.
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maybe he was asking about a friend’s blood…
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LOL! Glad to know … may wonder if you make people disappear like Jason does. He wipes them out of the picture, remember!
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It’s too late at night for me to remember anything. By the way, how do I scrape a serial number off a gun? Just asking for a friend.
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it’s such a versatile approach to solving problems!
maybe if you pour some caramel coffee on it, the whole gun would just disintegrate…
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I suspected that might work, which is why I asked Carolyn. For a friend.
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your friend will be quite grateful…
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and he can get rid of all blood stains with his photoshopping skills…
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Have to wonder what all he really carries in his camera case!
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and why he’s always going on these remote walks…
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Good point! š
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š
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hopefully her best friend is not a detective…
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That could be awkward.
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lol. reminds me of when Alexa or Siri first came out. One of the popular questions was to ask “Where should I bury the body?” š
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Things one needs to know. š
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and I think part of what made it popular is that Siri was programmed to give some funny responses…
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that does sound like a similar approach…
I applied for a job with the IRS, but they decided I was too dull…
hence the job teaching accounting…
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I think that would be taxing work, anyway.
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Groaning!
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but at least it wasn’t gross, like income…
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š¶š¤! I see that I should have gone to bed!
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always makes my day when I get a head smack…
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And I keep telling you how you really need to aim for better and bigger things to make you happy. LOL!
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but this doesn’t cost me any money!
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š
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it’s all about saving money…
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Obviously I need to start charging. Though my past attempts at that have not worked!
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I can always send you a money emoji…
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You are so “generous!”
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š
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and there are nearly as many exceptions as there are to mask mandates… š
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I do know my mask had two loopholes.
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I wonder if you can write-off the cost of masks as a medical deduction…
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Sounds like post idea. Just copy and paste from the IRS code.
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I am good at copying and pasting…
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My head!
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my mask had two openings, one for my mouth and one for my nose…
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Heyyy don’t listen to Jim, caramel coffee is not for cleaning guns, you 2 dummkopf’s!
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Oh heck, I would never use it to clean a gun. It would probably dissolve the barrel.
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š
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š
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that is the danger…
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Pfffttt!
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okay, now all my friends are not talking to me anymore…aside from that, a good strategy to try next time!
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I’m sorry about that. perhaps I can make it up to you and them by offering my “putting people to sleep” service for free…
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So you use a pill or an injection?
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my accounting lectures…
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I was just kidding š
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I think that only works if you have credibility. I am not used to friends taking my advice or even asking for it. This leads to the question of whether I should trust what I may tell them.
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I was thinking the same thing. plus it depends what kind of relationship you have with your best friend. If you like to pull pranks on each other, this approach could lead to some questionable choices…
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I went to ask my best friend what he would do, but he told me to quit bothering him and hung up.
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good to know I’m not the only one that happens to… š
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I tried this trick, but the only answer that came up was “I would tell them to pick better friends.”
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seems like you’ll never be able to make a decision then š
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we all need ‘wwytybftd’ bracelets.
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I’m on it…
and a nice win for Michigan last night!
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Great and yes!
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and I did not know that the interim coach at Michigan State is Phil Martelli. He was an iconic coach in the Philly area for a long time at St. Joes…
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yes, um is happy to have him in the interim!
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oops, I thought he was at MSU!
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rival! )
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I know – such a faux pas!
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Hi Jim, luckily, I don’t have any problems making decisions. I usually make them in the heat of the moment. Not idea, but at least truthful.
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*ideal
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you don’t seem like the type who would be hesitant to make a decision…
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Yohh! Decision making is difficult for most of people and is something we practice on daily basis but still don’t get it right. People need to learn listening to their instincts because mostly they never wrong.
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good point. decision making is like most skills; the more we practice it, the better we get at it…
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So true…šÆ
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š
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Sorry, started reading this post but got distracted by my copy of the IRS tax code. BRB.
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I understand. that code is tough for me to compete with…
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Borden’s Blather vs the tax code… I can’t stop laughing!
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if you’re laughing, that must mean you were reading the tax code… š
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Haha!! Uh…no.
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well it’s available to you at no cost whenever you want to read it…
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š
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