Part 9 of 9 in How to Think Better: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition← Part 8
This conclusion explains how writing decisions down, reviewing them, and using AI tools can improve judgment. It helps Indian founders, parents, professionals, policymakers, and investors make better real-world decisions.
- Intelligence needs systems that consistently turn it into better decisions.
- Inside view, tunnel vision, expert over-reliance, context neglect, and confusing luck with skill are universal traps.
- AI can generate reference classes, run premortems, suggest alternatives, and check for biases.
- Writing decisions down and reviewing them later creates a feedback loop for better thinking.
- Deliberate practice and honest feedback can improve thinking, with AI making practice more accessible.
India does not lack intelligence. It lacks systems that consistently convert intelligence into better decisions. The traps described by Mauboussin—inside view, tunnel vision, over-reliance on experts, underestimation of context, and confusion between luck and skill—are universal. They are simply more costly in a large, diverse, and rapidly changing country.
The good news is that the tools to counteract them have never been more accessible. A well-prompted AI system can generate reference classes, run premortems, surface alternatives, and check for biases in minutes. Combined with the simple discipline of writing decisions down and reviewing them later, this creates a powerful feedback loop.
For founders, the payoff is fewer expensive mistakes and better capital allocation. For parents, it is better long-term choices for their children. For professionals, it is clearer judgment under pressure. For policymakers and institutional investors, it is a chance to reduce the damage caused by overconfidence.
Start small. Pick one important decision this week. Force yourself to take the outside view. Ask an AI for a premortem. Write the reasoning down. Review it later. That single cycle will teach you more about your own thinking than most books.
Thinking better is a skill. Like any skill, it improves with deliberate practice and honest feedback. In an age of AI, the cost of that practice has collapsed. The only remaining question is whether we will use the opportunity.
I hope these chapters, published on IndianAngel.in, spark conversations among founders, parents, professionals, and investors. Better thinking is not a luxury. In India today, it is one of the highest-return investments any of us can make.
Dr. Aniruddha Malpani
Mumbai, November 2026
This series is published as individual chapters on www.indianangel.in. Readers are encouraged to share, discuss, and adapt the ideas. The goal is not academic precision; it is better real-world decisions by Indian founders, parents, professionals, and investors.
Frequently asked questions
How can AI help improve decision-making?
A well-prompted AI system can generate reference classes, run premortems, surface alternatives, and check for biases in minutes.
What is a simple way to practice better thinking?
Choose one important decision, take the outside view, ask an AI for a premortem, write down your reasoning, and review it later.
Who can benefit from better decision-making?
Founders, parents, professionals, policymakers, and institutional investors can use these practices to make clearer choices and reduce costly mistakes.
Why should decisions be written down and reviewed?
Writing decisions down and reviewing them later creates a feedback loop that provides honest feedback about your thinking.