Nikhil Kabadi

Have you ever sat through a movie you weren’t enjoying, simply because you’d already paid for the ticket? In the hope it might get better in the next few scenes.

Have you ever noticed yourself scrolling through your feed, mostly reading or sharing articles that reinforce what you already believe? They just feel true.

Have you ever fallen for in-the-spur purchase? Here’s one from my own life: once upon a time, I grossly overestimated my ability to read and kept buying more books. Only to be donated years later, untouched.

These quirks are evidence of how our thinking is influenced by systematic deviations from rationality.

Our rational minds know the movie won’t get better, the news may not be accurate, or owning a lot of unread books doesn’t make you well-read. Yet we persevere.

This is the nature of cognitive biases. They are mental shortcuts that lengthen our ignorance.

And like all concepts in behavorial science, they come with fancy names. My favorite: Well-Traveled Road Effect: the tendency to underestimate the time it takes to travel a familiar route. (Though we Bangaloreans are immune. Every destination is at least 2+ hours. We keep it simple!)

As per The Cognitive Bias Codex, there are (hold your breath…) 188 known biases that influence decisions.

At that scale, trying to overcome one often reveals another. It’s worse than the Hydra Hercules had to face.

Efficient, But Not Accurate

“It’s simple – just don’t filter.” – Ray Dalio, Principles

Biases are mental shortcuts (heuristics) our brains evolved as optimization strategies to prioritize efficiency, not accuracy. They helped our ancestors make quick survival decisions.

But today, the world has evolved far faster than our biology can keep up. What helped us survive then, now hijacks clarity.

Left unexamined, biases can lead to poor decisions, false confidence, prejudice, and harmful beliefs (like “the only way to grow in my career is to switch jobs often”).

But let’s be honest, 188 is a tad too much…

This is where the power of seven comes into play. Seven biases that surface most often under pressure, urgency, emotion, or false certainty.

They aren’t random. They’re the usual suspects when clarity slips.

And they’re more than enough to dramatically upgrade your decision-making by sharpening meta-cognition: your ability to think about your thinking.

The 7 Biases

Here are the seven you need to know. Each comes with a mental handrail. A simple and reflective question that helps you interrupt the bias at the right moment:

1. Confirmation Bias

Also known as: The “See? I knew it!” bias

You find what you want to find and call it proof.

Ask yourself (question to interrupt the bias):

Am I only noticing the facts that confirm what I already believe?

2. Anchoring Bias

Also known as: The “First thought, best thought” bias

Relying too heavily on whatever you saw or heard first, even if it’s irrelevant.

Ask yourself:

Am I holding on to the first information I received, even if better facts are available?

3. Availability Heuristic

Also known as: The “If I can picture it, it must be true” bias

If it’s easy to recall, we assume it’s more likely. It becomes worse if the availability is anchored on recent information (recency bias).

Ask yourself:

Am I going with what’s easiest to remember, not what’s most accurate?

4. Overconfidence Effect (Dunning-Kruger Effect)

Also known as: The “Trust me, I got this” bias

You’re surer than you should be and don’t even know it.

On the flip side, it can show up as imposter syndrome, doubting yourself despite competence.

Ask yourself:

Am I being overly certain without solid evidence?

5. Sunk Cost Fallacy

Also known as: “I’ve come this far” bias

You keep going because you’ve already invested time, money, or effort.

Ask yourself:

Am I sticking with this just because I’ve already invested in it?

6. Status Quo Bias

Also known as: The “Might as well keep going” bias

You resist change simply because the current state feels safer.

Ask yourself:

Am I resisting change just because it’s unfamiliar?

7. Affect Heuristic

Also known as: The “Feel first, decide later” bias

You let your emotions make the call before facts get a say.

Ask yourself:

Am I letting my current mood decide for me?

Use these questions often. They don’t eliminate bias. But they bring it into awareness. And awareness, in decision-making, is clarity.

Mindful Productivity: Mental Handrail of Better Decisions

These seven questions are embedded into two of the core skills within the Mindful Productivity framework:

You don’t need a workshop to start using these. A sticky note. A nudge. One question at the right time is enough.

But if your team makes high-velocity decisions, handles cross-functional trade-offs, or battles decision fatigue – I can help.

Host me for a Mindful Productivity workshop. I’ll tailor it to your team’s real challenges. Better decisions… guaranteed.

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🍪 Fortune Cookie

“Wisdom is nothing more profound than the ability to follow one’s own advice.” – (Author unknown)

Here’s a real-life example on how I used these seven questions recently: Financial Commitment – Should I Buy That Car?