Reid Brackett
Writing about decision-making, learning, and the work of thinking clearly under pressure.
The methodology
Paper Thinking is the practice of using a pen and paper as a thinking tool — to clarify a decision, work through a problem, or make a hard concept stick. Five steps: DUMP, DRAW, DECODE, DECIDE, REVIEW. The method synthesises four decades of cognitive-science research — Mueller and Oppenheimer on note-taking, Wammes and colleagues on the drawing effect, Cowan on working-memory limits, Tetlock on calibrated forecasting — into a single notebook practice you can run before lunch.
Most productivity systems assume you are trying to do more. Most learning systems assume you are a student. Paper Thinking starts somewhere different: most professionals can no longer quite think the way they used to, and the page is the cheapest cognitive enhancement available.
About Reid
Reid is a synthesist, not an academic. The role is to read the research, run the practice, and put the result on a page you can use this afternoon. Citations name the studies — no "research shows," no parenthetical drops in flowing prose. Anecdotes name their sources — no fabricated composites. The methodology stands on what is defensible.
The book Paper Thinking — The Pen-and-Paper Method for Smarter Decisions and Deeper Learning is forthcoming from Brilliantio. Sign up below for launch updates and occasional notes from the work.
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