The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee

A practical framework for making better decisions and thinking more clearly, drawing from the author’s experience as a fighter pilot.

Core Principles

1. Separate Facts from Assumptions

   • Identify what you know vs. what you think you know
   • Challenge your assumptions regularly
   • Gather concrete evidence before making decisions

2. Mental Models

   • Break down complex problems into manageable parts
   • Use frameworks to analyze situations systematically
   • Apply different perspectives to the same problem

3. Decision-Making Process

   • Gather information systematically
   • Consider multiple options
   • Evaluate potential outcomes
   • Make decisive choices

Practical Applications

• Using checklists for complex tasks
• Implementing feedback loops
• Regular review and adjustment of decisions
• Building robust mental models

Impact on Technical Work

These principles have been invaluable in my software engineering and ML work, particularly in:

• System architecture decisions
• Debugging complex issues
• Project planning and execution
• Research methodology