Brightness Lab

Finished

Live Better

The Art of Clear Thinking: A Fighter Pilot's Guide to Making Tough Decisions

Hasard Lee, 2023

Finished June 2026

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My Take

Life is a constant stream of decisions. Some are small and forgettable, and others are life-changing. You sometimes have years to make them, and others are made before you even realize you have a decision to make. Fighter pilots live in a world of literal life-or-death decisions made faster than seems possible to the rest of us.

This book caught my eye because it's not by some self-proclaimed guru or an academic who looks at rat brains all day. It's by a fighter pilot who wouldn't be writing this book if he hadn't made many correct decisions up to this point. I'd say he's earned the right to have an opinion, and I want to learn from it.

What role this plays in the Lab

This book helps me think more clearly under pressure, so important choices shape a better life instead of just happening on autopilot.

decision-makingpsychologyleadership