So many brain/decision books

Here's a trendlet I have noticed lately--brain books about how we make decisions.

It reads like a cultural prescription for a cure to our country's GW Bush ("The Decider") hangover.

How We Decide by Jonah Lerher caught my eye because it has three different flavors of ice cream cones on the cover, and I have found that is a deeply ingrained example of "choice"--it just keeps coming up as an example. (Which also explains to me why the concept of "choice" is a weak label for really important things such as reproductive rights; but that's a full post for another day).

People who bought How We Decide could also choose from Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, Sway: The Irrestistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, and Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.

Are we a people in search of certainty, or what? And is this the new self-help?

In this genre (tangentially related, at least) the book I am most likely to actually read is Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success, which I have heard is entertaining, if anecdotal.

Hmmm, I've got that Ph. D. in Neuroscience. How can I spin Mojo Mom as a brain-based decision-making book...? There is a chapter on "Reclaiming Your Mind Space."

Mojo Mom takes a break to regroup

I have felt frustrated that I haven't been able to blog more this week, and I am going to give myself a short break from the Mojo Mom blog. If my schedule allows, I'll be back next week.

I need to set aside a few days for planning and get my priorities in order for the rest of March and April. I have a new project cooking, which I will tell you about soon. I also have important things on my to-do list that have not gotten done yet, as well as requests from other people for work that they want me to do for them.

I don't think of myself as a person who can't say "no" because I will feel guilty, but I am faced with the situation where I am offered more worthy, valuable opportunities than I can take on at once. This is both a blessing and a challenge. I am sure that many of you are faced with a similar situation. Any advice on how to proceed?

I know that when I look at my calendar and can't schedule an essential meeting because I am busy doing work for other people, that is a problem, no matter how valuable those other projects are.

To paraphrase the book The Tao of Womanhood, a book that I read a long time ago that has always stayed with me, sometimes we need to honorably tie up the loose ends we have created for ourselves, in work and relationships. I also recommend the recent New York Times article, "The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors," based on Daniel Ariely's book Predictably Irrational, as valuable food for thought for overscheduled Moms.

The Mojo Mom blog is my own worthy project, and I will be back soon!