How to sidestep mental shortcuts for clearer critical thinking
Ryan Tippet | February 12, 2026
Image by Pixabay / Pexels licence
Even the ablest wordsmiths need a clear sense of their subject to write crisp and persuasive content. Putting one word after another is only the tip of the iceberg — good writing conceals a mountain of good thinking below its surface.
That’s why Write has developed critical thinking resources as part of our training, coaching, and Write Online toolbox.
Critical thinking means (among other things) recognising your own mental shortcuts, and knowing when and how to avoid them. We call these pre-formed assumptions and preferences ‘heuristics’. Heuristics let us go fast, but they can lead to systemic errors in our thinking. These types of errors are called ‘cognitive biases’.
The human brain is a two-speed thinking machine
Psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman suggests we have two systems for thinking.
- System 1 is fast and intuitive — almost automatic thought. Many everyday tasks don’t require deep thought. They’re simple, familiar, or low stakes. These only require System 1 thinking, and lean heavily on heuristics.
- System 2 is slow and analytical — more critical thinking. We reserve this mode of thought for complex issues, things we’ve never seen before, and high-stakes scenarios.
As humans, we need both systems. We’d never achieve anything if mundane tasks (like choosing breakfast) left us in a state of deep-thinking indecision.
Cognitive biases arise when we make mental leaps
When we need to think fast (or just not too deeply), our brains fall back on heuristics.
Heuristic patterns and assumptions are practical in daily life, but they can lead us to draw faulty conclusions, make rash decisions, and adopt misinformation. That’s where cognitive biases creep in.
Here are a few examples of cognitive biases you may recognise from your own thinking.
- Confirmation bias — We notice things that confirm our own pre-existing beliefs.
- Curse of knowledge — We assume something we understand is also obvious to others.
- In-group bias — We favour familiar things and people who are already in our circle.
- Negativity effect — We pay more attention to negative things, even if they’re in the minority.
- Sunk cost fallacy — We stick with something because we’ve invested time or money into it, even when it makes more sense to stop.
When a situation requires deeper thinking, we need to sidestep our cognitive biases. That means consciously moving from System 1 to System 2 thinking.
So how do we do that?
Slow down and smell the heuristics
The main way to avoid cognitive biases in your thinking (and writing) is to slow down.
Step back and take a wider look at your situation. Check your assumptions. Ask questions, and ask questions about your questions.
Accounting for cognitive biases takes lifelong practice. We can never fully shed these mental shortcuts. But we can develop strategies to keep them at bay when we need to apply our System 2 faculties.
Here are a few starting points.
Learn about the different types of cognitive biases
Knowing these mental traps will help you get around them.
Reflect on your own thinking
Be aware of your mental shortcuts and kneejerk reactions. When an assumption turns out to be wrong, retrace your cognitive steps to find where you went astray.
Test your viewpoints against alternatives and critiques
Consider how someone with a different opinion would attack your position. This also helps strengthen your argument.
Approach feedback with an open mind
Pay attention when someone points out a bias in your thinking or writing. It can be hard to hear, but that’s what makes it worth fixing.
Take our workshop to develop your critical thinking
This blog only scratches the surface of cognitive biases and their impact on your writing. To learn more, take our Critical Thinking workshop.
You’ll develop practical skills so you can ask and answer the right questions in your writing.