The Examined Life

When should you quit? [Annie Duke]

Mar 20, 2025

Annie Duke, an author and decision strategist, shares her unique insights from the world of poker to the nuances of decision-making. She discusses how identity can hold us back from making necessary career changes and the psychological traps, like loss aversion, that complicate quitting a job. Duke emphasizes that decisions can often be reversible, encouraging listeners to think about what they could reclaim if they walked away from unfulfilling roles. She also tackles biases and introduces the idea of evaluating opportunity costs for greater fulfillment in life.

01:01:07

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Annie Duke

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Quick takeaways

Annie Duke discusses how identity can entrap individuals in unfulfilling careers, emphasizing the importance of recognizing one's worth beyond professional roles.

The concept of 'kill criteria' is introduced as vital benchmarks that help people clarify when to abandon unproductive career paths or ventures.

Mental time travel is highlighted as a valuable introspective exercise that allows individuals to assess future happiness by weighing their current decisions against potential changes.

Deep dives

The Journey from Academia to Poker

The guest shares her unique journey from pursuing a PhD in cognitive science at the University of Pennsylvania to becoming a successful poker player. Initially, she took time off academia due to health issues and began playing poker to financially support herself. During this period, she discovered a passion for the game and found that it aligned with her academic interests, particularly in decision-making and modeling uncertainty. This shift ultimately led her to win multiple championships and paved the way for her transition from poker to consulting in decision science.

Intro

2min

From Poker to Decision-Making: A Journey of Uncertainty

6min

Navigating Career Changes: The Archetypes of Uncertainty

4min

Navigating Biases in Decision-Making

8min

Quitting: The Psychological Traps

24min

Understanding Sunk Cost Fallacy

12min

Reversible Choices: Evaluating Decision Making Costs

2min

Exploring Decision Education and Resources

3min

Is your identity preventing you from making a necessary change? The golden child, the one who spent decades climbing the corporate ladder, often stays miserable because they can't separate who they are from what they do. Annie Duke reminds us that even the toughest career pivots are surprisingly reversible, and encourages us to imagine what we'd do with those reclaimed 60 hours each week if we finally walked away. [Episode 94]

Annie Duke is an Author, Professional Speaker & Decision StrategistLearn more about Annie:

• Annie's Website: https://www.annieduke.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-duke/

• X/Twitter: https://x.com/annieduke?lang=en

References from the show:

• Your Future Self by Hal Hershfield: https://www.halhershfield.com/yourfutureself

• How to Change by Katy Milkman: https://www.katymilkman.com/book

• Alliance for Decision Education: https://alliancefordecisioneducation.org/

• The Decision Education Podcast: https://alliancefordecisioneducation.org/podcasts/

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