How To Think Like A Pro

We all want to think better.

But what does that mean, exactly?

We want to have more ideas. We want to have better ideas. We want to make better decisions. We want to make better plans.

It’s possible to get better at this. And not just by making a bunch of mistakes and learning from them. (Though that does work quite well, if you actually learn from them.)

No, there are actually things you can do that make your brain work better. And they’re not hard to do, for the most part.

Writing

This is probably the most effective of the techniques listed. Writing is magical.

If you do it.

Getting started is usually the hardest part, but it doesn’t need to be. Just write the following sentence, verbatim: “I’m not really sure what I should write about right now. Maybe … ” and then add whatever ideas pop into your head, even stupid ones.

And then just keep going. You’ll surprise yourself at how quickly your writing becomes helpful, given that utterly banal beginning.

Writing will help with any kind of thinking, any kind of problem, even with areas of your life where you think there aren’t problems. Writing honestly, not with any audience in mind, is thinking made explicit.

By forcing yourself to put your thoughts into words, and to write those words down, you make them much more real. Your mind engages with the ideas more deeply. You make connections you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Note: if all of this doesn’t happen the first time you put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, don’t fret. You’ll get better over time. And oftentimes, the writing that doesn’t seem to make a difference is making the biggest difference of all. By getting your random thoughts out and on paper, you free your mind to think about other things, possibly much later, without the clutter.

Sleeping

At the other end of the spectrum from writing is sleeping. Sleeping is vital for two big reasons.

First, your brain needs to be rested to think well. Without enough sleep, you’ll barely be able to do brain-dead tasks like drive a very familiar route or read a simple book or pay your bills. So you can just write off coming up with solutions to gnarly problems like broken relationships or tricky technical issues at work.

Many people are in a perpetual state of not getting enough rest. They wake up early for their job, so they’re tired after dinner, but instead of getting much needed rest, real rest, they mindlessly watch three hours of netflix shows and go to bed too late again.

Compounding the problem.

And because of this, they never have the brainpower to truly escape the cycle. They may not even have enough to recognize that it’s happening.

Second, your brain actually does a lot of thinking while it’s asleep. It’s called dreaming. Now, I’m not a neuroscientist, nor am I an expert on dreams. But I don’t need to be to know that a good night’s rest is regularly followed by insights. Sometimes very deep insights.

Somehow, my brain goes to work when I sleep. It doesn’t always solve a problem, but sometimes, it does. And as soon as it comes back the problem once I’m awake, it’s obvious there is a new thought pattern. And it shows the way right to a solution. Or at least a new tack on the problem, one that I couldn’t even see the day before.

Sleep is a great way to get out of your way. If you’re stuck on a problem, make sure you get a good night’s rest. Think of it as delegating a problem to your sleeping self. He or she actually has a different skill set from you, and will discover different solutions and tactics than you would. But only if you treat him well.

Walking

Humans are built to walk, and we’ve been doing it for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s the most common form of movement.

Back when problems were primarily about being in the wrong location, solutions meant moving somewhere else. For food, for shelter, for water, for sex, for relationships.

And we did it by walking, for the most part.

Walking stimulates the brain, puts it in problem solving mode.

Walking constantly gives it new input, as your eyes take in new vistas, your ears hear new sounds, you notice distinct smells, and feel the ground shift under your feet.

And walking does it all at a slow pace. The vistas change gradually, as do all the other sensory inputs.

It’s perfect for your brain. It keeps the lizard brain fully occupied with the basics of movement, leaving the higher brain free to run wild.

In some ways, your walking self is like your sleeping self: someone you can delegate a problem to, if you’re stuck.

Running

Running hits the sweet spot between your walking self and your sleeping self.

And when I say running, I really mean any moderately intensive steady state aerobic activity: cycling, rowing, etc. But I’m just going to use the term running, because that’s what I’m familiar with.

All through middle school, high school, college, and beyond, I ran. I ran long distance track, cross country, regular 5ks and 10ks, two different marathons (and trained for a third).

I don’t run as much now as I used to, primarily because I believe there are better ways to get fit and stay in shape. That said, the runner’s high is a real thing. Running is better for your brain than your body.

Running (again, or cycling, or rowing, or similar activities) takes more willpower and thought than just walking. It’s hard to really concentrate on thinking about a problem while running. But you can think. And part of your brain, maybe the sleeping part, does go to work on problems when you’re running.

While you do, it can communicate with the walking part of your brain, the conscious thinker. There can be an interplay there that isn’t available when only walking or only sleeping.

Some of the biggest insights I had during my running days happened at the end of a big run. I would feel myself on the edge of an idea throughout, and then, once I stopped and recovered a bit, BAM! There’s the idea, the solution, the new way of seeing the problem.

Teaching

Want to really learn something? Teach it!

Why? Because by teaching you are thinking about it in a totally new way. Like writing, teaching forces you to put ideas into words, this time for an audience.

You can teach in person, or through books, or blog posts, or videos, or any number of formats. The common theme though is that you are expressing your thoughts in words, and you are doing it for an audience.

Your brain goes into overdrive for a few reasons. First, it needs to clarify it’s thoughts in words. Second, it cares deeply about how others perceive you. If you can direct that towards improving your thoughts (big IF), then you’ll find yourself learning and growing quite a bit while you teach.

Regarding that big IF: this won’t work if you’re more concerned about how others perceive you than you are about getting to the right ideas and helping others get there too.

Conversations

Conversations, deep or shallow, are more relaxed than teaching others, and generally more interactive. They’re better for brainstorming, for exploring all the different nooks and crannies of ideas, for going on a thought journey that explores new ground, rather than understanding well traveled ground even better.

And the big IF above is not as big of a challenge. Conversations with trusted friends or family are just easier because there is less performing than when teaching.

The trust means you (and they) are more free to explore ideas without judgment, to consider crazy side paths, to hit dead ends and recircle without the frustration that you and they would feel in a teaching environment.

So “never eat lunch alone” or go out with friends for coffee or drinks, or set aside time after the kids go to bed to really connect with your spouse.

In balance with the other techniques above, it will help you think better, far more than sitting in your favorite spot and just “thinking”.

And that’s really the problem: the idea that thinking is something you can just do, separated from everything else.

The Rodin Museum has the bronze statue called The Thinker on display. You’ve probably seen pictures of it: a nude man, deep in thought, with his chin resting on his hand.

It’s a nice image, but it’s not the primary way that we think. We think best when we’re doing. When we’re walking, writing, running, speaking, lecturing, conversing, etc.

Activity breeds thought. Words refine it.