In 1936, Albert Einstein wrote, “All of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking.” Thinking is an important skill to pursue as an entrepreneur, because it can make you more creative, more productive, and help you make better decisions. Decision-making as an entrepreneur is valuable, as those decisions can make or break your business. It’s a common myth that brilliant thinkers are born that way, because developing great thinking is a skill that needs to be practiced over time. It’s never too late to start applying thinking tools and strategies on a daily basis. Here are a few suggestions to get you on the right path.
Neural Connections The human mind is the same structure in every human, what differs is the way we think. If we change the way we perform everyday things, we can change our brains to work better. Part of that involves not taking shortcuts, for example, refusing to memorize a number and writing it down instead. Forcing our brains to work grows our neural connections. Lazy shortcuts and cognitive biases will result in poor thinking. Conscious mental habits and good emotional awareness will make us better thinkers. Metacognition To be a better thinker, we must practice metacognition, or the skill of purposeful introspection in our thinking. Instead of seeing the process of thinking as a background operation, metacognitive skills broaden thought processes by bringing them to the foreground. There, they can be analyzed for improvement. Metacognition is a conscious motivation for self-reflection, and it can be done using many tools like journaling, meditation, or with a thinking guru. Captiously thinking through problems leads to more insight on how to solve them. Avoid Linear Thinking Taking shortcuts when thinking about possible solutions will usually not result in an optimal solution. It’s easy for humans to make rash decisions. We look at the current situation and conclude what we imagine is the best outcome. We fail to consider possible consequences of the decision we make. This is known as first-level thinking. Second-level thinking gives the brain more power to find the solutions in complex problems. Second level thinking occurs when we carefully examine the future outcomes of a decision instead of making quick ones. For example, if you are buying a car and don’t carefully research cost and quality, this is first-level thinking. You could lose money and miss a deal on another model. Examine Alternative Points Of View Always accept other points of view in the thought process. Professional poker players sometimes use a tactic when they suspect another player of bluffing. They process how the player might act if she weren’t bluffing. This causes the brain to naturally filter the world to confirm what it already believes. Of course, this technique can be precarious, as it could make you focus on the wrong answers. Considering other points of view allows the brain to process every possible outcome, and helps you make better decisions. Entrepreneurs are busy people, often scrambling to fit everything into a workday. To be the most productive, the best strategy is to effectively manage your time. It’s actually one of the most important skills to master as an entrepreneur. Time management is the practice of designating your time to projects productively and efficiently. This involves planning out your daily projects and taking conscious control of your time as you complete those activities. Effective time management includes clear goals, priorities, and expectations. While it can be a challenge to develop, doing so is easier if you follow some simple caveats. Here are three powerful ways to manage your time better. 1. Make A List And Prioritize It’s vital to make a list of your daily tasks, and physically writing them down instead of typing helps reinforce your goals in the brain. You also must know how to prioritize those tasks, so, place the most important task first. These tasks might include projects that you know will take longer to complete or are due before the others. Really organize your list so it’s concise and you know what is most important. Be realistic. If a task looks too complicated to complete, break it into smaller steps. Then you can organize your list by importance or due date. 2. Track Your Time The best way to master time is by tracking how long each project takes. Estimate how long it will take you to complete each project and try to be accurate. Carefully monitor the time you spend on each task and compare it with your estimated time. This will get easier the more you do it. Monitoring will make you more conscious of your flow during your workday. Also, keep a history of the time spent on each project, that way you can compare to see if you’ve gotten more productive over time. There are plenty of spreadsheet tools out there that make this easier, and most are free. 3. Organize Your Space And Calendar Take a good look at your workspace. Is it neat and organized, and is everything where you can access it easily? If not, it’s time to get it together. Keeping a tidy physical and digital space allows you to avoid distractions. A neater workspace will also save you from wasting time looking for old emails, envelopes, or a pen in all the clutter. For emails, create folders to group project emails together. Emails can quickly get out of hand, and it’s a waste of time endlessly searching for that email you got yesterday. As for your desk, keep it minimal, with only what you need at hand. You don’t need a dozen pens or two pairs of scissors. Keep your desk practical and organized. Use a digital calendar to track projects, Zoom calls, and project due dates, and what you hope to accomplish throughout the week. You can also set up reminders, important dates, or create schedules for recurring events. Organizing your time is the most important skill you can develop as an entrepreneur, and it will streamline your day and make you more productive. The key is to create a strategy and stick to it. When I’m asked to give advice to another entrepreneur who is looking to lead a healthier lifestyle, I always tell them to make exercise a part of their daily routine. Eat as healthy as possible, take time to unplug, and learn how to manage stress. Sure, this advice looks great on paper, but I know entrepreneurs are extremely busy people and sometimes fitting in time for a workout can be a challenge. To that I say, make exercise a morning habit. Afterall, there’s some proven benefits to getting the blood flowing and the heart pumping early in the day. Morning exercise is linked to increased fat burn, reduced calorie consumption, lower blood pressure, and lower risk for diabetes. Here are 5 ways to make morning workouts a habit. Set your alarm earlier Seems like a no-brainer, right? However, how many times have you made the ambitious goal to rise an hour earlier only to hit the snooze button several times? There’s a solution to this. If you move your bedtime and wake-up time up by 15 minutes each day, then you’ll have a better chance to hold on to that schedule until it sticks. Prepare for success the night before Make a few changes before you go to bed and you’ll be more likely to stick to your AM routine. Here are the basics: turn off the TV, avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, and make sure your sleep environment is cool, dark and quiet. Stretch Before your feet even hit the floor, stretch. An in-bed morning mobility routine will not only get your blood flowing, it will also wake up your brain, and turn your nervous system on for the day so you’ll be more motivated to get moving. Make a list What better way to hold yourself accountable to a workout routine than by making a list. Morning brain fog is real, but if you train your mind to be productive first thing, you will have more motivation to get up and move. The night before, make a to-do list that you'll have ready with action items first thing in the morning. It’s easy. Just write down 3-5 things that you want to accomplish (like your morning workout, a big project at work, etc.) and when the alarm goes off, roll over and read it as a reminder to seize the day. Find a workout buddy There’s no better way to hold yourself accountable to AM workouts than by making a promise to sweat it out with a friend. You wouldn’t want to leave your workout buddy stranded, even if it’s over a ZOOM call, so you’ll be more likely to get out of bed. To make it a real commitment, agree on a "punishment" if you happen to bail out on your morning exercise date. (For example, the next lunch is on you.) While you are on your journey to becoming a morning fitness person, treat yourself to a workout you already love—whether it is lifting weights or doing yoga. Getting out of bed is much easier if it's for something you're actually looking forward to. Once you’ve been at it for a few weeks, the need to trick your brain and body to get out of bed will become a distant memory. Now, you won’t only tolerate mornings, you’ll crush them! |
AuthorAli Ghani is an investor and business executive who lives and works in Calgary and Edmonton. ArchivesCategories |