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. Comments are closed.
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AuthorAli Ghani is an investor and business executive who lives and works in Calgary and Edmonton. ArchivesCategories |