How to Think More Effectively

How often do we truly question why we think the way we do? Elevating our thought processes can unlock creativity, clarity, and purpose.

1. Spend Time Evaluating What Truly Matters

We often jump headfirst into our goals without questioning if they align with our values or bring us meaningful satisfaction. Many people pursue more money, relationships, or accolades without thinking if these pursuits truly make them happy. This blind execution leaves little room for reflection.

Giving yourself the space to evaluate the purpose and value of your goals can prevent needless pursuits. Set aside time to strategize and ask probing questions like “Why do I want this?” or “What is the significance of this pursuit?” Reflecting on these fundamental questions helps you fine-tune your priorities.

Overcoming the discomfort of deep self-evaluation is essential. Though it may feel unsettling, practicing this new habit will enrich your thinking and guide you toward more purposeful and fulfilling actions.

Examples

• Reflecting on whether a promotion at work will truly bring happiness or just additional stress.
• Questioning whether remaining in a long-term relationship is leading to deeper fulfillment or merely familiarity.
• Taking a pause to reassess whether signing up for every opportunity actually aligns with personal goals.

2. Accept That Progress Comes in Bursts

It’s tempting to think that creativity and brilliance come in a smooth, consistent flow. However, creative processes are rarely linear. Great thinkers throughout history acknowledge that ideas come in patches, not steady streams.

French novelist Marcel Proust, known for his flowing prose, revised his work iteratively and painstakingly. His creative method involved tinkering with and rewriting his material until it matched his vision. This highlights that brilliance often takes time and messy efforts to emerge.

Instead of being frustrated by uneven progress, adopt tools like keeping a notebook. Jotting down fleeting ideas or inspirations can help you revisit and develop those thoughts when your mind is ready to expand on them.

Examples

• Marcel Proust’s extensive revisions that eventually led to his masterpiece, "In Search of Lost Time."
• Sketching rough designs for a creative project, knowing they’ll evolve into perfection later.
• Capturing random ideas during a commute that would otherwise slip away if not written down.

3. Lean Into Gentle Distractions to Unlock Ideas

Our most insightful thoughts are often elusive, appearing when our minds are engaged in something simple yet repetitive. Shower thoughts, highway epiphanies, or peaceful staring out of windows have all been platforms for unexpected inspiration.

This phenomenon happens because a slightly distracted mind is more open to unsettling or unusual ideas. When your brain isn’t hyper-focused, novel thoughts can weave themselves into the mental gaps created by light distractions.

Therefore, letting yourself engage in low-stakes tasks can unlock thoughts that feel out of reach when you’re too intent on catching them.

Examples

• Coming up with business ideas while staring out of a train window.
• Solving a lingering work problem during a leisurely walk.
• Realizing the plot twist of a story while washing dishes.

4. Envy Can Be Instructive

Though envy has a bad reputation, it can act as a useful guide to understanding your desires. Feelings of envy arise when you see someone with something you lack but deeply want. Instead of suppressing the feeling, analyzing it can help clarify your aspirations.

Every envious thought provides insight into what you truly value. If you dislike someone for their success, take a closer look. Is it their confidence, wealth, or emotional fulfillment that you crave?

By being precise about what causes envy, you move closer to understanding your goals more intimately and potentially change your actions to align with them.

Examples

• Feeling envious of a co-worker prompts questions about their leadership role and whether you aspire to lead.
• Envying a friend's travel lifestyle can reveal a longing for adventure and new experiences.
• Observing someone’s artistic success can reignite an old passion for creativity you’ve neglected.

5. Reflecting on Mortality Provides Perspective

Memento mori, or reminders of death, often bring clarity to what truly matters. Thinking about mortality can either make life feel intensely meaningful or reduce petty worries to insignificance.

Realizing that life is finite urges you to stop procrastinating, leave harmful situations behind, and make the most out of the time you have. It also helps you let go of trivial anxieties like minor failures or career hurdles.

While modern culture rarely uses skulls as reminders, dedicating time to reflect on life’s brevity can serve as a compass for prioritizing what truly resonates with you.

Examples

• Quitting a toxic job after considering how much of your limited time it's consuming.
• Laughing off a small embarrassment that seems meaningless in the grand scheme of life.
• Exploring a long-held dream after realizing time is slipping away.

6. Embrace Skepticism Toward Your Beliefs

Doubt isn’t a weakness; it’s one of the highest forms of intellectual curiosity. Many effective thinkers challenge their own conclusions, knowing that human minds are riddled with biases and errors.

Skepticism allows you to question assumptions, weigh multiple perspectives, and articulate measured opinions. This balanced way of thinking helps refine your ideas across time rather than springing to premature conclusions.

If you want to think well, constantly entertain the notion that you could be wrong. From this position of doubt, you can discover clarity and construct better arguments.

Examples

• Considering opposing political viewpoints before forming your own opinion on an issue.
• Testing a new strategy at work instead of sticking rigidly to old habits.
• Reassessing your investments by confronting your emotional biases about risk.

7. Ideas Thrive in "Mad" Scenarios

Stepping out of conventional thinking patterns can yield groundbreaking revelations. Posing hypothetical questions and engaging in imaginative scenarios creates room for unorthodox, creative possibilities.

Questions like “How would I redesign the world if failure weren’t possible?” or “What would I do with complete freedom?” break mental barriers you may have unconsciously built.

Stimulating the mind with “mad” ideas shakes loose assumptions and opens up innovative perspectives.

Examples

• Brainstorming futuristic ideas while imagining leading a utopian society.
• Writing down wild business ideas without thinking of their feasibility yet.
• Challenging yourself with “what if” questions to spark entrepreneurial solutions.

8. Learn From Fits and Start Thinking

Instead of seeing interruptions or idle moments as setbacks, treat them as an inherent part of mastering ideas. Great minds like Proust didn’t produce their best work in uninterrupted bursts but through countless pauses and reshaping.

To adapt to this style, keep materials like journals handy so transient thoughts can be fleshed out over time, ensuring no brilliance gets lost in hesitation.

Examples

• Using audio notes to capture fleeting concepts while commuting.
• Practicing iterative drafts rather than waiting for a perfect version.
• Returning to scattered thoughts weeks later to give them a fresh context.

9. See Low-Level Distractions as Creativity Boosters

Half-focused minds can more seamlessly juggle disparate ideas that later connect in groundbreaking ways. Low-intensity distractions, whether cooking or casual doodling, help bypass your brain's typical filters.

These distractions foster creativity by unintentionally making space for uncomfortable yet revolutionary thoughts.

Examples

• Designing a product idea while folding laundry.
• Structuring a speech during a coffee break when not directly thinking of it.
• Discovering song lyrics while absentmindedly strumming an instrument.

Takeaways

1. Dedicate weekly time to evaluate your goals, asking yourself questions like, "Does this align with what truly matters to me?"
2. Carry a notebook or use a digital app to record fleeting ideas, ensuring transient brilliance isn’t lost.
3. Regularly take moments to reflect on mortality to distinguish between meaningful pursuits and fleeting distractions.