15 Ways To Think Better

15 Ways to think better

Learn to kick start your thinking.
How many times have you felt your brain just switch off? And why Does it usually happen just before you're about to
write a memo to the boss and you're staring at a blank screen or piece of paper?

According to James Thornton, author of The Brain Yields its Secrets, it isn't that we lose intelligence as we age. It's just that we need to improve our ability to think.

So take a breather, and have a look at Thornton‘s 15 suggestions for thinking better and stirring up the creative juices:

1. Time it right. Older people think more clearly in the morning;
younger people, in the afternoon. Work out when your own best 'thinking time' is and set it aside it for your most challenging brain work.

2. Get a good education - but don't overdo it. Psychologist Dean Keith Simonton says that too much specialized higher education can Damage your ability to think creatively. 'You don't become a great Novelist by getting a PhD in creative writing.'

3. Listen to Confucius. Writing things down is the number one memory aid used by memory researchers themselves. As the Chinese proverb puts it, the weakest ink lasts longer than the best memory.

4. Kick start your day. Research shows that the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee can help you concentrate. But if you're prone to anxiety, you're probably better off avoiding it.

5. Anchor new memories to established ones. 'Think of your existing memory as a scaffold upon which to fit new information,' says cognitive researcher Denise Park. 'Don't isolate new information. Always relate it to something.'

6. Practice, practice, practice. Learning and repeatedly practicing new skills appears to change the brain's internal organization. A study showed that periodic training sessions helped volunteers in their 70s perform better in cognitive and memory tasks than they had when they were seven
years younger. 'Practice really helps,' says psychologist Len Giambra. 'A well-practiced older person will be faster than an unpracticed younger person.'

7. Give your ideas a chance. Many of us are rewarded for our abilities to rapidly evaluate facts and make quick decisions. Creativity demands a much more leisurely and playful approach - a willingness to give 'absurd' ideas a
chance.

8. Pick a stimulating profession and an intelligent partner. Intriguing studies from Poland suggest that people whose careers demand they exercise their intellect are more likely to sustain high levels of mental performance during their lives. Marrying someone intelligent may also provide you with ongoing stimulation.

9. Expose yourself to multiple experiences. Creativity often boils down to the ability to adapt solutions from one aspect of life to another. Velcro for instance, was inspired by burrs that stick to your clothing. The 'ring-pull' top on cans was originally based on the way a banana is peeled.

10. Learn from Leonardo. In his book, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, author Michael Gelb offers several brain-enriching strategies that worked for the ultimate Renaissance man. Among them: learning to juggle and drawing with your non-writing hand.

11. Pay attention. Do you sometimes find yourself 'forgetting'
someone’s name seconds after meeting them? The problem isn't memory; it’s concentration. As we get older, we must consciously remind ourselves to commit information to memory.

12. Listen to Mozart. An experimental psychologist has found evidence supporting the 'Mozart Effect' - that is, a brain exposed to Mozart's music grows more complex connections. This allows faster, Integrated access to more information.

13. Exercise the body to improve the mind. An increasing amount of research now supports the idea that aerobic workouts can have a beneficial effect on a number of things, including educational performance. It is suspected that this works by increasing oxygen and nutrient supplied to the brain, plus a boost in natural compounds called neurotrophins, which promote brain cell
growth. Some studies show mixed results. But exercise has so many other benefits that it definitely makes sense to do it regularly.

14. Try something new. Near the end of his life, Impressionist painter Henri Matisse revitalized his art by exchanging brushes for scissors, which he used to create a series of brilliant paper cut-outs. Such experimentation appears to be the hallmark of successful creativity, says psychologist Dean Keith Simonton. In a study that compared creative people who burn out with those who continue to create, he says the main difference was that the latter were constantly exposing themselves to new knowledge.

15. End distractions. If you're bombarded with irrelevant stimuli, it’s hard to focus. When you absolutely must do something (complete a report, for instance) try unplugging the phone and putting a do not disturb sign on your door.

And don't forget to follow your passion.
Recently, a Dutch psychologist tried to work out what separated chess masters from chess grandmasters.
He subjected groups of each to a battery of tests- IQ, memory, spatial reasoning. He found no difference between them in any of the tests. The only difference was that grandmasters simply loved chess more. They had more passion and demonstrated more commitment to it.

Passion may well be the key to creativity.



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