Guide to Better Thinking

You might think that everyone would know how to think. After all, how much attention should be given to figuring out how to think? Isn't everyone born knowing how to think? Isn't thinking as automatic as breathing? Can anyone actually stop thinking?

Well, if any or all of these questions describe your opinion of thinking, you are in good company. Most of us give little thought to how we think, how we should think, or how we improve the process.

It should be obvious, however, that many of us are not thinking very well. A quick glance at our American economy, for example, shows that too many of us are running on automatic pilot. Too few of us are really thinking at all. We are sleep-walking through life.

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Sewing, painting, building, cleaning carpets, digging ditches, or whatever else we may find to do, all human tasks involve problems to be solved. To clear a field of rocks, to plant a crop of corn, to pour a concrete foundation, to install a frame and door, to make a shoe, to clean and dry a load of clothes (without ruining anything), to make a bar of soap, to fashion a shipping crate, to write a poem, to build a better hamburger — all require the use of our minds. The better we think, the better job we can do.

To think is to live, to experience life, to create things, to solve problems, to improve our own surroundings, and to learn new ways of seeing the world, other people, and our own present circumstances. There is a purely mechanical side to these processes, and that's what I want to focus on right now.

How does a person think? Thinking is a mental process, so we might assume that it's a purely psychological or even spiritual function. And there is a sense in which it is. But as human beings, we are physical creatures, and so everything we do, both externally and internally, is a physical function or process. Thinking is no different. No human thought exists independently of physical actions and reactions in the brain.

In many ways, the human brain is like a computer or network of computers. The body is, in this way of seeing things, a computer-controlled machine with many complex processes, almost all of which are directly controlled by the central computer system. The body-machine feeds millions of bits of information up through the nervous system to the computer-brain, the brain analyzes this information and sends instructions back. That is how we feel pain, move our legs to walk or run, catch our balance when we lean too far this way or that, and speak, and swallow, and so on.

That is only the beginning of the story. The brain is a part of the body, and not separate from it in any way. Every organ in the body has an important function to the overall well-being of the body, and every organ also derives its life and health from the rest of the body. The brain relies on the rest of the body for its health and ability to function.

What we eat and drink, how we sleep, how we live our lives, and so on, affects the brain's ability to function. And the brain's well-being makes a difference in how we think.

In order to think well, we must give some attention to our overall health. Too many people whose job or responsibility it is to think give too little attention to their general health. We need a certain amount of physical activity each day, a reasonable diet, and occasional changes in our immediate environment. If we work at a desk or computer station all day, we need to get up and do something else, from time to time, if we want to remain alert and productive.

Habits that Improve Thinking

Here are a few habits to build into your working and/or thinking schedule:

1. Eat lighter meals in the morning and during the working hours.

2. Learn how to breathe more efficiently.

3. Interrupt yourself to take breaks in the middle of your work.

4. Get outside as often as possible, regardless of the weather.

5. Spend 5 minutes at least twice a day staring at the sky, at wildlife, or at water.

6. Make sure you get proper sleep on a regular schedule.

&. Make sure you are physically active for at least 20 minutes each work day.

Let's take a closer look at these necessary habits.

Lighter meals have a smaller impact on the body's resources. Heavy meals slow us down while the body diverts resources to digestion. Lighter does not mean unsatisfying or low fat. Simply eat a reasonable amount of food to provide your body with protein and energy. Eat smaller amounts more often, if necessary, but don't try to start your work day with a huge and heavy meal. At the same time, don't try to starve yourself if you want your brain to function freely and effectively.

Breathing is essential to life, and effective breathing is essential to good physical and mental health. Want to get the most out of your brain? Then breathe deeply, and breathe often. Sounds almost like a joke, doesn't it? But I'm not laughing. Start the work day with some deep breathing.

You don't need to spend money on expensive videos or books on the subject, just breathe. Pick a place that is comfortable and safe, and ventilated with free-flowing fresh air. Practice breathing in, pulling the air into your lungs, using your gut to help pull it in, and keep inhaling until you think you can't get any more air into your lungs. Force a little more in, anyway. Now let it out, all of it, until you are forcing even the last bit of air out of the deepest, lowest recesses of your lungs. Push it all out. Now inhale again, deeper and deeper, and deeper, well beyond what you think you can possibly take in. And now force it all out again. All of it, well past the point of any automatic exhale. Keep going until all the air is forced out.

Repeat this process 8 or 10 times. You may feel light-headed as fresh oxygen rushes into your blood. If so, then return to normal breathing for a couple of minutes. Then repeat the process. Do at least 4 sets of these simple exercises at the start of your day. And don't stop there. Become conscious of how you breathe all day. Make it a point to breathe in deeply every few minutes, and to force out all the stale air that tends to build up in your lungs with shallow breathing.

These breathing exercises will add oxygen to your blood, improving the function of all vital organs, including the brain. You will become more alert, improving your ability to think clearly. You will feel better physically. You will find it easier to move around and to move more quickly. You will have more energy, and a fresher outlook on life. One of the best tonics one can take each day for better health is free.

Interrupting oneself in the middle of important thinking to take a break is vital to successful problem-solving. Jump up from your desk (save your work, if you are doing something important on the computer), and walk to the other end of the office, house or building. You need not spend a long time away from your work, just walk quickly to get a drink, use the restroom, or to look out the window. The brain needs to step away from even the most important problem-solving or creative thinking, in order to gain a new perspective.

Go outside, or at least leave the inner offices, if you are forced to stay indoors. Outside is best of all. Make sure you don't lock yourself out, if you are going out in cold weather without a coat. Think only about what you see and feel around you, and not about the work that still needs to be done.

Spend time, twice a day, staring into the sky and thinking about what you see, or what you know is there. It doesn't matter if the sky is filled with clouds, leaves, stars or seagulls and sunshine. An alternative is to study wildlife (including inner city sparrows or ants), or to gaze at moving water in a fountain, at the beach, or wherever. Allow your mind to soak up life itself and the world God has given us.

Sleep. We are all different in our requirements for sleep. But if you are not sleeping properly, you won't be able to think clearly, truly efficiently during your working hours. If you feel groggy, tired and out of touch all day, you are not getting the sleep you need. Getting too much sleep also slows us down. But make sure you get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep every night. And whatever your work schedule, make sure you sleep the same hours each night or day. Constantly changing the times of rest and sleep will keep your body confused, and this will drain the brain's own resources — resources you want and need for optimum performance and effective thinking. Be more creative in your problem solving by getting proper sleep.

Physical activity in human health is not an option. Just as deep-breathing helps, so also physical activity helps to keep the blood in good circulation, and all the organs in top shape. Walking is a great exercise. Walk briskly, even from room to room. Use the steps whenever possible. Flex hands and fingers at every opportunity. Standing all day? Rise up on your toes, over and over, to pump the calf muscles and ankles. Use and move every joint in your body. Rotate your neck, raise your shoulders, move around.

Even in novels and movies, high-powered thinkers (executives and entrepreneurs) often engage in physically demanding sports or recreation. This is based, somewhat, on fact, as many of the most successful men and women understand the link between physical activity and sharp minds. Even those who aren't aware of the link benefit from the activity. A healthy, active body feeds the brain with oxygen and nutrients necessary to productive thinking. And discipline of the body carries over into a well-ordered mind.

Make Sharp Thinking a Regular Habit

Whatever you do in this life, learn not to go along half awake, only half aware of your circumstances and the world around you. Think about life, about your own needs, the needs of others, the problems facing our world. Turn the radio or TV off, and just think about things while you drive to work or to the house. Don't let yourself be bombarded all day by the noise of other people's ideas, opinions and activity.

Give yourself exercises to perform with your mind. Like puzzles? Solve some. Think about how to build a house in a desert with only a hammer and a knife for tools. Thinks about how to provide water to the arid regions of the world. Think about how to make paint from berries and mud, or how to build a chair, make a super-light car for the general population, or how to provide all children with an education, with decent clothes and with good food. Solve some problems. Create something completely new. Use your mind.

Such mental challenges will help you in your own work, no matter how unrelated the ideas may seem at first. Your mind is not tired of thinking, no matter how old you are. If anything, your mind craves a real challenge, a new goal, an opportunity to go all out. There is no problem on this earth that a human mind cannot solve. We are problem-solving creatures. That's what we do. That is our gift from the Creator. And when we engage in solving problems, we grow as human beings.

Jim Sutton

This page last edited 03/05/09

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