This is a short summary of the talk How to think by André Staltz. He compares the human thinking process to the one of a computer and explains some tips on how to come up with good ideas. Nothing too ground-breaking, but I still thought I’d write it down because I like the brain-computer analogy (and their vast differences).
Why thinking is hard
- Humans naturally imitate each other (do what others do to get approval).
- We have feelings that distract from thinking.
- We have a very limited working memory, that auto-flushes every couple seconds.
How to improve the thinking process
- Never immediately dismiss an idea, just because it is not the way. Give it at least 10 seconds.
- Acknowledge your feelings. It makes no sense to be completely frustrated searching for that bug (or whatever it is you’re trying to find a solution for) for 8 hours. Take a break, refresh your mind.
- Improve your memory with tools. Write thoughts down, give it some structure.
Brain-computer analogy
- Thinking is basically an algorithm.
- An algorithm on the computer does not work without a data structure.
- Choosing the right data structure is crucial.
The same goes for your brain! Choose a fitting data structure to support your thinking process. Mindmaps are a good option. Write problems down, but don’t dismiss an idea just because there is a problem. There might be a solution for the problem. And then there might be a problem again, but then again, maybe there is a simple solution that applies in our specific case.
Conclusion
Be open-minded. It’s hard to not imitate others and not simply do what’s already being done. Because that’s how we are raised and taught. But it takes away our creativity and thus makes us less innovative. This also reminds me of first principles thinking, thinking like a scientist, taking things apart to their elementary levels and work up from there instead of taking everything for granted.