Think smarter - bifurcate creativity and judgement
14 December 2008Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about thinking. I do that a lot. Is that meta-thinking? If I continue to think about meta-thinking, where will it end?
<<Uncrosses eyes>>
In doing so, I’ve ran across some interesting insight when it comes to how we solve problems and think through situations. We seem to have two phases.
- The creative problem solving phase - This is where we spend our time creating possible solutions to our problem. You may know this as brainstorming. There is a key ingredient for brainstorming — a lack of judgement on the validity of the idea, because this inhibits creativity.
- The judgement/execution phase - This is where we get stuff done. We’ve decided upon a course of action, and now it’s time to execute. Put away all of those silly ideas, they are a distraction now — now is the time to focus.
Both have their place, and are important to be done well to be a successful person. However, you can’t do both at the same time. Our brains don’t work this way. In my experience, it’s one or the other. Some people call it left brain/right brain. Others say conscious/subconscious. Yet more others talk about mammalian, reptilian and other brains. Most would agree that our current mindset must match up well to the situation.
How much time do you spend on each phase of thinking? Are you too quick to judge? You may be missing out on a creative solution to a problem.
Or do you spend too much time with your head in the clouds, and find it difficult to focus on a particular path?
When I look around at the most successful people I know, they have a few things in common. They make good decisions, and they execute, because they:
- Delay judgement - They are open minded to all possibilities. They weigh their options carefully, and they keep themselves in the creative mindset for a while longer than normal folk — presumably because we’ve learned that this has benefited us in the past. They postpone major decisions by "sleeping on it". They understand it’s important to avoid rash decisions, and that good things come to those who think.
- Focus - Once a decision has been made, the path to success is all but guaranteed. They understand that all options have been considered, and now it’s time to shift their brains into productive, decisive, judgement mode. Furthermore, the confidence that the contemplative thinker will have gained by carefully weighing their options will make them more likely to succeed. In thinking through their options, they undoubtedly thought through obstacles and hurdles they will face, and this planning has prepared them for success.
I know a lot of people that are set in their ways, particularly from a moral stance. They are quick to ridicule that which they do not understand, and are intolerant of things that they have been told are wrong. I think they find comfort in familiar thoughts, and jumping to a quick conclusion allows them to stop thinking. Experience has taught me that tolerance is a sign of wisdom, and delayed judgement always rewards me.
Am I saying that if you are a intolerant or judgemental person, that you aren’t smart? Well, I don’t know your circumstances, so I can’t say for sure, ;-), but in all likelihood, yes.
Am I saying that if you are in a highly creative mindset that it is impractical to be focused and decisive at the same time? Yes.
More importantly, I’m saying it’s important to separate the two, and know when to use each one.
on April 1st, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Close! It’s metacognition… if you keep Metacognating (???) it always ends in self growth. That happens right before the insanity part.