Day 9-11 – Info

A characteristic of modern society is the flow of information. The creation, distribution, and manipulation of data are vital activities – we rely on data to draw conclusion and make decisions. Information is the lifeblood of modern civilization. Yet, most times more information is not better or gives better solutions. This means that the way we search for and use information is becoming more important than the information itself. Information is valuable if you lack information or there is a gap in the information, whereas creativity and thinking skills are valuable when you are having an abundance of information. Creativity is also valuable when there is a lack of information.

Blog posts

More, More Information, Yes, Sure, But Relevant?

Creative Data Collection

Questions about Questions

Day 9

Select a topic and focus on available and needed information

It is a good habit to focus on the information that is available and that is needed, before you do any thinking on the topic. Before you design alternatives, draw conclusions, or plan actions ask yourself:

• What information is (implicit and explicit) available?
• What is information is needed?
• What information is missing (needed but not available)?
• Where could I get that information, or who could have that information?

Some suggestions for topics to exercise are:

• a news item (world, national or a local item)
• a report you have to evaluate (do this before actually beginning to read the report), or take some report at random such as a report from United Nations, or from your local council
• a decision you have to make
• your next holiday or travel
• a party you are planning
• planning your next week

If you want to read more about focusing on information as a thinking skill, read our blogposts Left Out and Cassandra Information

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Thinkiblity Day 9

Day 7 – Aims and Goals

Visualise your goals.

Choose a goal that you have and visualise it by using a combination of several different sensory modalities. You can use PETTLEP, which was developed using findings from research in sport psychology.

• Physical – image the relevant physical characteristics. For example, a musician would imagine herself with a flute in the hand.
• Environment –image in the environment where the performance takes place.
• Task – image details relevant to the task, these demands should be appropriate to the player’s level.
• Timing –image in real time, but slow motion imagery can be used for difficult passages.
• Learning – the imagery should be adapted and reviewed to match changes in the task and the level of expertise.
• Emotion – use the same images that would be felt during the performance. But avoid using negative emotions such as being scared of a certain passage. Instead, it is important to image that the passage is played with confidence.
• Perspective – the perspective can be through your own eyes and third person, watching yourself play the flute.

Make a painting of what you visualised.

Then, forget it, or pin it somewhere on a wall. One year later you may find that you have in some way realised your goals.

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Thinkibility Day 7

Day 6 – Aims and Goals

Mostly Aims and Goals are directed on actions you have to perform. For example: My aim is to become more fit, therefore I have to eat more healthy, visit regular a sport school and walk to my office at the 5th floor.

However, putting aims and goals to your thinking do have the same advantages as that for actions.

Take a Thinking Situation at hand, a situation that needs some thinking. For instance, taking a decision, evaluating an proposal, coming up with a creative solution, solving a problem, mediating a conflict, devising an action.

Before actually starting to think stop and reflect a few minutes on:

• Focus (What is the subject, or aspect) you want to think about, and what not, at least for now?
• Outcome (What should be the outcome of the thinking, what will be reached by the thinking – a decision, a choice, a new solution, a working solution, an line of action, a conclusion. or just as exercise?)

Make some notes of your thoughts.
Then do the thinking and evaluate your thinking against your original aims and goals.

If your thinking did not have any results, then you evaluate your thinking as unsuccessful at the moment and maybe it was focused in the wrong direction.

Blog posts:
Directing the Thinking
What kind of Thinking Situation Is This?
Thinking Strategies

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Thinkibility Day 6

Day 5-7 – Aims and Goals

Thinking about Aims and Goals is a metathinking activity – thinking about the thinking. Or blue hat thinking.

Warren Berger says,

“Questioning—deeply, imaginatively, “beautifully”—can help us identify and solve problems, come up with game-changing ideas, and pursue fresh opportunities.”

Question asking is an important aspect to help us consider the direction and ultimate goal. You can read more about question asking in the blog post Questions about Questions.
Blog posts about Aims and Goals:

• What Kind of Thinking Situation Is This?
• Thinking Strategies – It’s Time to Plan the Thinking
• 20 Minutes Idea boost
• Distancing – A Thinking Strategy

Day 5

Decide what you are trying to achieve – visualise and break down the goal into smaller steps.

It can help your thinking enormously if you know exactly what you are trying to achieve.

Visualise what you want:
• Go somewhere quiet and private where you won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes and think of the goal, mood, new behaviour or skill, you want to acquire.
• Take several deep breaths and relax.
• Visualise the object or situation you desire in your mind as clearly and with as much detail as you can.
• Add emotion, feeling, and your senses to your vision.

Make a break down for each step you need to do to reach your goal. If necessary and helpful, use three levels: goals, sub goals, activities/to do now.

Some suggestions for topics you could use:
• moving or changing job
• fitness
• learning a language
• planning your career
• goals before a deliberate thinking session
• a meeting
• doing the shopping
• cleaning the house

A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART mnemonic. While there are plenty of variants SMART usually stands for:
• S – Specific (or Significant).
• M – Measurable (or Meaningful).
• A – Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
• R – Relevant (or Rewarding).
• T – Time-bound (or Trackable).

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Thinkibility Day 5