100 Ways to Think Better

Okay, maybe not 100, but we’ll give you 75 and let you add 25 more in the comment section:

1. Be Your Devil’s Advocate
2. Assign a Devil’s Advocate in meetings
3. Disagree
4. Ask Why
5. Use the RED Model of Critical Thinking
6. Try a Brain Teaser
7. Recognize your biases
8. Test a hypothesis
9. Learn from others’ failures
10. Don’t blindly trust statistics
11. Find a mentor
12. Learn your weaknesses with the Watson-Glaser II™ Critical Thinking Appraisal assessment
13. Reflect on your decisions
14. Keep a thought-process journal
15. Distinguish Fact from Opinion
16. Learn about logical fallacies
17. Don’t censor your brainstorming process
18. Imagine the Worst-Case-Scenario
19. Wait…..
20. Ask for input from others
21. Look for the spin
22. Check your emotions
23. Dig for more data
24. Dig for opposing data
25. Ask for critical thinking training
26. Tear apart your own idea
27. Evaluate source credibility
28. Ask “what if”
29. Ask the RIGHT questions
30. Challenge hierarchy
31. Mind Map
32. Check gut feelings
33. Look for patterns
34. Recognize assumptions
35. Attend a Critical Thinking Boot Camp
36. Accurately define the problem
37. Weigh pros and cons
38. Ask someone to evaluate your thought process
39. Look for critical thinking models
40. Stay engaged
41. Practice
42. Register for the Critical Thinking University
43. Accept ambiguity
44. Listen
45. Think like a genius
46. Define objective data
47. Be aware of cultural implications
48. Assess risk
49. Think about the future implications
50. Ignore the distractions
51. Don’t waste time if you have no control
52. Watch “smart” television
53. Try something new
54. Re-frame the problem
55. Reflect
56. Play strategic games
57. Ask the “4 most important words”
58. Analyze cause-and-effect
59. Be curious
60. Research
61. Question everything
62. Watch the news
63. Get a great education
64. Take on a tough debate
65. Defend your position
66. Don’t smoke
67. Do more research
68. Keep practicing
69. Examine alternatives
70. Have a big head
71. Look for hidden agendas
72. Communicate effectively
73. Delay conclusions
74. Follow the evidence
75. PRACTICE!!!

Can you think of more ways to think better today?

Editor’s Note: Breanne Harris is the Solutions Architect for Pearson TalentLens.  She works with customers to design selection and development plans that incorporate critical thinking assessments and training.  She has a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and has experience in recruiting, training, and HR consulting.  She is the chief blogger for Critical Thinkers and occasionally posts at ThinkWatson.  Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter for more of her thoughts.