David Cummings on Startups

Thinking about Thinking

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David Cummings

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One of the questions I like to ask is “Where do you do your best thinking?” Of course, we do thinking all the time. Yet, when I ask that question, people immediately know what I mean. While we’re always thinking, there are certain times, locations, activities, and events that routinely deliver better thinking.

Here are a few questions to ask when thinking about your best thinking:

  • What was a recent breakthrough? What were you doing when it happened?
  • Who is a great collaborator that helps with your thinking?
  • Are there certain activities, hobbies, or sports that really help your thinking?
  • Where’s your favorite thinking spot? At home? At the lake?
  • What can you do to improve your thinking? What are some next steps?

While it’s meta, spend some time thinking about thinking and figure out how to make your time more productive and efficient.

What else? What are some more thoughts on thinking about thinking?

Comments

2 responses to “Thinking about Thinking”

  1. Peter J. Stewart (@petergtd) Avatar
    Peter J. Stewart (@petergtd)

    Clearly one of the top ingredients to truly deep and reflective thinking is not being interrupted by others via IM, text, email, phone, social media, etc. Sometimes I wish airplanes and hotels didn’t have WiFi…I came up with my best idea for a new breakthrough product on a 5 hour flight to the west coast where there was no TV or WiFi.

    Reply
  2. Felix Chuang Avatar
    Felix Chuang

    It’s pretty odd but there are two places where I get a lot of thinking done:

    1. In transit – While on a plane or on the way to a meeting. I ascribe it to the change in “context” as it is a new environment.

    2. When I’m stuck in a meeting where I may not be an active participant. Something about hearing people talk about related issues gets my mind going.

    Reply

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