How to Think

Thinking about your own thinking can help you understand yourself and the world.

People see the world through the lens of their own perspectives. You’ll perceive and experience events such as the COVID-19 pandemic in your own individual way, based on your age, wealth, ethnicity and location, among other factors that can influence your thinking. To think more objectively, actively reflect on your thought processes. 

T0 find the blind spots in your thinking, be as clear as possible about the question you seek to answer. Explore the question and what you don’t know about it. Seek out information, and get advice from trusted sources. Keep revisiting and reassessing your knowledge. Self-interrogation and reflection will help you understand yourself and the world. 

Attentiveness and reflection build habits that support clear and critical thinking.

In your day-to-day routine, you perform everyday tasks without deep and profound analytical thought. If these functions required significant mental energy, you probably wouldn’t leave the house. For much of daily life, humans rely on habits, instincts and emotions, and heuristics. Habits are...