Harnessing Productive Thinking

Being able to think more productively is a powerful tool indeed. It is a skill we can all learn, it just takes focus.

Effective thinking does take a bit of work. It takes a bit of creativity, the ability to generate ideas, identify opportunities and most importantly ways to action them!

Don’t worry if this all sounds a bit exhausting or daunting, the key to productivity is to have a clear vision and a master plan of how you are going to get there. It really is simple, the more you practice the better you become at thinking.

Here are our 4 cornerstones of productive thinking to set you on the right path:

4 cornerstones of productive thinking...

1. Time

Better thinking habits will be maintained if you set yourself time to think on a regular basis. It’s no good sitting down once a year to think about ways to improve your life, relationships or business.

Setting aside time in your diary, on a regular basis, to think - without any distractions is one of the most important meetings you can schedule.

It’s important to protect this time as well and not allow any obstacles to get in the way. Something more urgent will always crop up if you let it and you’ll find yourself getting to the end of the week, month, quarter or even year not moving any further than where you were.

2. Space

Finding the right environment for your thinking is important. You don’t have to travel half way across the world and sit on top of a mountain but you do need to take yourself away from your usual mode (whether that be a desk, on your kitchen table or on the couch).

Something that is often used in larger corporate organisations is the concept of an “away day”, usually in a nice hotel or retreat for strategic or creative thinking. We can all apply a similar principle to harness the power of productive thinking.

There is science behind the logic after all, as theta brain waves which fuel creativity are actually most active when we are most relaxed

3. Topic

Choosing your topic for productive thinking, in advance to setting aside time and space is vital. If you set aside time and space to think but then get side-tracked into dealing with minor issues, like what to have for your dinner or preparations for the weekend then you are not tackling the critical topics that will help you move forward in a big way.

Challenge yourself and your topic but remember to always be opportunity and solutions focussed.

The key to success here is to is to not just think but to take decisions and commit to taking action.

4. Tools

If you use tools to help your thinking along the way, you are likely to be more successful. By applying thinking techniques you can capture your ideas and nurture your creativity.

Here are some techniques that can get you started, mind mapping, visualisation, mood boards, diagrams, flow charts or just simply writing things down are all tools that can harness your productive thinking.