How to train thinking. How to develop analytical thinking. Development of abstract-logical thinking

Developed tactical thinking is the key to success in almost any activity. It helps to win in war, in sports and in more everyday things - in learning and solving everyday problems. Today we will learn more about tactical thinking and its structure, and look at exercises to develop this useful skill.

A bit of theory

A tactic is a set of techniques, means to achieve a specific goal. Most often it is mentioned in connection with the conduct of combat (combat tactics), with sports (competition tactics), with the game (game tactics).

Tactical thinking is a fast, efficient and expedient course of thought processes aimed at finding rational ways to solve a problem and achieve a goal. A person with this mindset thinks through all actions a few steps ahead. This can be compared to a game of chess, when, in order to achieve victory, a player needs not only to think over his moves, but also to predict the opponent's moves and adequately respond to them. A simplified diagram of the results of tactical thinking will look like a chain of logical conclusions with the structure “If ..., then ...”.

Tactical thinking has the following characteristics:

Effectiveness. This type of thinking is inextricably linked with practical activities, included in it. The student will think what is the solution mathematical problem choose, it is in the process of working on it.
improvisation. In the process of solving problems and on the way to achieving the goal, various unforeseen circumstances may arise that have not been taken into account and thought out. Tactical thinking allows you to quickly navigate the situation and make an improvisational decision. For example, the child thought over his answers to the questions of the teacher in the lesson. But he was asked something that he did not expect. A student with a developed tactical mind is able to easily deviate from a previously planned plan and issue an impromptu response.
Efficiency. Such thinking is always fast and clear. For example, a student is called to answer a paragraph on history at the blackboard. In the few seconds it takes to get up from the desk, the child thinks through what and in what order he will say, how he will answer questions, etc.
Probability. It lies in the fact that any assumption cannot be absolutely accurate - there is always some fraction of the fact that the conclusion made through tactical thinking is incorrect. For example, a student solves a problem in physics. Based on the conditions, the student can already guess what the answer will be, but cannot be 100% sure of this.

Thus, tactical thinking is a very useful skill that helps students even in the most difficult situations. normal situations learning. It includes the following tasks:

Goal setting. For example, solving a specific mathematical problem, a brilliant answer at the blackboard, winning a school olympiad, etc.
Analysis of own capabilities in this moment time. The student needs to weigh his strengths and weak sides.
Accounting conditions. It is necessary to analyze and take into account all external factors for solving the problem/problem: where does it take place, at what time, who is nearby, etc.
Forecast of obstacles and difficulties. It is necessary to assume what kind of difficulties may arise and how to resolve them in this case.
Drawing up a backup plan. Because tactical thinking is characterized by probability, the student needs to think about how he will act if his original plan does not work

At first glance, these tasks seem quite difficult, especially for a child. But with the help of interesting game exercises, tactical thinking can be developed in a representative of any age and gender.

Guess the meaning of each symbol

Each character is equal to a certain number. Using the table below, guess the meaning of all the figures. Each row and column is followed by the sum of the character values.

Balloons

There are four balls (two black and two white) with numbers printed on them. They are arranged so that the numbers on them form the following sequence: 3, 4, 2, 1. They have been swapped. Task: find a new sequence that meets the conditions:

The number on the far left is twice the number next to it.
Odd numbers are next to each other.
The white balls are next to each other.

Non-standard "sea battle"

In a grid of 6 by 6 cells, you need to place three cruisers (4 cage decks), three boats (3 cage decks) and three buoys (1 cage). In this case, the values opposite the rows and columns should be taken into account. Each of them should not have more or less filled cells than indicated. For example, the first row of the grid below should not have more/less than 5 cells filled in. In this case, there must be at least one gap between one and four filled cells.

If...then...

This exercise can be used in absolutely any situation. It is necessary to provoke the child to predict the result of his actions and the possible development of events. For example:

If you go for a walk in the rain...
If you don't learn well, then...
If you win the school olympiad, then ...
If you are called to the board, and you are not sure, then ...
If you start to solve the problem in this way, then ...
Etc.

Keywords

A keyword is a kind of crossword puzzle, with numbers inscribed in a grid, under each of which a certain letter is encrypted. For a hint, one word has been added to the grid, on the basis of which further decoding is carried out.

To solve this crossword puzzle, you need to think two steps ahead, which is an excellent training in tactical thinking.

Improvisation

You can use exercises for creative improvisation and improvisation of solutions:

Creative. Think of the end of the song, poem; show a sketch school life and etc.
Solutions. Exercise is included directly in the performance of any activity, in the solution of a problem. For example, come up with a different way to solve the problem, since a new variable has appeared; which way will you go if the two roads that you planned to go earlier are blocked, etc.

Sudoku

Another type of puzzle for the development of tactical thinking is Sudoku - the Japanese "numerical crossword puzzle". It consists of a 9 by 9 grid (inside there are 9 squares each in 9 cells), which must be filled in with numbers from 1 to 9 so that they occur only once in each column and line.

Drawing up an action plan

To develop tactical thinking, the student needs to learn how to plan his activities. To practice this skill, you can:

Plan classes for a day, several days, a week, etc.
Think over the sequence of any action: going to school, washing dishes, solving a chemistry problem, answering at the blackboard, etc.
Make large-scale plans, taking into account all the little things. For example, a plan for a trip, a plan for achieving a goal (getting an A in a quarter, winning an olympiad / competition, etc.).

Drawing up a plan, especially a large-scale one, should take a lot of time. It is recommended to do this in stages, gradually adding new details and making adjustments.

Place Hexagons

Below are some hexagons and the field where they need to be inserted. You need to place the figures in such a way that the numbers in the triangles coincide at the points of their contact (bold lines). You can't flip hexagons.

Orientation, map reading

The exercise can be performed in real or virtual conditions (computer games). Here the child needs:

Set a goal. For example, get out of the forest, find a river, choose the shortest route, etc.
It is good to familiarize yourself with the map of the area in advance. If necessary, help the student to decipher some signs, determine his location, etc.
Match the map data with what he sees in reality. For example, the number of trees on the map and in the clearing.
Choose a route. It is determined depending on the goal.
Achieve the goal, making adjustments as needed. In the process of passing the route, various obstacles may arise, as a result of which the original plan may change. You can ask the student in advance to think over these difficulties and ways to solve them, or leave it for later to train the speed and improvisation of tactical thinking.

Alphabet Journey

In the ovals below, you must enter the letters from A to L (inclusive). In order for the grid to be filled correctly, the following conditions must be met:

The letter D is located to the east than the letter G.
G is located strictly (any place on the same horizontal/vertical line) north of D and west of B.
A stands next to K.
K is directly north of A.
B is located due west of A.
W is further north than E and B.
And it is located next to W, strictly to the north.
L is strictly west of E and strictly north of G.

Chess

Perhaps this is one of the most difficult, but effective exercises. If the child does not know how to play chess, then it is recommended to start with the basics: explain the rules, show possible moves.

When the student can already play the game on his own, you need to help him with the tactics of the game: ask him about the meaning of each move and its possible consequences.

The issue uses pictures from Phillips C.'s book Logic + Tactical Thinking.

Have you ever thought about the difference between analytical and critical thinking? Unfortunately, most people do not see much difference here and therefore do not use to their full potential either the possibility of a critical attitude to reality or the potential of analysis underlying logic.

Meanwhile, understanding these intellectual tools and developing them, we acquire the ability not only to get to know the world more deeply, but also to transform it more effectively! How exactly do these intellectual processes help our brain?

Criticism VS Analytics

Critical thinking helps us:

assess whether the event actually took place,
make sure that the information received can be trusted, and to what extent,
find out whether a given phenomenon, object, object or situation is useful or not for us,
make a conclusion, conclusion and give an assessment.

In other words, critical thinking helps us form our opinion or belief about this or that information. Critical thinking can be conditionally called evaluative.

In turn, thinking analytically means:

understand the essence of the phenomenon;
understand cause and effect relationships;
be able to decompose a complex problem into its component parts;
compare possible solutions to the problem and choose the best one.

We use our ability to think analytically when we are required to decompose voluminous information into separate “pieces” and, moving forward step by step, understand its essence and logic. Analytical thinking can conditionally be called rational, logical.

But how to develop analytical thinking?

Developed analytical skills are useful to us both in everyday life and in professional activities.

A highly qualified specialist, regardless of the area in which he works, must be able to:

quickly identify the main and secondary in the incoming information,
solve difficult problems
find strengths and weaknesses in an event,
identify opportunities and limitations
draw reasonable conclusions and conclusions,
make decisions based on statistics
design your activities in accordance with the goals,
divide the process into stages.

Let's play!

Let's look at special games for the development of analytical thinking.

Puzzles. Usually, for mental training, it is recommended to collect puzzles. But, if you are really striving to develop your attention and the ability to mental analysis, it is better not to collect puzzles, but ... to do them yourself. This creative way of training is much more complex and therefore more productive for the mental development of a person.
Quest. If your family loves to spend time together, then a treasure hunt on a map is a great educational exercise for everyone. If this game is intended only for children, then you should make a map that is understandable for the child. But still, the best solution would be a joint quest, in which children and their parents will join their efforts, reading the map and moving step by step to the place where the cherished treasure is hidden. Reading maps requires the mental translation of real objects into the symbols that represent them, and vice versa. That is why such a game is equally useful for those who draw and mark the map, and for those who will subsequently try to read and decipher this map.
Ciphers and codes. By the way, any ciphers can also act as simulators for analytical thinking. Comparison of the cipher and the key to it, translation from one conditional language on the other - wonderful game ways of mental development.
Puzzle. Let it be even the usual "Rubik's Cube". But for a long time already there were different variations of it. The good thing about the puzzle is that it forces us to calculate our actions a few steps ahead.
Board games. This may seem archaic to some, but a very effective means of developing the ability to analyze is traditional board games. However, we are not talking about those games where success is determined solely by luck, as, for example, in children's games with a die that indicates the number of moves allowed to the player. Only those games are truly useful where players are required to carefully consider each of their next steps, taking into account the actions of the enemy and, if possible, anticipating or even provoking the enemy to certain moves. In such games, skills are honed:

recognize the motives behind the actions of others,
understand the logic of other people's actions,
anticipate the likely decisions of others,
choose precise ways to respond to the actions of others.

With Wikium you can develop analytical thinking online

Online games like "Scrabble" contribute to the development of the skill of quickly analyzing and evaluating information, as well as choosing the right wording or the right word.

And, of course, we should not forget about such a time-tested game as chess! Chess is one of those types of games that require the player to be able to analyze the situation on the board and develop a strategy for their actions, while trying to uncover the opponent's plan. So, in addition to analytical thought, a strategic vision is also required here.

But perhaps The most effective brain training comes from our tendency to mental experimentation.. That mind-boggling question, “What if…?” captivates not only scientists, but also all those who like to pamper their minds with unusual tasks. There are quite a lot of them, for every taste and different levels of complexity.

The most famous of these puzzle games is Prisoner's Dilemma.

However, it is no less exciting to try to figure it out, for example, with an experiment called "Mary's Room". Maria is a scientific researcher, very talented and capable. She sits in a special room or cell and observes the world around her through special windows, which are arranged in such a way that Maria sees the world only in black and white. She knows everything about light waves and how color appears and changes. But, alas, her knowledge is exclusively theoretical. She had never left her room in her life. What happens when Maria leaves the room and sees the real world in all its colors? Can she recognize colors? For example, to distinguish a red apple from a gray one? The essence of this mental experiment is to analyze the situation and work out and justify all possible strategies for Maria's knowledge of the world of colors.

And the experiment-game "Turing's Ideological Test" will not only entertain the players, but also serve as a worthy simulator for developing the skills of analyzing the position of your opponent. In order to win, the first participant in the discussion must carefully analyze the arguments of his opponent in the dispute and apply it in his speech so that the judges do not guess who the author of these arguments is the first participant or his opponent.

More refined scholars may be attracted by unauthorized scientific problems. There are still unanswered philosophical questions that continue to haunt our minds. Trying to just be aware of the depth of the question and enjoy the game of your mind trying to find the answer stimulates our brain activity.

Such questions include, for example:

Why is there always "something" but never "nothing"?
Why is our brain made up of atoms, but consciousness, which is the product of the brain, is not made up of atoms?
What gives us the right to claim that we and our entire world are really real, and are not a simulacrum, an illusion?
Do we have free will, or are we some kind of zombie without knowing it ourselves?
Are we capable of being objective and, if so, in what situations?

There are not so many talented analysts. But regular classes, even if they are just games, may well help you become just a good analyst. Which, in principle, is not so little.

One often hears people complain about a bad memory or complain about absent-mindedness. And, accordingly, they are looking for an opportunity to improve the process of memorization, develop their attention and observation. But I have never heard anyone say that they cannot think and would like to learn how to think. This is very strange, because mental abilities are important in any activity. Maybe this happens because thinking is such a valuable gift that it is a shame to admit its lack?

Perhaps another equally important reason for the reluctance to develop thinking is the belief that it is impossible for an adult to do this. And the only way to become even a little smarter is to accumulate knowledge.

But this point of view is wrong. It is not only possible, but necessary, to develop thinking in an adult, and knowledge alone will not get you far. Information, regardless of its volume, is only a building material for thinking. Bricks alone are not enough for a bricklayer to build a beautiful castle, he also needs skills, abilities, knowledge of technical techniques and craftsmanship as an alloy of all this together.

You can, of course, recall the developers' statement that it does not change with age. But thinking is not exactly intelligence. Thinking is an activity, and any one requires mastering and developing skills. The process of forming mental skills not only enriches a person with new ways and methods of thinking, but also develops and complicates the brain itself.

Our brain is a very flexible and sensitive instrument, which is designed for constant active work. The efficiency and quality of our thinking just depends on it. After all, in the process of the brain's work, new connections are formed between neurons, neural networks become more complex, which means that the ability to think develops.

So, the answer to the question “is it necessary to develop thinking” is obvious. It remains to figure out how to do it.

Development of abstract-logical thinking

It is considered the highest form of the thought process, although this can be argued, since it is not connected with it, but with figurative thinking. But, one way or another, logic is necessary for an adult to solve a wide variety of problems: from everyday, everyday, to professional and scientific.

What to develop

Logical thinking is based on several mental operations:

Analysis is the division of a single whole into separate significant elements, understanding the structure of things and phenomena, their systemic organization.
Comparison is a comparison of individual elements of the system, individual things and phenomena in order to determine their similarities and differences.
Synthesis is the transition from individual elements to the whole, the unification of parts, often associated with their combination in a new combination.
Abstraction is a distraction from the non-essential or a transition from objective thinking to thinking using abstract concepts(numbers, formulas), replacement of concrete images by abstract concepts.

The first three basic operations can be illustrated by a common children's game of colored pyramids. The child disassembles the already assembled pyramid and examines its rings - this is an analysis. Then, during the assembly process, he compares the rings by size, sometimes by color and shape - this is a comparison. Then he assembles a pyramid of individual elements - synthesis. This is how the thought process proceeds at the level of visual-effective thinking accessible to the baby. And we want to develop a logical one, so we will perform operations not with rings and cubes, but with concepts.

For logical thinking, developed speech is also necessary, since this thinking proceeds in a conceptual form. Moreover, this applies not only to oral, but also to written speech, which in itself is more logical and orderly.

How to develop

Logical thinking is based on strict laws and rules that were developed by ancient philosophers, and logic has always been considered the art of thinking. Theoretical knowledge although useful, they are not sufficient for development. If you do not know them, then this is not an obstacle to development. It is more important practice, mastering skills. And thinking skills, like any other skills, are formed in the process of training. And for those who want to develop logic skills, we can offer several exercises.

Exercises to develop logical thinking

There are many ways to develop logical thinking in activities. For example, psychologists advise to read more. It doesn't matter if it's artistic or scientific literature, the main thing is to comprehend what you read, write down your thoughts, conclusions, argue with the author, catch him on contradictions. Board and computer games based on it, for example, chess, checkers, sea battle and others, help well in the development of logic.

You can use specially designed exercises for this purpose.

Exercise "Logic chains"

This is one of the most common training tasks for the development of logic. It has many forms, types, modifications for different ages. Its goal is to learn to establish logical connections between things, phenomena, concepts.

Option 1

Example: given two objects - a fish and a bottle. Find something that connects them. Possible answers include:

both objects have a similar streamlined shape;
both fish and bottle are associated with water;
if the bottle is plastic, then it, like a fish, can swim;
the fish and the bottle may have the same color;
both objects contain substances useful for humans, etc.

Option 2

Two events occur, separated by a relatively short period of time:

A pencil falls to the floor from the head of the firm's desk.
There is a fire in the room of one of the southern resorts.

Establish a logical connection between the first and second event. See how many intermediate events will be in your logical chain. Try to build another, where there are more or less events.

If the exercise is carried out in a group, then it will be interesting to compare and analyze the logical chains of all participants, to choose the most interesting one. You can continue the exercise by inventing the next event and establishing a connection already between the fire and it.

Exercise "Writing proposals"

Logical thinking is closely connected with speech activity; in general, it proceeds mainly in conceptual and sign form. Therefore, for the development of logical thinking, it is useful to write short (and long) stories, essays, notes, and keep a diary.

And for those who are not very good at it or feel sorry for the time, you can start with separate proposals. But not simple, but uniting unrelated concepts and objects. Your task is not just to write a sentence, but in such a way that it looks quite logical.

Let's choose three objects, maximally not bound friend with friend. For example: "squirrel", "helicopter" and "cup of cappuccino". Now compose a phrase that would logically unite these objects. Here, for example, such a sentence can be composed: “I was relaxing on the veranda when a squirrel fell out of a helicopter flying over me and plopped right into my cup of cappuccino.”

Try to come up with your own proposal or choose the other three objects. For example: scissors, shark, barbecue; book, lemon, circus, etc.

Exercise "I'll say it differently"

This exercise is also for the development of verbal thinking, which is the basis of logical thinking. Come up with some simple, even banal phrase relating to an ordinary event. For example: "We love Friday because it's the last day of the work week."

Now express the same idea, but in different words. The main condition: not a single word from the original phrase should be repeated. How many such new sentences with the same meaning can you make?

Logical thinking is undoubtedly important, and it is impossible to do without it in any area of \u200b\u200blife. But imaginative thinking is no less important.

Figurative thinking and its development

Figurative thinking is controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain, the center of a person is also located there. This, in general, says it all. But the problem is that the right hemisphere is at first ahead of the left in development, and at the age of 3-5 years it dominates in mental activity. But then the active development of the sign function (speech, writing, counting) stimulates the development of the left hemisphere, which is responsible for abstract logical thinking. The activity of the right hemisphere decreases, and figurative thinking fades into the background.

"But what about creativity?" - you ask. That's it. , the development of creative potential is impossible without operations with images. And outside of creativity, this thinking is needed. The ability to reproduce pictures, sounds, smells, movements, analyze them, combine them, and include them in mental and objective activity is associated with it. Moreover, it has been proven that any mental act begins with the birth of images, and proceeds in close connection with them.

What to develop

Returning to the question of the development of figurative thinking, we will determine in which direction to move, what properties and qualities of our psyche need to be developed:

figurative;
operations with images, their analysis, comparison, combination;
imagination, as the ability to create new images;
combinatorial activity - the ability to consciously and purposefully construct images from the elements of what is stored in memory;
to see the qualities and properties of things hidden from logical thinking;
the ability to fantasize.

One of the most effective ways development of imaginative thinking is the occupation of creativity. It helps to constantly keep the right hemisphere in good shape, so many of the exercises contain an element of creativity.

Exercise "Recreating Images"

Most of us are concerned with the accumulation of knowledge. We strive to remember the necessary information, names, dates, numbers, rules. And how often do we try to remember and consciously keep images in memory? Are they less important? For example, the image of an autumn park in your hometown or the face of a loved one, the smell of grandma's pies or the sound of the surf. After all, most often what we remember is random fragments of impressions. Let's try to change this and practice reproducing images.

Let's start simple. Remember the face of someone close to you. Try to reproduce it in detail, remembering every stroke, wrinkle, mole. Now imagine that this person is smiling, sad, frowning, winking at you.

Now let's move on to more complex tasks.

Imagine five colored objects. First, five reds, for example, strawberries, a balloon, etc. Then five oranges, and so on throughout the spectrum. To avoid confusion, write down these seven groups of objects in order.

Imagine an image of a tree you know (birch under the window, maple on the way to work). Try to remember it in detail and pay attention to what time of the year you see this tree. Now imagine how the image will change at another time - autumn, winter, spring, summer. The image of a tree can be replaced by the image of a house or a street, a river or a yard.

Remember and imagine different sounds: 5 sounds of nature (the sound of rain, the rustle of autumn leaves, etc.), 5 sounds of the city, 5 sounds made by animals, 5 sounds of mechanisms.

Remember and imagine in detail some event (holiday, family dinner, meeting with the boss, etc.). Try to remember images of people, furniture, utensils, trying to imagine colors, sounds, taste sensations, and smells.

Exercises "Fantastic Images"

Creative is the "aerobatics" of imaginative thinking, so let's practice creating new images. Of what? And from everything that is in our memory. But to facilitate the process, let's take some basis. For example, sign. This is an attribute of logical thinking, the more interesting it is to use it for the development of figurative thinking.

A sign - it can be a number, a letter, or some kind of mathematical symbol such as an integral - is an abstract object, it does not exist in the objective world. But we will eliminate this injustice. Imagine, for example, the number 4 in the form of a material and living being, endowed with its own characteristics, character, habits, preferences. And write a short story. Try to make the image of the four as realistic as possible. Think about where she lives, what she prefers for dinner, who she is friends with, what she does.

At first, this may seem difficult and even strange. But do not give up, it is our left hemisphere, outraged by the illogical thinking, that blocks the flight of fantasy. Do not let him suppress his imagination, connect him to work. What is more logical for the number 4? What activity suits her better?

You can also create an image of a sound, such as the noise of a vacuum cleaner. What is he - good or evil, warm or cold? What color is the sound of a vacuum cleaner? Why are cats afraid of him? Maybe they see some evil creature? What does it look like?

Games with images are loved by both children and adults, but these are not just games, they are a very powerful tool for the development of our thinking and psyche as a whole. After all, everything that goes beyond the boring and gray routine makes the gears of our brain spin faster. Don't let them rust out of work. After all, even the medieval philosopher Rene Descartes said: “Sogito ergo sum” - “I think, therefore I exist.”

If you decide to develop your thinking, then you need to understand a few basic principles.

First, the brain can develop at any age, it has neuroplasticity. New neural connections can constantly arise, and connections that are not used can be disbanded over time.

The technique is simple. Let me explain with an example.

If, for example, you want to learn how to run fast, then you set yourself such a task, and then start training. You can run every day, or maybe every other day. You form a specific training schedule, gradually increase the load until you reach the physical form you need.

Accordingly, the development model is implemented in such a way that the body receives a load and develops in the direction where the load comes from.

The same with our thinking, the situation is the same, only here you need not to run, but to strain your brain by setting certain tasks for it.

And if you do this constantly, then the “muscle of intelligence” will be pumped similarly with the muscles of the body.

There are two tricks here, on the one hand, you can perform the exercise, which I will discuss below, this is actually the second part of the article.

On the other hand, you can go through a special training program and master the basics and techniques of creative thinking, and apply them to every situation in your life, making them your daily habit.

In this case, your ability to solve complex problems will grow imperceptibly and you will have a powerful mind that will be able to find answers quickly and to the most difficult questions.

Exercises for the development of thinking

However, here you need to decide what tasks you set for yourself. I think that the most difficult thing is to create something new, to find an extraordinary solution to complex problems.

As a rule, our brain acts according to the usual algorithms, it chooses the simplest solution based on past experience or previously known solutions.

People who achieve success, create new businesses and launch interesting products, have a different type of thinking, they are able to think outside the box and find new facets of what is already known.

Therefore, the exercises presented below are aimed at pumping your ability to think outside the box and creatively, the ability to find new ideas.

This is the most valuable thing.

Of course, there are different types of thinking, on the one hand there is creative thinking, analytical and logical.

But, no matter what type of thinking you use, the ability to find new things and create new combinations is the most valuable and sought-after skill.

A cup of coffee

This is a very good exercise that helps to develop the ability to find new solutions.

In general, all our education at school or in higher educational institution built to repeat after others. We see examples, we solve template problems, but we improve the ability to create something new very little.

Therefore, the parts of the brain that are responsible for creating new ideas in ordinary people poorly developed.

This exercise helps close that gap. But it must be done regularly and then it will give a tangible effect. You will learn to see what others do not see, gain the ability to find solutions that are inaccessible to the majority. But all this after a certain amount of training.

So, for starters, take a cup of coffee or some kind of mug. The task will be to find 10 or more non-standard ways to use this item.

How can you use a coffee cup? You can give it to her, you can throw it at someone, you can sell it, you can use it not only for coffee, but for solving other problems, and so on.

At first, the brain begins to throw in the most primitive, simple solutions, there will be several 3-4 of them, but your task is to go further. To find all the extraordinary opportunities, you need to sit and think, reflect, spend time on this, and then you will begin to find the most unusual options that you would not have thought of before.

A cup of coffee is taken as an example. In fact, you can take any items. When you have completed the coffee cup exercise, you can use another object that you have in your home or optionally, you can take an abstract object and come up with unusual ways to use it.

This exercise develops creative thinking and helps you pump up neural connections that will later help you solve a variety of problems.

Exercise is fun and you can do it on your own or with someone. If you have children, then you can try to do this exercise with them, they will like it and help raise geniuses from your children.

Free associations.

This exercise is a bit similar to the first, but its essence is different. Choose an object, it can also be a cup of coffee or a tangerine or anything else that comes to mind.

And think of what associations can be with this object, but a tangerine can have a ball, a glare of the sun ... and so on.

Again, in the first sentence, the brain first slips you the most familiar options, those that are most similar to the original subject and do not immediately appear in your mind.

You need to pass this level, write three or four options that are the easiest and go further to come up with 10 or more associations for one subject.

At first, this exercise may seem a little difficult to you, but the more difficult the exercises for the brain, the more effective it is.

This is where creativity comes in, and your ability to find free associations can help you solve creative problems.

Many problems are solved this way, you just need to find some kind of association and, based on it, already develop a new idea.

You can alternate the first second exercise. That is, at first they thought over how many ways to use a cup of coffee could be found, and then they came up with a number of free associations for the same subject.

Such a combination will be very effective and will certainly give rise to your thinking abilities. Here the main thing is to do it all the time, turn it into a small game and everything will work out, the main thing is not to get bored and not to abandon these exercises in a couple of days.

Games

There are also a lot of games for pumping intelligence. Of course, the most famous is chess and checkers. You can play, it will only benefit.

However, one thing must be taken into account, each action that we perform corresponds to a certain neural connection.

If we train our thinking by playing chess, then accordingly the brain will pump the neural connection that is responsible for playing chess. We can do a great job, checkmate and beat strong opponents. But for solving other problems, for example, for finding new business ideas, this thinking will not work.

I believe that logic games are additional methods that help develop attention, memory and the ability to think strategically. That is, calculating the situation several moves ahead.

If you decide to play chess, for example, then try to develop in yourself going beyond the standard options, think a few steps ahead. Try to remember the location of the pieces and carefully analyze the opponent's actions. In this case, you will get more benefit from the game.

You can also play other games, the main thing is to give a constant load on your brain, then it will be strong in terms of solving various problems.

Here you can draw an analogy with sports, if you pump muscles, then you become stronger. It's the same with intelligence.

P.S.

I specifically did not begin to tell a large number of exercises, the point is not in the quantity, but in how many exercises you will actually do.

Each of them can lead you to a result. Many people are surrounded by books, read a lot of materials, but they don’t do anything.

Do the main thing and you will get a positive effect from this.

If you want to learn more, learn how to pump creative thinking in yourself, find out what are the traps in thinking and actually get some strategies on how to solve problems, how to find new ideas, then we recommend that you take my training course on creative thinking (the course is still under development) . It will be your guide in terms of self-development with your intellect and finding new meanings.

Thinking is one of the most important differences between man and other living beings. What is thinking? Thinking is the ability to think, analyze a situation, draw some conclusions based on observations, and also present information that a person has. A person's behavior very much depends on his way of thinking, and if so, then if we develop thinking, we can change our behavior in various situations, become a slightly different person.

The development of thinking is an exercise in which we change the course of our thoughts about the same object or phenomenon. For example, when it is a hot summer day outside, you can think about it in completely different ways. The first, as mentioned earlier, is simply a statement of fact: "It's a hot summer day outside." Or: "Great weather." Or: "Unbearable heat." Or: "Perfect weather for going to the beach!" There are many ways to talk about a hot summer day, and each of them carries its own emotional coloring, which means it determines our attitude to the weather outside the window and determines further behavior. The same is true of any event that occurs around us.

This is where the biggest problem arises - we always think in the same way that we are used to and do not even think about the possibility of looking at a familiar phenomenon from a different angle.

It turns out a very interesting situation. Thousands of people live with each other, communicate, but at the same time, everyone considers their way of thinking the most correct and the only possible one. At the same time, almost no one even thinks about the fact that you can think differently.

That is why it consists development of thinking it is to learn to think differently, to make your thinking more flexible.

It is very easy to start developing thinking - take some problem that has been bothering you for a long time, but you cannot find a solution to it. Think about it differently, then change your point of view again, and then again and again. In the end, you will find the way that can solve your problem.

In general, the very occurrence of a problem is usually associated with wrong thinking, the wrong approach to solving it.

Ways to develop thinking

Remember the children's tasks, where you need to find a way out of the maze. If you go the wrong way, you will run into a dead end, and you can only come to the exit by returning to one of the forks. In the same way, thinking should be developed.
Look closely at how other people think (speak or write). Try to think like each of them, maybe one of these ways you will like it.
You can also explore the different ways of thinking described in the literature - fiction and psychological.
Try to put together the ways of thinking that you have learned about and based on them, create your own way of thinking, most likely, it will be closest to you.

But most importantly, don't settle for any of the mindsets you've found, as each of them is only suitable for successfully dealing with certain situations.

The meaning of the development of thinking is not to find the ideal way of thinking, but to make your thinking more plastic, as diverse as possible, because the more ways of thinking you have, the more more problems you face, you will be prepared.

It is believed that rich people and poor, happy and unhappy people think completely differently, learn to think differently, develop your thinking and, most likely, find the way of thinking that will help you become successful and happy.