15 Ways to Think Better

1. 1  Time it Right:  Children and teenagers think better in the afternoon.  Adults think better in the morning.  Save your most hardest work for the time in the day that you think the best.
2. 2  Get a good education- but don't overdo it:  Physiologist Dean Simonton says schooling has a positive influence on creativity through the final year of college.  Then the progressively narrow focus of gradate school actually detracts from creativity.
3. 3  Listen to Confucius: the number 1 "memory aid" used by memory researchers themselves: write it down.  As the Chinese proverb puts it, the weakest ink lasts longer than the strongest memory.
4. 4  Go for the high octane: Research shows that the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee actually can help you concentrate.  But if you're prone to anxiety, you're better off not jazzing up your brain with a jolt of java.
5. 5  Anchor new memories to established ones:  "Think of your existing memory as a scaffold upon which to fit new information," says university of Michigan cognitive researcher Denise park, Ph.D. "Don't isolate new information out in left field. Always relate it to something."
6. 6  Practice, practice, practice:  Learning and repeatedly practicing new skills appears to change the brain's internal organization.  Many people say that people in their 60's may be able to think better if they practiced once a week then a seven year old who never practiced.
7. 7  Give your ideas a chance:  Many of us are rewarded for our ability to make a go or no-go decision quickly.  Give your stupid absurd ideas a chance.
8. 8  Pick an intelligent profession- and mate:  Intriguing studies from Poland suggest that people whose job demand an exercise of intelligent and more likely to sustain high level of cognition in life.  Marrying someone intellegent may provide you with an ongoing stimulation.
9. 9  Expose yourself to multiple experiences: Creativity often boils down to the ability to adapt solutions from another domain to another.  Velcro, for instance, was inspired by burrs that stick to your clothing.  The "pull-tab" top on aluminum can was originally patterned after a banana's peel.
10. 10  Learn from Leonardo:  In his new book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, author Michael Gelb offers several brain-enriching strategies that worked for the ultimate renaissance man.
11. 11  Pay attention:  As we age, we must consciously remind ourselves to put information into our memory banks.
12. 12  Listen to Motzart:  An experimental psychologist has found evidence that supporting the "Mozart Effect"- that is, a brain exposed to Wolfgang's music grows more complex connections.  This allows faster, integrated access to more information.
13. 13  Exercise the body to improve the brain:  When you exercise you not only work out your body you work out your nerves.  This allows you to process information quicker.  This way you become smarter.
14. 14  try something new:  Experiments that are completely different different from what you're used to appear to improve creativity
15. 15  End distractions:  If you're trying to get something important done, don't let anything distract you.  Go to a motel and unplug the phone if you have to.