8 Cheat Codes To Becoming A Clear Thinker
It’s 5:30 AM, September 3rd.
I’m covered underneath my blanket, shaking in the middle of a massive panic attack.
I’m trying to remind myself of all the Stoic mantras and quotes - but nothing seems to help.
My mind is too messed up to get myself into thinking straight.
And at that point, I realize that clear thinking is a real superpower.
Especially in the writing world.
Look at these people:
Sahil Bloom? Clear thinker. Dickie Bush? Clear thinker. Dan Koe? Damn clear thinker.
When you’re a clear thinker, you’re able to turn your problems into advantages. You can turn problems into content ideas. Into genius thoughts that resonate with your audience.
Also, when you’re a clear thinker, it inevitably prints into your writing.
That’s why in this issue, we’ll discuss tools that will make you a clearer thinker (and along with that a better writer):
1.🧱 The Building Blocks
I tied your mind closer to your body than you might think.
If you feel stuck in your limiting thought patterns, you need to focus on changing your physiology first and changing your psychology afterward.
Do these:
sleep 8 hours/night
drink a lot of water (Jay, I know you’re reading this)
spend time on sunlight (my favorite one)
eat healthy 80% of the time
These are just the basics.
But in 99% of the cases, basics figure out 99% of the problem.
2.🏋️ Be Aware
“Until you make unconscious conscious, it will guide you through life and you’ll call it fate”.
- Carl Jung
If we could be more conscious of our thoughts and emotions, it would be much easier to operate with them (and to think clearly, of course).
Good news: You can train it with The Big 3:
5 min mediation (a very important one)
5 min journaling (helps you gain perspective)
5 things you’re grateful for
Less than 15 minutes every day will lead to massive changes in your brain in just a few months (backed by research).
3. 🔎Zoom in
Hard pill to swallow:
Your problems exist only in the past or in the future.
But they’re never here, right now, in the present moment.
If you learn to focus on the present moment, you’ll realize that the problems you have are not as heavy as they might seem.
You’ll feel the pressure releasing.
You’ll create more space for good thoughts.
If you want to become more present on daily basis…
Meditate.
Every. Single. Day.
Or…
4.🚶♀️Go For A Walk
When you go for a walk, it changes your physiology. Once you change that, changing psychology is easier.
Also, walking outside works as a tremendous reminder of how pleasurable the present moment is.
Also, it turns on the so-called “diffused mode” in your mind.
This is a mode where you’re not focusing on anything particular.
This allows your mind to come up with more creative & original thought patterns - and also get out of the old, limiting ones.
5.❓Question Your Assumptions
Long-term problems are just questions asked in the wrong way.” - Alan Watts
To reframe your perception of a problem, you need to ask different questions.
Here’s the Twitter thread with probably all questions you’ll ever need:
6. 🥑 Polish your consumption
Your thoughts are a sum of what you consume.
If you ever notice that your thoughts are not in the direction you want them to be, it’s time to change up your consumption habits.
Read news → Read tweets from big creators
Watch news → Watch YouTube videos from Ali Abdal or Dan Koe
Watch series on Netflix → Watch a documentary on Netflix
Talk to a toxic friend → Jump on a zoom call with a Twitter friend
There’s always a healthier version.
Make sure you choose it most of the time.
7. ✍️ Write
Yes.
Clear thinking = good writing.
But this is an endless flywheel that works from the opposite direction - clear thinking can also come from writing.
When you get your thoughts/emotions down to a page, a few things happen:
a) You can turn it into a post (dang, that’s the best one, isn’t it?)
b) You’ll see things objectively
Seeing things objectively = seeing things from a logical perspective, not an emotional one.
Writing detaches your emotions from the situation.
🛠️ Get the right toolkit
Now the engine is ready, you need the right toolkit.
This includes learning about spirituality & philosophy.
You might be close-minded about these topics - I used to be as well.
But as Dan Koe says: These are just lens you can see in the world.
Very clear lens.
Here are some people whose content I enjoyed:
Alan Watts (I like his Twitter account - well not really his, but he also has good stuff on YouTube)
Matt (idk the last name lol)
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Alright, that’s it my friends!
If this newsletter helped you become a clear thinker, you can forward it to a friend.
See you next week!