i-TFTD #270: On Effectiveness and Thinking

#270-1. The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
-Anon

#270-2. To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult.
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

#270-3. If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.
-Peace Pilgrim

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Effective thinking is difficult and rare. Sustained thinking is rarer. Mental fatigue sets in. The chairman of one of the Korean chaebols used the phrase, "Thinking till it hurts". We brood and go over the same set of limited options when confronted with an important decision, usually a personal one. Edward de Bono has written about systematic teaching of better thinking, both logical and lateral. I have found that writing down the options helps my brain to move towards generating more alternatives. "Thinking About Thinking" by K.R. Ravi is a great book that lists many common logical fallacies that we all fall prey to.

You may also want to review earlier posts such as Thoughts on Thinking, On Intelligent Thinking, Thinking Deep and Wide and Degrees of Positive Thinking.