PAPERmaking! g FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY ® Volume 9, Number 3, 2023
What Does “Clear Thinking” Actually Mean? The term “clear thinking” is bandied about a lot. But what does it actually mean?
Clear thinking comprises a collection of related skills. Clear thinkers can articulate ideas in an understandable fashion, work logically through problems, infer valid conclusions, and reflect on and account for small details. Fundamentally, clear thinking is about understanding which external conditions encourage lucidity, awareness and concentration and applying the rules of logic and reason to thought-based tasks. Knowing how to structure a sound and valid argument is a big part of the story. But developing consistent habits is equally, if not more, important. 1. Cultivate Mindfulness Mindfulness is a potent tool when it comes to clear thinking. Mindfulness creates “distance” between thoughts, allowing you to evaluate them from an impartial, unemotional position. What’s more, by having greater awareness about your thoughts, you are more likely to notice flaws in your thinking processes and fallacious lines of reasoning. Research into mindfulness is growing rapidly, and studies have demonstrated that mindfulness-based therapies are at least as effective as more established alternatives in some contexts. One easy way of getting started is to set yourself “mindfulness reminders,” which will prompt you to maintain awareness and focus throughout the day. As you might have guessed, there are lots of apps to help with this. 2. Eliminate Distractions Clear thinking requires a certain degree of attentional focus and stability. You need to be able to keep your mind on one thing. If your attention is dispersed because you’re checking WhatsApp messages one moment and reading news stories anot her, then it’s impossible to fully apply yourself to the kind of in -depth discursive reasoning required to work through arguments, process new information, and form valid conclusions. Organizing your room or going on a social media “fast” may be beneficia l over the short term. But to really deal with distractions on an ongoing basis, you need to develop positive long-term habits. Think about ways you can eliminate distractions from your life. Examples might include not using social media during work periods, leaving your mobile phone outside of your office, or blocking news sites during the day. 3. Fuel Your Brain Certain foods, especially refined carbs and those high in added sugar, can cause a state called “brain fog,” in which it becomes difficult to think clearly. What’s more, many healthy foods, including berries, leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds and even dark chocolate, have been linked to increased brain and memory performance. Making healthy diet choices and opting for non-sugary snacks are among the most practical and immediate things you can do to foster clear thinking. Certain vitamins such as B12, iron, and zinc are also directly linked to cognitive health, so it’s also a good idea to check that you’re getting the right amounts of these es sential nutrients.
Article 12 – Thinking Skills
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