Multiple Thinking Focuses

In an earlier post, we discussed the importance of thinking Focuses, as shown by Edward DeBono in his book Serious Creativity: Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to Create New Ideas.

We now move to the topic of breaking down the thinking Focus into various Subfocuses, or subtasks. This is simply a case of seeing what the components (or pieces), of the thinking Focus might be. Thus if I was to focus on "Romance with my wife", then a few subfocuses might be "places to take her", "Things to write her", "Things to buy her", "Activities to do with her"...you get the idea!

Advantages of Subfocuses
Subfocuses can be very powerful. A few advantages of subfocuses are as follows:

1) They give sharp focus to specific tasks
The best thinking is clear thinking. And the way to get clear thinking is by being precise and specific (as opposed to hazy and unclear). A subfocus will give you more clarity and precision in your thinking, as the item that you think about will be clearer and discrete.

2) They open up new things to think about
If you break a Focus down into subfocuses, you may well come up with new areas to think about, that you would not have seen otherwise. For example, if you thought of a Focus such as "Romance with my her", then some subfocuses could be: "Making her feel special", "Places to take her", "Things to give her", "Activities to do together", "Things to buy for her".

By simply breaking down this Focus into the subfocuses, you now have new things to think about, and potentially many new ideas within those subfocuses

3) Subfocuses make thinking easier
Thinking about big, complex matters is more difficult than thinking about simpler, more discrete items. So to use the above example, thinking about "Romance with my wife" is not as easy as, say, "Places to take her". And dare I say it, often we don't think, because we're daunted by the complexity of what we're trying to think about: if it's too hard, too complex, then we don't think as clearly, or as well, as we should. That is why the best thinkers are those that are able to take complex, difficult problems, and turn them into understandable concepts (subfocuses), as well as explaining them in simple to understand terms to others.

Make it a habit to turn a Focus into Subfocuses
If you consistently turn a Focus into Subfocuses, you will gain clarity and insight into your thinking. Even if you don't need subfocuses, it is still a helpful exercise, as it helps you look at the thinking Focus from new angles.

We need to commit to thinking

In the June 2008 edition of Leadership Wired, author John Maxwell blasts those leaders who do not commit to regular, deliberate thinking.

He says that "when a leader is all action, it's only a matter of time until he or she falls behind, steers off course, and surrenders the reins of leadership."

Wow. What a strong thing to say. Either you commit to regular thinking (and not just action - although action is good and necessary), or else you become less effective as a leader (and as a human being, I would add).

Maxwell then quotes author Gordon MacDonald, who has this very thought provoking thing to say:

"In our pressurized society, people who are out of shape mentally usually fall victim to ideas and systems that are destructive to the human spirit and to the human relationship. They are victimized because they have not taught themselves how to think, nor have they set themselves to the lifelong pursuit of the mind. Not having the faculty of a strong mind, they grow dependant upon the thoughts and opinions of others."

What a beautiful quote!

It speaks a lot to the importance of developing the habit of thinking. Because if we can think clearly for ourselves, then we don't have to be dependant on other people doing the thinking for us....eg marketers, politicians etc.

If we can think for ourselves, then we can make more informed and better decisions about life, and be more effective in the way that we live our life.

Otherwise, we can find ourselves making poor decisions, and doing things that have negative consequences, simply because we have not thought through what is best.

Or worse still, we will just do what everybody else is doing (which is not always good), because we are too lazy/unable to think for ourselves.

So how do you develop the habit of thinking? How can you become a deliberate thinker? I'll be sharing my thoughts on this topic in the next post.

Until then, keep thinking.