a Thousand Thoughts
The expression “a thousand thoughts running in my head” is very common to hear. We even experience it often when under extreme stress, may it be exams, an important meeting or any other crucial event in life. Eyes start jumbling, vision sometimes becomes blur, and typically before finishing the first thought, the next one pops up!
Now comes the interesting question, can we make sense out of it ? I believe we can. We can relate this situation to the concept of multi threading. Brain is a phenomenal organ, the processing capacity of brain is just unmatched. But considering pattern of thoughts that emerge, one can think of this situation as in when processor is computing multiple threads simultaneously. So how does the processor make sense out of all these threads ? answer would be “by maintaining states!”
So how one can maintain states of his thoughts ? Personally, I prefer following these steps:
1. Get a writing tool
Let it be rough pen and paper, notes application in smart phone or a whiteboard with markers! Its very important to achieve this first step as soon as possible. Cause brain is not going to stop! So get yourself something to write to on.
2. Starting jotting down high level ideas
The best way to identify high level ideas is by trying to remember everything flashed in your mind in last 5-10 minutes. Anything that pops up within first 40-50 seconds are the ones you’re looking for! Remember: every minute is crucial. These high level thoughts will be headlines. Leave nice and large blank space below each of these.
3. Take a look at each one of them individually and try to figure out details!
Once high level thoughts are sorted out, it’s time to think about details, think about examples, possible implications, and any other detail you might feel important. Remember: don’t forget to note down these! You can abbreviate heavily if you want. Just make sure you would understand it later.
4. Try to link the them
There’s a high probability that the thoughts will be interrelated, by one or the other way. Once all the details are in front of you, they will help take better decisions.
5. Identify action items
Once you have performed all the steps above, think in terms of identifying short term action items for you. By identifying action items, you can plan better!
Thinking is not enough, one must actIn my experience, some of the coolest ideas have come up while I was under stress, and the question how do I make sense out of it was pending since many days. Finally, I’ve come up with a solution that works in my case, and not only following this process gives me pleasure of being productive it also helps reduce the stress! See if helps you too!