#9: Focused And Diffused Thinking

Hi,

I'm happy you want to invest in your brain. That's a smart choice. As always, I've got 4 Brain Nutrients for you:

• One Short Article: Focused And Diffused Thinking

• Two Quotes.

• One Neuroscience Fact: Caffeine Increases the Activity of Dopamine

Enjoy!

One Short Article: Focused And Diffused Thinking

As a student, I made a terrible learning mistake. My preparation for an exam started the night before, although I had months to do it. So usually, I pulled a "one-nighter" with my learning materials and went to the exam. As a C-student, I gladly paid the price for months of doing nothing.

I wish I had avoided all the learning mistakes I've made. They cost me over a decade of stagnation. Over the last three years, I've learned a lot about learning. Let me share it with you in the following several issues.

We know two thinking modes: focused and diffused. As you'll soon find out, both are crucial.

Let's explain the difference through the analogy with a flashlight. Focus is a bright, narrow beam of light. You can see a tiny area clearly. Diffused is broad but dim. You can see a great region but not in detail.

To learn new things, you need to concentrate on the material first. But because of Big Tech companies, our ability to focus is lower than ever. So I've provided a toolkit for focus and a simple visual practice to help you concentrate.

Paying attention to your learning source triggers relevant brain circuits. Focus is crucial to dig deeper into a subject. Without it, you can't grasp complicated concepts.

But staying in a deep focus state for too long has downsides too. It prevents you from seeing the big picture. And we learn through associations. We need to make meaningful connections outside of the learning scope.

When you are stuck, you don't see broadly enough.

How to unstuck? How to boost your creativity and problem-solving ability? Ask the diffused thinking for help. It is a state of relaxation. Allow your mind to be free. Let your thoughts fly. You'll be more creative and link potentially unrelated ideas. Also, you'll come up with better examples and analogies. They speed up comprehension.

Interestingly, the diffused state has also become challenging. Freeing your mind does NOT equal occupying it with something else. We talk about:

• shower

• meditation

• a short nap

• walking/running/cycling

NOT:

• reading

• playing chess

• learning something else

And definitely NOT:

• Netflix

• YouTube

• social media

• video games

Both focused and diffused thinking are crucial. A balance between the two optimizes learning. But concentration is the entry point. Without it, you also waste the diffused state.

Optimal learning is a dance between the two modes. First, your concentration leads. You deep dive with laser-like vision. Then, you take a break to see associations. You find meaningful analogies or examples. With that knowledge, you focus again and make progress. Another break will help you see even more.

The more iterations you can make, the better you will understand.

In the following issues, I'll talk about proven learning methods. They will help you avoid the "Illusion of Competence."

Two Quotes

• "All thought is a feat of association: having what's in front of you bring up something in your mind that you almost didn't know you knew." Robert Frost

• "Information isn't a luxury - it is the very basis of our survival." Tiago Forte, Building a Second Brain.

One Neuroscience Fact: Caffeine Increases the Activity of Dopamine

Caffeine taps into dopamine receptors. It increases their density and function. When working on your goals, caffeine is your friend. It increases your drive and motivation, assuming you don't overdose.

Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Keep your brain in mind.

Kris

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