Sherlock Holmes is known for being a brilliant detective, but almost anyone can train their mind to think like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous character, simply by emulating the way he behaves. Learn to improve observation and analyze them more effectively. If you are intent on an even greater challenge, you can also build a "mind palace" or "mind attic" to store information.]
Steps
Part 1 of 3: See and Observe
Step 1. Understand the difference between seeing and observing
Watson sees, but Holmes watches. As a result, you probably have the habit of seeing your surroundings without processing essential information. Observing fully the details in a given situation is the first step you need to take if you want to think like Sherlock Holmes.
Step 2. Concentrate and commit seriously
You need to know your limits. The human brain is not structured to perform several tasks at the same time. If you really intend to make significant observations, you cannot be involved in numerous activities simultaneously, as this would take your mind away from thinking.
- By engaging in observation, you will allow the mind to linger longer, training it to solve problems more effectively and efficiently.
- Commitment is actually one of the simplest aspects of observation. All you need to do is focus solely on the problem in question. When making observations, pay attention only to what you are observing. Put the phone on silent mode and don't let your mind wander towards the email you have to write later or the Facebook comment you read an hour ago.
Step 3. Be selective
If you tried to observe everything you see accurately, you would burn yourself down in no time. It is necessary to learn to observe the surrounding environment, but also to select the things on which one's attention is focused.
- Prefer quality over quantity. It is necessary to learn to look at things more deeply, not just look at more things.
- The first thing to do in a given situation is to examine the elements of vital importance and those that are irrelevant. Doing this takes practice, and there is nothing else to do if you want to perfect your ability to discern.
- Once you have determined what the essential aspects are, it is necessary to observe them in detail.
- If the observed elements do not provide you with the information you need, it may be necessary to slowly expand your field of observation to other aspects previously excluded as irrelevant.
Step 4. Be objective
Human beings naturally tend to have prejudices and preconceptions that influence the way they perceive things. If you really want to make important observations, however, you need to dismiss these prejudices and be objective when you look around.
- The brain often captures what it wants to see and interprets it as a fact, when in reality, it is just a perception. Once you record something of a fact, however, it can be difficult to make a different reflection. It is necessary to think objectively when observing, so as not to contaminate the whole of the information collected.
- Remember that observation and deduction are two different stages of the process. When you observe, you do nothing but observe. Only during the deductive phase can you make judgments on the information collected.
Step 5. Look at it as a whole
It is not enough to pay attention only to what you see. Your observations should also extend to the other senses, namely hearing, smell, taste and touch.
It tunes the senses of sight, sound and smell to each other. These three senses are the ones you need to rely on the most, but they are also the ones you take for granted the most. After using them objectively, move on to analyze by touch and taste
Step 6. Meditate
A practical way to practice and develop your observation skills is to meditate for fifteen minutes each day. Meditation can keep your mind sharp and help you not to lose attention on the surrounding environment.
There is no need to completely indulge in meditation. All you have to do is put away the thought of distractions a few minutes a day and increase your mental concentration skills. During meditation you can focus on a specific mental image or on an external image. The main idea is to pay full attention to the object on which you are meditating
Step 7. Challenge yourself
A puzzle once a day, a week, or a month can help improve your observation skills. Find a mystery to solve, but make sure it requires the full use of these skills.
- Another simple challenge is to observe something new every day. For example, you can take a picture every day from a different perspective. Try taking photos that show new perspectives from different angles as the days go by.
- Looking at people is another challenge, simple but formidable, that you can do alone. Start observing elementary details, such as the clothes worn or the way a person walks. Eventually, your observations should include details about body language and the signs detected by specific emotional changes.
Step 8. Take notes
While Sherlock Holmes doesn't need to carry around a pen and paper, as you're working on developing your observation skills, it can be helpful to take notes. Make sure they are so accurate that they recall the various places, sounds and smells of a given situation.
By taking notes, you will force the mind to pay attention to the details of a certain situation. By doing so, you can hope to get to the point where writing them will no longer be necessary. At first, however, this task can help train your mind to observe rather than just see
Part 2 of 3: Develop Deductive Skills
Step 1. Ask questions
Examine everything with a healthy level of skepticism and constantly ask questions about how much you observe, think and feel. Instead of coming directly to the most obvious answer, break down each problem into further questions, finding an answer for each in order to arrive at the most comprehensive solution.
- You should also question each new item collected before storing it in your mind. Ask yourself why it is so important to remember a certain piece of information or how it relates to what you already know.
- To ask important questions, it is also necessary to have a good cultural background. Committed reading and a solid knowledge base will help you tremendously. Study important topics, delve into issues that catch your curiosity, and keep a journal to track your thinking patterns. The more you know, the more you will be able to ask questions of undisputed importance.
Step 2. Know the difference between impossible and improbable
Humanly speaking, it is easy to be tempted to rule out a possibility when it seems unlikely or unlikely. However, these possibilities must be taken into account. Only the impossible - that is, what cannot be true, whatever it is - can be completely discarded.
Step 3. Keep an open mind
Just as it is necessary to get rid of old prejudices when observing a situation, so it is necessary to remove them when analyzing a situation. The things that only you feel do not have the same weight as those that you know or infer. Intuition has its role, but you have to balance it with logic.
- Avoid formulating any theory before you have all the evidence. If you come to a conclusion before collecting and analyzing all the facts, you will pollute the evolutionary process of your reasoning and it will be more difficult to arrive at a precise solution.
- You must learn to submit theories to facts and not vice versa. Collect the facts and discard any ideas or theories that do not fit reality. Try not to make assumptions about possibilities that exist only theoretically and not concretely, especially to make your assumptions work.
Step 4. Talk to a trusted colleague
Even though Sherlock Holmes is a famous genius, his intelligence wouldn't have been so vigorous if Dr. John Watson hadn't helped bring his ideas to life. Find a friend or colleague with a keen insight you can trust and discuss with him or her what you have observed and thought.
- It is important to allow the other person to develop theories and conclusions, without excluding information that you already know to be true.
- If the discussion leads to new ideas that alter your theories, don't hinder it. Don't let pride get in the way of you and the truth.
Step 5. Give your mind a break
Your mind will burn if you continuously leave it set to "Sherlock" mode. Even the great detective takes breaks during particularly grueling cases. By letting my mind rest, I actually improved my ability to formulate precise conclusions in the long run.
Focusing too hard on a problem can lead to your mind becoming worn out and, as a result, you will be processing information with less precision. By giving her the chance to relax, when you return to the problem, you will be able to make continuous unconscious connections, building a seemingly obvious series of thoughts that you would never have guessed before your rest
Part 3 of 3: Build a Memory Palace
Step 1. Know the benefits of the memory palace
A memory palace allows you to organize information in a way that makes it easier to access and easier to remember. Holmes used this technique, but the concept itself actually dates back a long time.
- Officially, this method is called the "loci technique", where loci refers to the Latin plural form of "place". It dates back to ancient Greece and Latin culture.
- Facts and information are remembered through associations with specific physical locations.
Step 2. Build your space
Choose an image that you can represent clearly and in detail in your mind. The place chosen for the memory palace can be placed in some place that you have created or visited in the past.
- A larger space is preferable, as more information can be stored. For example, if you imagine a real palace, you can assign a different room to each element or sector of elements.
- If you choose a place that exists in the real world, make sure you know it well enough to imagine it in great detail.
Step 3. Draw a path
Imagine moving inside your palace of memory. The path should be the same every time and you should practice crossing it often enough so that the environments explored become a second home.
- After setting the route, you need to locate the signs along the way. For example, you can imagine half a dozen chairs or a series of lamps in a long hallway, or recognize each piece of furniture in a dining room or bedroom. Spend time at each point on the route and establish as many signs as possible.
- Even when you don't need your memory palace, you should spend some time walking mentally inside. Keep the details and the path exactly the same every time. You have to make this place as real as any place that exists in the real world.
Step 4. Place key elements along the path
Once you know how to move around your palace of memory, you need to start storing information along the way. Make a picture by placing information in specific locations. As before, practice traveling along the path and accessing that information often enough to get used to the mechanism.
- Use the details identified earlier when assigning information to various parts of your memory palace. For example, if you have imagined a lamp in the corner of a room, you could continue to imagine that a key person turns on the lamp to remember a detail that concerns them.
- Make the details as specific and unusual as possible. In reality, the mind remembers something strange more quickly than what appears too normal or ordinary.
