Travel Notes S2 E3: Thinking on Thinking
Originally published on Medium on December 4, 2018.
The Thinking Stack
I’ve been thinking a lot about thinking recently; why and how decisions are made in personal and professional lives. What are the qualities of a good decision, or ‘good’ thinking? Why do otherwise intelligent people struggle in times of stress? How does the quality of a persons thinking affect those around them?
I’ve come to consider thinking as a stack, with each level achieved allowing a different type of insight. This does not necessarily mean a deeper level of intelligence; more an ability to think differently about the topic in question, to understand broader context, human (emotional) elements and historical imperatives.
Level 1 – First Thoughts
These are our day to day patterns, how we respond to questions, act around others and get sh*t done as part of lifes routines. It may be type 1 (pattern matching) or type 2 (first principles) ’, yet still based around understanding the facts in front of you at that time, processing these and outputting an answer.
Level 2 – Second Thoughts
Second thoughts are a little like applying Kaizen or self improvement to your thinking patterns. You input the same facts for processing as in first thoughts, but rather than simply trusting the correct answer to come out of the conveyor belt of your mind, you question if you are processing those facts in the optimal way and hence look to improve upon that process.
Essentially it is asking the question “why am I thinking in that way to produce that answer”.
Level 3 – Third thoughts
In other circles third thoughts would be considered self awareness. Where second thoughts may be considering the processing of the facts in the context of the current problem, third thoughts consider your approach to the problem in the context of your broader life experiences and current mental state.
It could be described as asking the question “What is the journey I’ve taken to thinking in that way to produce the answer”
The masterful Terry Pratchett once described a similar concept in far more colourful terms than I when he wrote;
“First Thoughts are the everyday thoughts. Everyone has those. Second Thoughts are the thoughts you think about the way you think. People who enjoy thinking have those. Third Thoughts are thoughts that watch the world and think all by themselves. They’re rare, and often troublesome. Listening to them is part of witchcraft.” (A hat full of sky)
So when taking a decision, what level are you playing at? What are you missing? What your current biases? What assumptions have your brought with you from your experience?