How to Think About Thinking.
This is how your brain handles complex problems - first it thinks up a ton of possible solutions. We’ll call this part “creative”. Then it evaluates those solutions to choose the best one. We’ll call that part “logic”.
Two different parts. Two totally opposite functions. Both working together with equal importance. But there is something else they share - the ability to improve with practice or deteriorate from lack of use.
If your logic wasn’t working to potential, that’d be bad, right? I mean, it’s only logical that we really depend on logic to pick some really good answers to life’s problems (especially the complicated ones). So it gets developed like crazy when we’re little, worked like mad in school as we grow up, and gets lots of practice and attention as adults.
But what about the first part which serves up all those potential solutions? Creative doesn’t get nearly the same attention. Partly because Logic seems so terrifyingly important to us. And partly because creative thinking’s been culturally pigeonholed to mean “artistic” thinking.
If your creative thinking is weak, that’s bad, too. Remember, logic and creative have to work together to solve puzzling problems. So if logic needs to choose the best solution, how can it if creative isn’t giving it lots of good options to choose from? Here’s a silly, simplified scenario - your car is in the shop and you really need to get to work. An underperforming creative function hands logic three options: walking, sprinting, and having your spouse carry you there. Logic then shrugs and chooses walking, the better of the three. But if creative thinking were optimal, there would have been more solutions to choose from like calling a cab, taking the bus, biking, or getting a ride from a friend. All of these options weren't considered by logic because they weren’t offered.
The good news is that you can improve the creative function of your brain. And the better news is, it's WAY more fun than working on the logic part. And that's important when it comes to kids. Logic wants to toil over analyzing data to find a single correct answer. Creative wants to brainstorm a range of 'What If' possibilities where results are unknown. Creative isn't about being right or wrong, it's about the ability to keep on going! The even better news? Improving creative thinking is possible for any human, at any age. (Although it's a lot easier to start when you're a kid.)