How much thinking do we usually do? Of course, it depends on what you mean by thinking. There might be some activity going on in the brain that doesn't necessarily involve creativity. If you are reading something and trying to understand what you are reading, that could be a form of thinking.
If you are listening to someone talking or holding a conversation, that could also be called thinking.
For the purpose of this piece, I would like to restrict the term ‘thinking’ to mental activity that results in action or in a full exploration of a subject or in an insight or new idea.
How often do people do that sort of thinking?
Our usual thinking activity is to judge or analyse a situation in order to identify it as one which is within our experience. Once we have identified a standard element, then we provide, from stock, the standard response to that standard element.
SIMILARITY
This is similar to a doctor in his or her surgery. When a patient is presented, the doctor takes the history of the ailment, carries out an examination and perhaps orders some tests. This is ‘diagnosis’.
Once the diagnosis has been made and a standard illness identified, then the standard treatment can be applied.
As I explain in my book The Mechanism of Mind, the brain is designed to make and use patterns. Once we recognise the situation, then the routine action can be undertaken.
Sometimes we have to react to situations that appear totally new. We then seek to see whether there is any resemblance to a known situation.
Then there is problem solving. Ultimately this is also a matter of applying elements of known routines but combining them in different ways.
It is only when we are tying to innovate that we are forced to ‘think’ rather than just applying a routine approach
WATCHING YOUR THINKING
How often, if at all, do you watch your thinking in action? How often does part of your mind stand back and watch how the rest of your mind is behaving?
Probably not very often.
It is not very often that anyone thinks about thinking. We do not think about walking or breathing. These things just happen.
Yet to watch our thinking in action can be very helpful and instructive. We can notice our usual habits. We can notice our weaknesses - and we can also notice our strengths.
How do we agree?
How do we disagree?
Do we use concepts much?
How good are we at generating possibilities?
Our judgment skills may be good. Are our design skills as good?
Dealing with everyday matters is not a very good way to develop better thinking skills. The pressures are too great, and the search for a safe routine is simply too attractive.
So I am suggesting a special Forum for the exercise and enjoyment of thinking skills.
The rules for these new THINKING CLUBS are set out below:
MEMBERS
1. No more than eight members. This allows for some members to be absent and for the meeting still to take place. If there are more than eight members, then a second club should be formed. There may be less than eight members, but never more than eight.
TIME AND PLACE
2. A fixed time and place for the meetings. This could be once a week, once a fortnight, or once a month. The time and place should be fixed and should always be the same.
Seeking to adjust to the needs of different members leads to confusion. Discipline is key.
DURATION
3. Each meeting to last from ninety minutes to two hours. Meetings may, however, be longer if agreed in advance.
THEME
4. Each meeting has a theme. This could be to explore a subject fully, to solve a problem, or to make an improvement. There may also be design tasks put before the meeting.
NOTES
5. Members may keep notes or delegate someone to do so.
WEBSITE
6. In time there will be a dedicated website for the clubs. This site will suggest suitable topics for each meeting.
THINKING CLUB
7. The clubs will be known as The Edward de Bono Thinking Club. A registration number will be given to each club.
REGISTRATION
8. There would normally be a US $50 registration fee per annum for each club.
STARTING CLUBS
9. Each member of a Thinking Club is expected to start his or her own Thinking Club. So you belong to the first Club, but also set up your own Club. Members in your Club are expected to set up their own Clubs.
ACTIVITIES
10. Activities, joint sessions, feedback, etc. from the various Clubs will be organised in due course.
PENSIONS
As a first topic you might consider the problem with pensions. In Italy in the 1960s there were three workers supporting every old person. Today there is only 0.6 of a worker to support each of the aged.
As a more frivolous topic, consider how the rules of soccer could be changed in a simple way in order to give much higher scores.
OTHER METHODS
You may have other preferred methods of exercising your thinking.
Playing games such as chess certainly uses thinking, but of a rather restricted sort.
Chess champions have usually not been masters of thinking in their personal lives.
