I highly recommend this article by Ryan Holiday: 26 Rules to Be a Better Thinker in 2026
I encourage you to read and, per Holiday’s own advice, re-read it.
If you are pressed for time, here are my quick take-a-ways:
Think for yourself. Your first thought is rarely your own. It most likely belongs to someone else.
Always “Take another think.” Why think twice? Because “thin ice” is hidden right in the two words: “Think Twice.
Take walks. In Latin, the idea is known as solvitor ambulando: All problems are solved by walking.
Embrace ambiguity, paradox and contradictions. As F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “The test of a first rate mind is the ability to hold two contradictory ideas in your head at the same time.”
Give up on answers, stick with questions. The future has no definitive answer. It can only be probed with questions.
Watch your information diet–cut out the crap! (Hint: Most social media is crap).
Seek out people who disagree with you. Why? Because while you may be the smartest person in the room, your room is not the world. (A corollary to this idea: Beware of your ego–You and I are not as smart as we like to believe we are.)
Want to think better? Write. You may just catch yourself in the act of thinking. The best way to do this is by creating a second brain. Begin journaling now.
Until next week, keep thinking about the future!
Jack
