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Two Thinking Modes to Help You Become a Better Problem-Solver
Unlock the power of your mind.
Have you ever found yourself trapped in the frustrating cycle of trying to “think even harder” to crack complex problems, only to be left empty-minded and no closer to a solution?
If so, you’re not alone.
Many people don’t know that our brains operate in two distinct modes of thinking — the focused mode and the diffuse mode.
As a former teacher and learning science nerd, I always look for evidence-based strategies that help people learn smarter (not harder). Understanding how to harness these two modes can help you become better at understanding and solving complex problems.
Understanding The Difference Between Two Modes of Thinking
In 2013, prepping for my macroeconomics exam at Goethe University in Frankfurt, I constantly faced tasks that seemed to go beyond my mental capacity. I felt anxiety looking at problem sets like the one below, annoyed by the need to analyze short-run outcomes for an economy with fixed prices and understand the effects of a foreign economic crisis.
