110. How to Think: Why It's Hard, Why It Matters, and How to Do It in an AI World

About this episode

Thinking is supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be messy and fragmented and dead-endy. It's supposed to make us feel vulnerable and like we don't know the answer, the solution, or the idea.

That's the nature of thinking. It's SUPPOSED to be that way.

But more than ever, I see students and professionals quit the thinking process before they've even begun it. They outsource their thinking to AI, falling victim to the ridiculous idea that a faster answer is better than the one you came up with yourself.

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I dive deep into something we could all use a masterclass in: how to think. We talk about what it's supposed to look like (in our heads and in writing), why it's hard, and a whole bunch of strategies and frameworks to make thinking easier and encourage your thoughts to flow. No AI needed (or invited to the party in the first place. humph.).

What You Learn:

• Why thinking is supposed to feel uncomfortable, messy, and slow, and how this discomfort is a sign you're doing it right
• The real danger of outsourcing your thinking to AI, including recent studies showing actual brain atrophy in people who use it regularly (!!)
• Tool-based strategies for externalizing your thoughts and organizing them on paper
• Space-based strategies that create ideal conditions for breakthrough ideas and deeper problem-solving
• How to give yourself permission to sit in the "I don't know" phase long enough to generate something original instead of copping out with generic AI slop
• And most importantly: why you need to care about this. Seriously. You need to care.

Resources Mentioned:

• Episode website with transcript
• ⭐SchoolHabits University: (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)
• ⭐The College Note-Taking Power System (CollegeNoteTakingSystem.com)
• ⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)
• Episode 67 - The Case for Critical Thinking, with Professor Mark Massaro
• How to Do a Mind Map

✏️Get my $47 Note-Taking Course: collegenotetakingsystem.com

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