7 Super Easy Steps to Developing an Analytical Mindset

Do you want to know how to develop an analytical mindset that will stand the test of time and make you the very best at what you do?

If so, then read on because I am going to show you the step-by-step process for developing your mindset so you can cut right through every detail of your craft and rise to the top.

Let’s go!

Step 1: Read More

As the old saying goes, readers are leaders.

Here’s the deal:

When you read, you collect information that no one else collects if they don’t read the books.

Hence, you get an insider’s edge as to what works in your field and what doesn’t work in your field.

This distinguishes you from other people who don’t have the expertise to properly analyze problems that would require knowledge obtained from these books.

Additionally, you will stimulate your mind to the point where you might develop a new perspective towards solving a problem.

Often, books do this (particularly if they are in different subjects from what you practice); hence, you can think outside of the box about things when need be.

This is where you can gain an outside perspective in solving a problem that could explain why something happened.

If you are in doubt, think of this:

What do most people do all day?

You’re probably right.

Now, think of this:

How many times have you heard a thoughtful opinion from one of these people?

Very rarely if ever.

So this should already be a sign that what most people are doing should be avoided.

Now consider this:

Almost every person who has accumulated outstanding success in what they do testify that books were the gateway for them to acquire the knowledge they needed to pursue their endeavors.

Is this a stark difference from what most people do?

Absolutely.

And who comes up with the most informative opinions?

Exactly.

When you read, you look forward to what can happen, not dilly dally with the past in what happened on some random Netflix sitcom that will not matter a year or two from now (like really, it’s not like it’s Seinfeld).

When you read, you focus on what problems you can solve and how you are going to solve them in a variety of ways.

You will not get confused in any way as to why something is doing what it’s doing.

You’ll know why something is happening and be able to tackle the problem effectively.

This is the essence of an analytical mindset.

You are focused on solving problems instead of dwelling on problems.

That’s what the world needs more of today; problem solvers instead of problem creators.

We have WAY too many of the latter folks.

So don’t fall victim to being one of the latter folks.

Now here is something you should ALWAYS do when you decide to become an analytical person.

Step 2: Turn Off The News

This is an old classic.

Here’s what the media tries to do to you:

They try to act authoritatively so that you believe what they are telling you.

Using this credibility and the trust they “earned” from you, they feed you with things they want you to believe, knowing that you are more likely to believe them because they established their proof of value.

Hence, they can feed you all of the propaganda they want with the hope that you will never realize that what they are telling you isn’t true at all.

This is how media companies influence voters to vote for certain candidates in elections in addition to how certain countries get people to buy into their ideologies (particularly when other people follow them as well) and follow them without even questioning whether they are telling the truth or not.

Essentially, they use their authority to get people to follow them, and then as they get more people to follow them, they use the fact that other people vouch for them to get others to follow them as well.

This is dangerous to fall victim to.

When you do this, you get internally pressured to follow the group since most people are doing it and hence, they have to be “right.”

Hence, you don’t even think about questioning what the “leader” is doing to you.

And this is how the media gets people to follow them even though they lie all of the time.

Hence, why you shouldn’t watch the news (there are exceptions of course like a Hurricane Advisory).

Many side effects come about if you keep the news like the ones listed in this article here.

So for your safety, PLEASE do not turn on your morning news and instead, resort to well-regarded books on the topic of most interest to you (or you are in most need of learning) to be informed.

Instead of watching the news, do this:

Step 3: Question What You Hear and See

• 

That’s right.

Question.

This is the key to forming your own opinions about things.

If you don’t question, you are blindly following someone else’s opinion without verifying what they are telling you to be true or not.

Not questioning is the mark of being a conformist, and you certainly don’t want to become this since you’ll put your fate into someone else’s hands.

Chances are, this someone else doesn’t have your best interests at heart.

If you don’t get this, consider this scenario:

If you are a guy, have you ever seen a hot girl and get that curiosity when you look at her?

Did you second guess her attractiveness?

Did you assume that she was smart?

If you said yes to the last question, you fell victim to not questioning your circumstances.

You see, people make something look good to tailor to your biological preferences and expectations, and hence, they virtually eliminate all logic from your attention (aka the purchase), especially if the item is low-priced.

With a hot girl, the fact that she looks hot makes you emotional in that since she is already providing you something you want to see, you automatically feel obligated to return the favor to her and reciprocate without even getting to know her and seeing if her values line up with yours.

This is what some women (not all women) do to trick men into getting into a relationship with them so they can take all of the man’s possessions and not be held legally responsible for it.

If you questioned what her motives are and why she is looking pretty and remained logical about the situation instead of being caught up in the “love” feeling, you would’ve realized what she was up to and you would run away fast.

This what you do when you question a situation.

Don’t get too emotional about things, take a logical approach as to why she’s doing what she’s doing, and then make an educated guess about her based on the values you both share and how your downside stands as a result of entering into a relationship with her.

And this applies to any situation.

Don’t get too emotional, be logical, see if your downside is hurt in the situation and, of course, exercise a bit of common sense with the help of your gut.

This will help you straighten up your act if it isn’t.

And here is another thing that will help you question everything around you:

Step 4: Don’t Make Assumptions

Making assumptions is a lethal mistake to avoid.

Let me explain.

Humans naturally judge a book by its cover.

Hence, they automatically eliminate the thought of investigating the source further.

Either of the following 2 scenarios occurs as a result:

1. They get tricked into buying something that isn’t up to par as advertised

2. They miss out on the opportunity to buy something more valuable to them than everyone else

This leads to terrible decisions in many areas of life like business, relationships, dieting, where to go on vacation, etc.

To prove this point further, let me paint you a realistic picture here:

Read the statistic on the headline for this article here.

That’s right. 

1 in 5 hires is successful.

Now read this article here.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that employers judge a book by its cover.

But yet, only 1 out of 5 employees are successful.

You would wonder, why is that the case?

Not enough research.

Not looking beyond the resume and not looking beyond how the person does in an interview.

They chose based on looks.

Huge mistake and a waste of money and time as you can see.

This proves that to analyze if something is worth your time, you have to analyze every detail of the matter.

Every move, every fact.

Nothing less.

So do this for everything that you see and you will be in FAR better shape as a result.

Now here is something that will make you a true genius:

Step 5: Do More Things

As the old saying goes, we learn more from doing.

Here’s the thing:

When we do more things, we gain experience with what we do and we learn the details of what works and what doesn’t work.

This lends itself to true mastery of our craft.

It is through repeated practice from doing things that we become experts at what we do.

Have you ever seen someone become great at a sport without actually practicing and playing the sport?

Exactly.

Without the experience of playing the sport, you can’t analyze the little details as to how you can throw a football when you have 3 linebackers blocking you.

This can mean the difference between getting to the playoffs versus being the worst team in the league.

Likewise, when you practice the piano, you can learn the different nuances of how to properly move your fingers so you can play the notes correctly.

This is something you can’t get from books.

That’s why doing things instead of reading about them gives you an edge when it comes to analyzing what went right, what went wrong, and how you can adjust for next time.

And when you put in the extra work to practice your craft, you can gain even more knowledge than everyone else in what you are doing.

Combined with consistency and effort, you will stand to gain a level of mastery that very few people will achieve.

And hence, you’ll become a valuable commodity.

So, if your gut is telling you to do more things, do more things.

I guarantee that you won’t regret it.

Now here is a super trick of the ultra-productive:

Step 6: Write Things Down

Writing things down is proven to help you retain more, learn more, and do better at everything that you do.

In a study done by Princeton University and UCLA, they found that students who wrote down their notes outperformed those who took their notes with a laptop.

Why?

Because handwriting notes makes you shape the material the way you want to shape it.

It crystallizes the thoughts in your mind in a way that typing onto a computer wouldn’t.

Essentially, when you write something down, your mind is forced to come up with its own interpretations as to how the material came to be in a way that it can understand.

This is why simply reading someone else’s notes without taking down the notes works against you.

Your mind isn’t as engaged in the process as it would be otherwise.

Hence, you retain less of what you learn.

As a result, you forget more things.

And when you forget more things, you can’t analyze the nuances of what you are doing and you do not become an expert at what you do.

This is super dangerous, especially since the next guy up could have spent hours writing down everything he needs to write down so he can become proficient at what he does.

And do you know who is going to become the expert?

That’s right. The other guy.

Do you want that to happen?

I thought so.

And if you are not sold on this, try this:

Write down everything that you are taking note of in this post with a pencil and paper.

Then, try reading something else of your choosing without taking notes at all.

Quiz yourself on the content of each piece and you will find that you will score higher if you take your notes down by hand.

I guarantee it, friend.

And last, but certainly not least:

Step 7: Live To Develop an Analytical Mindset

The more you live the more you know, pal.

The only way to analyze life is to live life as it comes.

Because as one wise man said, life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you can miss it.

So live a little 😉

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Now go analyze your life and live your life!

Until next time,

This is Evan signing off.

PS: Comment below with what you got out of the post. It’d be great to know!