Mind Performance Hacks

Hack #75. Assemble Your Mental Toolbox

Knowing many mental techniques is good, but having a few "tried and true" mind performance hacks always sharpened and ready to use can be extremely useful.

Despite my familiarity with a wide variety of mental techniques, I sometimes forget to use mind performance hacks when I need them most. For example, many times I could have used hypnosis [Hack #61] for self-motivation, but I simply didn't think of it in the moment. Similarly, in the middle of an argument, it's not easy to remember that the neutral point of view [Hack #64] can be a useful tool for settling disputes.

How can you remember to use mind performance hacks when you need them? You will need to do a little preparation in the form of outlining and memorization, but after that, you need to form only one habit: haul out your mental toolbox in moments of perplexity.

In Action

To create your personal mental toolbox, you'll need to follow five steps:

Inventory your mental tools

The first step is to collect the hacks you find most useful. This book is a good place to start, of course, but many other books are available on becoming a better thinker, and you might have some hacks of your own. Use your catch [Hack #13] to collect your hack inventory as you think of it. These hacks will form the tool part of your toolbox.

Consider which tools work well together

You might want to include a hack in your toolbox because it works well with another hack. For example, the two hacks beginning with H in ...