Think Better Analytically

When and where is the event? How much are you willing to spend on it?

What’s the theme? Figure our what decorations and dress code apply.

Who’s on the guest list? Decide on the form of the invitation and communicate important and need-to-know information to the guests.

What’s the plan for food? Snacks, drinks, main course, dessert, and the volume of each.

What’s the plan for entertainment? Music, games, prizes, etc.

And while you’re at it, make sure you keep an eye on every Murphy’s Law moment that can ruin your plans. Everything that could go wrong with parking, venue, decorations, food, music and more — create a Plan B for EVERYTHING.

Yeah, you can probably say that this is all becoming too much of a party pooper with something that is supposed to be fun as a party, but don’t lose sight of the main objective here — analytical thinking. You can plan an entire event and not host it, but since you’re working so hard, might as well host an unforgettable party! You can also put your analytical thinking and event planning to test.

So don’t lose sight of the goal — analytical thinking is about taking a big decision/concept/event/problem and breaking it down to smaller pieces of in

This is a very useful skill. Of all the benefits of analytical thinking you can google about, the most important is that it rescues you from becoming overwhelmed in many situations. The ability to manage data and then ask the right questions is more than just common sense.

Organize information — and you can slice it a million different ways. Depending on the problem, you can sort it in pretty much any order. For example: Trying to decide on a college will involve organizing data as per test scores, tuition cost, dorm living versus off-campus rental, college location, job opportunities, etc. Trying to decide what to do after having been laid off will involve strategies for networking, updating a resume, looking for relevant positions, connecting with employment

Ask a lot of questions — about the situation, the assumptions, the emotions, the challenges, previous actions, current barriers, consequences and anything that is relevant so that you can really dissect the issue at hand.

Remember, use your analytical skills to decipher what the situation is, break it down into bite-sized chunks, organize and enable your friend to prioritize and create options. Be a mediator or a guide in helping them resolve

At first, the simplest of puzzles and the easy Sudoku level may feel frustratingly slow and confusing. But as you get the hang of what to look for and how to work your way through the challenging bits, you will find yourself trying to set a new record for completing the puzzles.

Now that you have all the relevant information, you can shortlist what you plan to wear for your event.

Be not just any friend, but an

Apparently, they do! It may not be called the Analytical Thinking Period, but the learning process has been designed to incorporate analytical thinking

Analytical thinking is deep, mature and an intentional activity. Just like improving your golf swing, it takes effort, time and practice to significantly improve your thinking and problem solving