Methods to Enhance Cognition and Strengthen Thinking

1. Imitate Excellence

Find outstanding people around you to imitate, copying their thinking, patterns, and behaviors.
When encountering a situation, consider how an excellent person would respond, and boldly apply their thinking model.

2. Wake Up Early to Work

Getting up early can improve life efficiency; staying up late can intensify conspiracy theories and negative emotions.
To change yourself, take crazy action within three to five years, engage in high-density training, switch methods when tired, and keep going without stopping.

3. Shielding Ability

Shielding ability is a top-tier skill—listen less, meet fewer people, avoid crowds, and speak less.
In the era of big data, it’s not only about collecting information but also about learning to shield yourself from unnecessary information.

4. Read Books

Reading is the most cost-effective way to grow; dedicate at least half an hour daily.
Persist for two months, and your knowledge scope and thinking patterns will far surpass those who don’t read.

5. The Forty-Eight Hour Law

Act immediately upon thinking; do not let the desire for perfection cause over-preparation and stagnation.
If a decision is not implemented within forty-eight hours, it will be forgotten; procrastination cannot solve problems.

6. Compound Thinking

Improve by one percent every day, and after a year, you will be thirty-eight times better than now.
Believe that giving enough time to the right things with compound thinking will bring miracles.

7. The 80/20 Principle

Focus eighty percent of your energy on the twenty percent of tasks that matter most.
Prioritize the most important tasks to achieve your goals, and put other tasks aside.

8. Cultivate Hobbies

Develop interests that make you forget time and immerse yourself in them.
Benefits: a fulfilling and happy life, improved focus, and strengthened inner resilience.

9. Knowledge Output

Effective output is not self-indulgent; it involves systematizing input knowledge and expressing it in simple language so everyone can understand.

10. Review and Reflection

Learn to review your actions—ask yourself three questions daily: Did I cherish my time today? Did I make progress? Is there something I can be proud of?

11. Stay Away from Toxic People and Things

Avoid meaningless social interactions and people who constantly drain your energy.
Spend more time with optimistic and positive individuals, and focus your time and energy on self-growth.

12. Overcome Fear

Psychological fears and worries are often unrelated to actual danger and mostly stem from imagination.
When facing fear, do not consider the fear itself but think about what would happen if you overcame it.

13. Regular Decluttering and Letting Go

Break: eliminate worries; Let go: discard unnecessary things; Leave: distance yourself from people who make you uncomfortable.
Cut off unnecessary relationships, discard excess possessions, reduce exhaustion, and focus on what truly matters.

14. Clarify Your Life Mainline

Your life’s mainline should be your inner self; your actions and choices should revolve around it. Others are minor and auxiliary.
An unclear mainline leads to chaos; focusing on the big picture reduces internal friction and self-doubt.

15. Delay Gratification

Quit short videos, games, and other trivial entertainment apps; spend time reading, studying, and obtaining certifications.
Spend two hours before bed or after dinner on learning; sticking to this for two months will show clear improvement.

16. Persist in Exercising

Include activities like running, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, etc.
Long-term exercise boosts vitality, action, and efficiency; exercising the body is equivalent to exercising the brain.

17. Reflect on Your Own Value

Think clearly about what value you can bring to others; this will boost your confidence and eliminate self-doubt.

18. Lower Expectations

Reduce expectations for friends and family; stop being overly sensitive.
Extending your emotional reflection arc on negative emotions makes life much easier.