How does practicing creative thinking exercises affect your decision-making process?

If someone gives us a 10% charged battery laptop, we can max work for 1hr, and 50% charged laptop for 1/2 day, and 100% charged laptop; for 1 whole day but if we get a laptop with a charging wire, we can continue to work until the laptop dies. Here laptop is we, the battery is your brain and the charge is the amount of knowledge it has. So as long you keep your brain charged that well your brain works. To gain energy the way we take food for the brain it needs brain exercises. We can boost our brain power by practicing yoga and reading books but the simple and most prominent brain exercise is whenever you want to decide on something, just take a pen & paper and put your thoughts on it. This procedure will improve your brain power gradually.

Fueling the brain with the right nutrients boosts cognitive functions and creativity. Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon and sardines enhance brain health. Blueberries improve memory with antioxidants. Nuts and seeds offer vitamin E for cognitive upkeep. Whole grains provide glucose, crucial for brain energy. Avocados and dark chocolate improve blood flow and mood. Eggs supply essential vitamins for brain function, while broccoli and turmeric, rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, support cognitive health. Green leafy vegetables also contribute valuable nutrients for brain wellness.

Practicing creative thinking exercises helps your brain make new connections and think in different ways. This flexibility is very useful when you need to make quick decisions or come up with new solutions. By doing these exercises regularly, you train your brain to consider more options, leading to better decision-making. You become better at seeing patterns and making connections that aren't immediately obvious, which is important for solving problems effectively.

Is Creative thinking, thinking differently or doing differently? since childhood people have learned to see and do things as it is done. Creativity is seeing things from different perspectives that will drive you to do things differently. At work, a lot of things are still done the same way as they have been done for a few years, if someone does differently, people frame different opinions. When you change your perspective of seeing and doing things differently then you should never focus on bias. One way to erect bias in your decision-making is to know more about the situation or product on which you are making a decision. Enough information will direct you to the right path. The more you know better you become in decision-making.

Absolutely, breaking down cognitive biases is essential for clearer decision-making! For instance, I once facilitated a workshop where we used the "Six Thinking Hats" method by Edward de Bono to tackle a complex problem. Each participant adopted a different perspective—emotional, informational, logical, creative, managerial, and cautionary—which helped us step away from our usual confirmation biases and consider the problem from multiple angles. This exercise not only broadened our understanding but led to a more balanced and innovative solution.

A great example of how creative thinking exercises boost confidence is the use of "mind mapping" techniques. I once led a team through a mind mapping session to explore potential strategies for a new marketing campaign. We started with a central idea and branched out into various elements connected to it, visually laying out different thoughts and how they related to each other. This visual and free-form method of brainstorming helped the team see connections they hadn't considered before and built their confidence in navigating complex projects. By the end of the session, everyone felt more equipped and eager to tackle the campaign, demonstrating how such exercises can empower and embolden decision-making.

Expanding the decision-making horizon through creative thinking is much like the biblical approach of seeking wisdom from a multitude of counselors. Just as Proverbs 15:22 states, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." Similarly, using the "SCAMPER" technique—Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, and Reverse—mimics this principle by inviting multiple perspectives and approaches to address a challenge. This method helps generate diverse solutions, ensuring that you're not confined to conventional choices and echoing the biblical strategy of incorporating a wealth of insights to reach the best decisions.

Comparing a problem with another to see if a known solution can be useful for a new situation can be incredibly productive. Consider similarities with writing a story. There are 7 archetypical plots widely used to say various stories. - Overcoming the monster. - Rags to riches. - The quest. - Voyage and return. - Comedy. - Tragedy. - Rebirth. By the face of it, two stories within a given archetype might have nothing in common. But the steps leading to the resolution can be similar.

I think the saying goes something like "adapt or die." And I've found that to be very true in the business world. If the business or the leaders of the business is not able to adapt to changes in market, clients or anything else it will collapse. And one of best tools to adapt quicklt is to think creatively. When we are faced with something new or unexpected, the faster we can think creatively and create a new outcome or new idea we can adapt that much quicker too.