Sherlock Holmes is known as a genius detective, but most people can train their minds to think like the famous character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle just by imitating the way Sherlock behaves. Teach yourself to make better observations and to analyze those observations more effectively. If you want a bigger challenge, also build a "mind castle" or "mind attic" to store information.
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Part 1 of 3: Watch and Observe
Step 1. Understand the difference between seeing and observing
Watson looked, but Holmes watched. Basically, you may have a habit of looking around without processing basic information. Observing the full details of a situation is the first step you need if you want to think like Sherlock Holmes.
Step 2. Be fully focused and engaged
You have to know your own limits. The human brain is not designed to do many complex things at once. If you really want to make meaningful observations, you can't engage in too many activities at once because it can block your mind from thinking.
- Engaging in observation allows the mind to last longer and trains it to solve problems more effectively and efficiently.
- Staying involved is actually one of the easiest aspects of observing. All you need is to focus on what's in front of your eyes. When you make observations, pay attention only to what you observe. Set your phone on silent and don't let your mind wander to that e-mail to write or the Facebook comment you read an hour ago.
Step 3. Be selective
If you try to observe everything you see in full detail, you will be tired and overwhelmed in no time. You need to learn to observe your surroundings, but you also have to be selective about what to focus on.
- Quality is always more valued than quantity. You have to learn how to observe things thoroughly, not just observe more.
- The first thing to do in a situation is to gauge which areas are vital and which are not. This takes practice, and there aren't many other ways to hone your ability to differentiate between what's important and what's not.
- Once you determine which aspects are important, you must observe them down to the smallest detail.
- If the area you're observing doesn't provide the detail you need, you may need to slowly expand your field of view on other aspects of the situation that you previously determined to be unimportant.
Step 4. Objective
By nature, humans tend to have biases and prejudices that affect the way they view things. However, if you want to make meaningful observations, you must ignore this bias and be objective as you observe your surroundings.
- The brain often perceives what it wants to see as fact, when in fact, it's just a perception. However, once the brain records something as fact, it is difficult to realize otherwise. You must focus on being objective when observing so as not to contaminate an existing set of information.
- Please remember that observing and deduction are two different parts of this process. When you observe, you do nothing but observe. You can only make an assessment of the information gathered at the deduction stage.
Step 5. Make inclusive observations
Don't just pay attention to what you see. Your observations should include a record of your mental and other senses, including hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
Focus adjusts the senses of sight, hearing and smell. You will rely heavily on these three senses and they are the most reliable. Once you can use these three senses objectively, move on to touch and taste
Step 6. Meditation
One practical way to practice and develop the ability to observe is to meditate for fifteen minutes every day. Meditation can keep your mind sharp and help introduce you to the concept of fully focusing on your surroundings.
You don't need to put in extra effort to meditate. All you need is to spend a few minutes a day shutting yourself out of distractions and building the ability to focus. You can focus on one specific image in your mind, or you can focus on an external image during meditation. The main idea is to make sure that whatever it is gets your focus
Step 7. Challenge yourself
Daily, weekly, or monthly puzzles can help you sharpen your powers of observation. Give yourself a mystery to solve, but make sure that the mystery requires full powers of observation.
- One simple challenge you can give yourself is to observe something new every day. For example, take one picture a day from a different perspective. Focus on taking pictures that show new perspectives from everyday locations.
- Caring for others is a powerful but simple challenge you can give yourself. Start with simple details, such as the clothes a person is wearing or the way the person walks. Later, your observations should include details about body language and specific signs of emotional highs.
Step 8. Take notes
Although Sherlock Holmes doesn't need to carry around a notebook and pen, but as you work on developing your powers of observation, notes can be very useful. Make sure your notes are detailed enough that you can remember the different sights, sounds, and smells of a situation.
The process of taking notes forces your mind to pay attention to the situation in detail. Hopefully, you'll reach a point where the notes are no longer important. But for starters, this activity can help direct your mind to observe instead of just looking
Part 2 of 3: Develop Deductive Ability
Step 1. Ask a question
Look at things with healthy skepticism and constantly question what you see, think, and feel. Instead of jumping to the most obvious answer, break down each dilemma into more questions, answering each one so that you arrive at the most comprehensive solution.
- You should also question any information you collect before keeping it in mind. Ask yourself why the information is important enough to remember or how it relates to what you already know.
- In order to ask important questions, you also need to educate yourself well. A thorough understanding of what is read and a solid knowledge base will go a long way. Study important topics, experiment on inquisitive problems, and keep a journal to track your thought patterns. The more you know, the better you will be able to question the things that really matter.
Step 2. Know the difference between impossible and impossible
Because of human nature, you may be tempted to rule out possibilities when they seem impossible or impossible. However, this possibility should be allowed. Only the impossible – which will not be true at all costs – may be completely eliminated.
Step 3. Open your mind
Just as you must remove old biases when observing a situation, you must also discard biases when analyzing a situation. Things that you only feel don't have as much weight as what you know or conclude. Intuition does have a place, but you have to balance intuition with logic.
- Avoid making any theories before you have proof. If you draw conclusions before gathering and analyzing all the facts, you will pollute the thinking process and it will be more difficult to form an accurate solution.
- You have to learn to twist theory to match the facts and not the other way around. Gather facts and discard any ideas or theories that may not fit the facts. Don't make assumptions about possibilities that only exist in theory but don't exist in fact, especially if you're tempted to draw very simplistic conclusions to match previous theories.
Step 4. Talk to a trusted colleague
Although Sherlock Holmes is known to be a genius, his intelligence might be somewhat crippled in the absence of Dr. John Watson came up with the idea. So find a friend or colleague whose intelligence you trust and discuss your observations and conclusions with that person.
- It is important that you allow the partner to form theories and conclusions without discarding information that you already know to be true.
- If your discussion brings new ideas that change theory, let them happen. Don't let prestige keep you from the truth.
Step 5. Give your mind a break
Your mind will be tired if you keep it set in the “Sherlock” setting. Even the great detective himself rested during such a grueling case. Allowing your mind to rest can actually increase its ability to form accurate conclusions in the long run.
Focusing too intensely on a single problem can tire the mind, and as a result, its ability to process information will be reduced. Give your mind a chance to relax and allow it to make steady subconscious connections, so when you come back to the subject, you may notice a clear series of thoughts that you didn't see before the break
Part 3 of 3: Build a Mind Castle
Step 1. Know the benefits of having a mind palace
A “mind palace” or “mind attic” allows you to organize information in a way that makes it accessible and memorable. Holmes uses this technique, but the concept itself goes back a long way.
- Officially, the technique is called the "Loci Method," with loci referring to the Latin plural for "location." This term refers to ancient Greece and Rome.
- Facts and information are remembered by associating them with specific physical locations.
Step 2. Build your space
Choose an image that you can visualize clearly with full details in mind. The place you choose for your mind palace could be a place you created yourself or a place you've been to.
- Bigger space is better because you can store more information. For example, if you are imagining a palace, you could place a separate room for each discipline or subject area.
- If you choose a place that actually exists in the real world, make sure you know the place well enough to visualize it in full detail.
Step 3. Map out a route
Imagine yourself moving around the palace of the mind. The route should be the same every time, and you should practice walking the route often enough that it becomes natural to you.
- Once you have set up a route, you must identify markers along that route. For example, you might imagine half a dozen chairs or a series of lamps along a hallway, or you might identify each piece of furniture in a dining room or bedroom. Spend time at each point along the route and define the markers as much as possible.
- Even if you have no need for a mind palace, you should take time mentally to wander around it. Keep the details and routes exactly the same every time. You have to make the place seem as real to you as the place actually exists in the real world.
Step 4. Place key objects along the route
Once you know how to walk around the palace of the mind, you should start filling in the information along the route you're on. Place the image information in a specific location. As before, practice walking along the route and assessing the information in it frequently so that you become familiar with the action.
- Use the details you defined earlier when placing information in various parts of the mind palace. For example, if you imagine a lamp in the corner of a room, you might depict a key person turning on the lamp in order to remember details relating to that person.
- Make the details specific and unusual. It is easier for the mind to remember something strange than something too normal or ordinary.
