Ask HN: How do you improve your analytical thinking? - PirxThePilot
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itamarst
Writing: both learning how to write, and then practicing writing.
Specifically, writing as a way of working through a problem and explaining it.

I talk about this in more detail, and suggest a book to read about writing,
here: [https://codewithoutrules.com/2016/06/15/writing-
book/](https://codewithoutrules.com/2016/06/15/writing-book/)

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ferendzia
Ask yourself questions about structure, purpose and functions of parts you
have spotted in anything in your daily life until you find out that your
partner has a hidden "mute" button, that you just never knew existed and
become excited about the value of analytical thinking.

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jdowner
Mathematics and puzzles/games. Take sudoku for example. It helps you to
practice deductive reasoning. But the important step (I think) is when you
start trying to solve harder problems and turn to math to formalize the
collection of techniques you have accumulate during practice, resulting in
concepts like 'pre-emptive sets'. When you transition from a collection of
techniques to a theoretical foundation, you know have a much deeper
understanding of the problem and how to reason about it.

You could call it 'deep learning'.

But you shouldn't ;)

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cimmanom
Exactly the comment I was going to make.

After playing one puzzle game on commutes for a few weeks, I'll find myself
almost subconsciously doing the same sort of pattern matching against bricks
or tiles or the windows on a high rise. Switch to another game and it becomes
a different sort of pattern matching.

The human brain, of course, is a trainable pattern matching engine. Puzzle
games are great for giving it a workout and teaching it new classes of
patterns. The more casual the game the better. Dots or 2048 or Mah Jong or
whatever.

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matchmike1313
I find it comes naturally when I do the right activities to boost it: code,
reading, discussing complex topics with friends and co-workers, etc.

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bryan11
Read fiction. For me, science fiction broadens perspectives and increases
creativity in ways that apply directly to work.

