I hope today’s post helps you become more efficient in work and life, making everything feel more effortless and in control.

1. Engage in Intentional "Mind Wandering" at Night

Many people struggle with their minds becoming overactive at night—either falling into emotional spirals or getting lost in anxieties about the future, which severely affects sleep.

The reasons for this are:

• At night, external information intake is reduced, causing the brain to allocate more resources to internal thoughts.
• After a long day of work, the prefrontal cortex’s ability to suppress thoughts declines, making it harder to control the influx of ideas.

As a result, our brains tend to be more active at night, triggering thoughts we wouldn’t normally entertain during the day, leading to emotional fluctuations.

How can we solve this?
A very effective method is intentional "mind wandering" training to actively manage brain activity.

Here’s what I do: Before bed, I open my notebook and randomly browse through old notes. As I read, I ask myself:

• How does this note connect to other notes?
• What new ideas or insights could emerge from these connections?
• Do I have any new thoughts or questions about this?

This approach forces the brain to focus on external content rather than internal self-reflection and criticism, thus preventing emotional turmoil.

Additionally, this habit fosters a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, making you feel like you’ve gained something from the day. It also tires the brain out, helping to clear accumulated thoughts and making it easier to fall asleep.

If you often struggle with an overactive mind at night or don’t know what to do to improve your sleep, give this method a try.

 

2. Maintain a Daily "Thought Memo"

I have an unshakable habit: whenever I work or study, I always keep a note open as a "thought memo" to record all the fragmented thoughts that arise, for future reference and reuse.

What does this mean? Here are a few simple examples:

• While reading an article, I come across an unfamiliar concept that interests me but isn’t urgent enough to explore immediately—I jot it down and revisit it when I have time.
• While working, I suddenly think of a feasible method for handling a future problem—I note it down to try it out when the time comes.
• In daily life, I encounter potentially useful information, such as a statistic, a helpful tip, a cautionary note, or even details like a store’s poor-tasting drink or a specific route to a location—I quickly record it for future reference.

Likewise, whenever I start a new task, my first step is to search for relevant keywords in this memo to see if I’ve previously noted anything useful or important.

(It’s essential to use digital notes synced between computer and phone for quick keyword searches.)

This method has helped me countless times, allowing me to effortlessly leverage past insights and experiences to solve present challenges efficiently.

I highly recommend this habit to everyone—start using it today!

3. Record Your Daily Progress in One Sentence

I’ve previously mentioned that keeping a journal is incredibly beneficial. It connects your daily experiences into a meaningful narrative, making your life feel more tangible and enhancing your sense of purpose and fulfillment.

However, many people find journaling too time-consuming and tedious. So, here’s a much simpler approach:

Every day, reflect on how you’ve improved compared to the day before, and write it down in one sentence.

Specifically, this could include:

• Learning something new that expands your knowledge and understanding of the world.
• Accomplishing a non-routine task that gives you a sense of achievement and capability.
• Receiving recognition, praise, or encouragement that provides positive reinforcement.
• …

You don’t need to write much—just a concise sentence that allows you to recall what it refers to later.

This small habit will illuminate your days and enrich your life.

 

4. Frequently Activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System

Our body has an autonomic nervous system that regulates our physiological needs. It consists of two branches:

• The sympathetic nervous system, which excites the body to respond to challenges, stress, and tasks.
• The parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the body, aids digestion, conserves energy, and relieves tension.

Ideally, these two systems should balance each other to maintain long-term physical and mental well-being.

However, in our fast-paced lives, we are constantly in a heightened state of excitement and stress. We face numerous challenges, process overwhelming amounts of new information, and worry about the future—keeping our sympathetic nervous system overactive for extended periods.

This prolonged stress state accelerates physical wear and tear, which is harmful to our health.

A crucial habit to adopt is actively stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system to counterbalance stress and allow the body to repair itself.

How can you activate the parasympathetic nervous system? Try these methods:

• Slow, deep breathing – Breathe in for 5 seconds, then exhale for 5 seconds (one full breath every 10 seconds). This increases oxygen levels in the blood, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, and synchronizes breathing with brain waves—quickly inducing a calm state.
• Daydreaming – Do nothing. No phone, no computer, no books. Just sit quietly in a peaceful space and let your mind wander. At first, you might feel restless or bored, but if you persist, your nervous system will shift, and you’ll start to feel deeply relaxed.
• Spending time in nature – Walk in a park or green space, allowing your attention to relax completely. If that’s not possible, watching nature documentaries or scenic videos can have a similar effect.

By consistently practicing these habits daily, you’ll notice a significant improvement in your mental and physical state.

5. When Stuck at Work, Stop and Move Your Hands

I have a foolproof trick: Whenever I hit a bottleneck at work, feel mentally stuck, or need creative inspiration, I don’t force myself to think harder—because that rarely works.

Instead, I stand up and do simple physical tasks, such as:

• Pouring a glass of water
• Organizing my workspace
• Cleaning up
• Tidying objects around me

Most of the time, while doing these small tasks, I suddenly get a flash of insight or a new direction that makes solving the problem much easier.

Why does this work?

When we are deeply focused on a task, we engage convergent thinking—a "point-based" thinking mode that zooms in on a narrow focus, analyzing details but limiting alternative possibilities.

However, when we shift to a simple physical activity, our brain continues unconsciously processing the problem, but in a divergent thinking mode—a "broad" thinking pattern that scans a wider range of ideas, like a searchlight sweeping across the mind.

This shift allows hidden insights and overlooked details to suddenly surface.

Expand this technique further:

If you’re stuck on a difficult problem, don’t immediately force yourself to analyze and solve it. That might backfire.

Instead, let your brain process it in the background—relax, take a walk, eat something, expose yourself to new stimuli, or do unrelated simple tasks.

Often, within just a few days, a breakthrough idea will emerge effortlessly.

 

 

6. Enhance Learning Effectiveness Through Questioning

Many people engage in passive learning, where they absorb information without actively processing it. However, this is not the most effective approach.

A far better method is to activate your learning through questioning.

Why does this work?

When you ask questions, your brain’s alertness system and predictive processing system are activated. This helps your brain encode information more effectively and store it in the right mental categories, making it easier to internalize and retain knowledge.

How to apply this technique:

• Before reading an article, pause and ask yourself:
• What do I already know about this topic?
• What else do I want to learn from this?
• While reading a book, when you come across a question or chapter title, don't rush to read further. Instead, ask:
• How would I answer this question?
• What are my thoughts and opinions on this?
• When learning a new concept, go beyond the surface and ask:
• What does this knowledge mean to me?
• How can it help solve my problems or clarify my doubts?

This simple habit multiplies your learning efficiency, helping you grasp new information much faster and more deeply.

7. Change Your Environment When Doing Important Work

The brain has two fundamental traits:

1. It creates connections between things.
2. It notices novelty and pays more attention to new stimuli.

By leveraging these two traits, you can adopt a powerful technique:

👉 When tackling important tasks, try working in a new environment.

Why does this work?

Being in a fresh environment highly stimulates the brain, which:

• Enhances focus – Your brain re-evaluates its usual thought patterns and behaviors, making you more attentive and reducing errors.
• Improves memory and learning – Your brain links new knowledge to environmental cues, helping you store and recall information better.

Practical ways to apply this:

• If you usually study at home but need to prepare for an exam, go to a different place like a café, library, or study room.
• Create "artificial novelty" by:
• Changing your seating position frequently to keep your brain alert.
• Rearranging your workspace decor occasionally to refresh your environment.
• Associating different locations with different tasks (e.g., a library for deep reading, a café for creative work).

By maximizing environmental stimulation, you can supercharge your productivity and learning efficiency.

 

8. Use Easily Accessible Reminders

A common challenge people face is:
"I’ve learned so many great methods, but how do I actually apply them in daily life and change my thinking habits?"

The solution is surprisingly simple—just three steps:

1️⃣ Pick 1–3 techniques you want to practice.
2️⃣ Place them somewhere easily visible.
3️⃣ Consciously repeat and reinforce them.

How to apply this:

• If you learn a note-taking technique, write it on a sticky note, place it on your desk, set it as your phone wallpaper, or pin it in your notes app. This ensures you see it whenever you need to take notes.
• If you want to try a new work process, list the steps and stick them to your computer screen or workflow software. This way, you’ll see them instantly when working.
• If you tend to be careless at work, create a simple checklist and place it where you’ll notice it after finishing a task, reminding you to double-check your work.

💡 Pro tip: The brain ignores things that stay in the same place for too long. So, change the reminder's location every 2–4 weeks to keep it fresh and effective (similar to Tip #7).

9. Write Briefly to Express Your Thoughts

Every day, you encounter new events, ideas, and information. You likely have opinions and insights, but often, these thoughts come and go without deeper reflection.

👉 To sharpen your thinking, turn your thoughts into short written reflections.

What can you write about?

• Your perspective on news and social events.
• Your thoughts after reading a book.
• Your impressions after watching a movie.
• Your understanding of an article or a concept.

No need for long, polished essays. Just 200–1,000 words to clearly express your thoughts.

💡 But what if I think my opinions are too simple?
That doesn’t matter—you’re writing for yourself, not for others.

This practice trains your brain. The more you think, process, and articulate, the stronger your cognitive abilities become.

🧠 This is one of the most effective, high-ROI ways to become smarter.

Hope today’s  post  help you! 🚀