15 Ways to Think More Clearly

How many times have you felt your brain just shut off? And why does it usually happen just before a memo is due to the boss and you're staring at a blank piece of paper? According to James Thornton, author of The Brain Yields Its Secrets, it isn't that we lose intelligence as we age. It's just that we need to improve our cognitive performance. So take a breather, and check out Thornton's 15 suggestions for thinking better and stirring up our creative juices:

1. Time it right. Most older people think more clearly in the morning; most younger people, in the afternoon. Figure out your own best "thinking time" and reserve it for your most challenging brain work.

2. Get a good education -- but don't overdo it. Psychologist Dean Keith Simonton says schooling has a positive impact on creativity up through the final year of college. Then the progressively narrow focus of graduate school actually detracts from creativity. "You don't become a great novelist by getting a Ph.D. in creative writing."

3. Listen to Confucius. The number one "memory aid" used by memory researchers themselves: Write it down. As the Chinese proverb puts it, the weakest ink lasts longer than the strongest memory.

4. Go for the high octane. Research shows that the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee actually can help you concentrate. But if you're prone to anxiety, you're probably better off not jazzing up your brain with a jolt of java.

5. Anchor new memories to established ones. "Think of your existing memory as a scaffold upon which to fit new information," says University of Michigan cognitive researcher Denise Park, Ph.D. "Don't isolate new information out in left field. Always relate it to something."

6. Practice, practice, practice. Learning and repeatedly practicing new skills appears to change the brain's internal organization. A study showed that periodic training sessions helped volunteers in their 70s do better on cognitive and memory skills than they had when they were seven years younger. "Practice really helps," says Len Giambra, Ph.D., an emeritus psychologist at the National Institute on Aging. "A well-practiced older individual many times will be faster than an unpractised younger individual."

7. Give your ideas a chance. Many of us are rewarded for our abilities to quickly evaluate facts and make a quick "go or no-go" decision. Creativity, demands a much more leisurely and playful approach -- a willingness to give "absurd" ideas their due.

8. Pick an intellectual profession and a smart mate. Intriguing studies from Poland suggest that people whose careers demand an exercise of intellect are more likely to sustain high levels of cognition in their lives. And marrying someone smart may provide you with ongoing stimulation.

9. Expose yourself to multiple experiences. Creativity often boils down to the ability to adapt solutions from one domain to another. Velcro for instance, was inspired by burrs that stick to your clothing. The "pull-tab" top on aluminium cans was originally patterned after a banana's peel.

10. Learn from Leonardo. In his new book, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, author Michael Gelb offers several brain-enriching strategies that worked for the ultimate Renaissance Man. Among them: learning to juggle and drawing with your opposite hand.

11. Pay attention. Do you sometimes find yourself "forgetting" a person's name seconds after meeting her? The problem isn't memory; it's concentration. As we age, we must consciously remind ourselves to put information into our memory banks.

12. Listen to Mozart. An experimental psychologist has found evidence supporting the "Mozart Effect" -- that is, a brain exposed to Wolfgang's music grows more complex connections. This allows faster, integrated access to more information.

13. Exercise the body to improve the mind. An increasing cadre of researchers now believe exercise can increase everything from school performance to nerve conduction velocity. Suspected mechanisms: increased oxygen and nutrient supplied to the brain, plus a boost in natural compounds called neurotrophins, which promote brain cell growth. Some studies show mixed results. But exercise has so many other benefits that it definitely makes sense to do it.

14. Try something new. Near the end of his life, Impressionist painter Henri Matisse revitalized his art by exchanging brushes for scissors, which he used to create a series of brilliant paper cut-outs. Such experimentation appears to be the hallmark of successful creativity, says psychologist Dean Keith Simonton, Ph.D., editor of the Journal of Creative Behaviour. In a study that compared creative people who burn out with those who continue to create, he says, the chief difference was that the latter were constantly exposing themselves to new knowledge, in the process giving them a fresh start.

15. End distractions. If you're bombarded with irrelevant stimuli, it's hard to focus. When you absolutely must do something (complete a report, for instance), try renting a motel room where you can unplug the phone and concentrate.

And don't forget to follow your passion! Recently a Dutch psychologist tried to figure out what separated chess masters from chess grand masters. He subjected groups of each to a battery of tests -- IQ, memory, spatial reasoning. He found no testing difference between them. The only difference: Grand masters simply loved chess more. They had more passion and commitment to it. Passion may be the key to creativity