LIFE HACKS FOR

LEFT BRAIN THINKERS

Those who identify as “left-brain” thinkers

tend to be more on the analytic and logical

side of the spectrum of thought. Law, finance,

engineering and the sciences are some of

the many industries that those analytical

types tend to fall into.

But in an age of innovation, those more

systematic thinkers might need a kick-start

for creativity to keep up. While there are

distinct verbal and analytic styles of thinking

associated with different hemispheres of the

brain, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t able

to delve into more creative areas.

Unfortunately, a large portion of the

population believes left-brain thinkers

struggle with creativity or aren’t able to

generate new ideas. While one might

become set in a pattern, it is still possible to

break out of this limited method of thinking.

Author Daniel Coyle’s book The Talent Code

describes in detail what physically happens

to the brain when someone develops a new

skill. In order to properly build up your brain

to receive and keep new thought processes,

knowledge and skills, Coyle calls for a need

of what he names deep practice, which is

exactly what it sounds like: practice.

Learning and performing a new action

involves firing an electrical signal through a

neural pathway.

Every time this happens, it thickens the

myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers. The

thicker the myelin sheath around the neural

pathway, the more easily and effectively we

use it.

What are ways we can “hack” our right-side

brain and begin to let it out of the box? Some

tips to start thinking creatively are simple:

Sign your name in the way you’ve

developed, then re-sign it—backwards. Just

the mere motion of attempting to break out

of what you would normally do fires the right

brain hemisphere. Try signing your name in

different writing styles. Upside down. In a

spiral. In loops. Repeat this until you are able

to sign in all different designs and directions.

The right hemisphere aids in your ability to

move in an unfamiliar way—such as dance.

Just as we must take steps to learn new

moves—a yoga position, a straighter posture,

or running style—our brains must use a similar

process to learn how to think differently.

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