10 Mind Flexibility Exercises

“Knowledge is power” – we learn from childhood. The problem is that knowledge can also become a brake on our path if we make it absolute. To one degree or another, everyone is guilty of this. It is human nature to avoid the unexpected, to prefer certainty.

But we are doomed to live in a complex, changeable and uncertain world. Whoever we are, we have to deal with the unknown, in which what we know and consider true, correct, does not work. Confidence becomes blinders.

More flexibility, openness to new things, and the ability to doubt are needed, write two well-known business consultants, Stephen D’Souza and Diana Renner, in their book “Knowing is not power. How Doubt Helps Us Grow? They developed some simple practices to help develop the experimental mind of a scientist, as well as the mind of an anthropologist.

A scientist designs experiments in which he tests hypotheses, shares results, looks for patterns, and is open to alternative explanations. The anthropologist is acutely aware of everything that is going on around him, he is extremely attentive. This is not a detached observer – he knows his own prejudices, not only the prejudices of others.

If you try some of these exercises, give yourself time to reflect on the new experience. It is useful to take notes or keep a diary. An experience that seemed meaningless the first time can be impressive on the second try. The repetition will give it depth and strength. Sometimes only repeated repetition, prolonged practice leads to insights and improvement, write D’Souza and Renner. The main thing is to enjoy these experiments. People learn best by “frolicking and playing.”

1. Start learning

A good way to strengthen your “beginner’s mind” is to discuss what you know well with people who do not understand it at all, or even start teaching them. It can be employees, newcomers to the profession, or just friends.

If you’re brave enough, volunteer to teach a lesson at a school or youth center. Children will not be silent and will criticize you in person. This experience will help clear speech and thoughts from professional jargon, force you to speak simply. We will have to revise the familiar and highlight in it those aspects that are no longer relevant.

2. Order in the house – order in the head

When you clean your house, you symbolically make room for mental clarity. At the same time, you see (literally and metaphorically) how much useless or unused rubbish (beliefs, biases) has accumulated. By cleaning out the old, we make room for the new.

You can start small – in which drawer or cabinet have you not looked in a long time? Sort through things that have not been pulled out for a long time, and if you see something that has not been used for more than a year, immediately into the trash. Observe yourself: how do you feel now that the space has cleared?

3. Imagine yourself as Socrates and begin to doubt

Socrates became famous for his habit of asking questions and the motto “I know that I know nothing.” Choose a low-risk situation (not filing a tax return) and try not to answer the questions right away, pause for a few moments each time to think about the question.

Approach each question from a position of sincere ignorance. Treat it like a piece of food – do not swallow, but chew. Watch how you perceive this “food”, what are the first thoughts that you try to answer, note any emotions and physical reactions. A few seconds may last forever, but they are only a few moments. This practice will awaken awareness and create space for observation and reflection. It will also teach you to refrain from hasty actions.

4. Do the familiar in an unusual way

We are all slaves of habits. We perform a significant part of our daily routine almost unconsciously. We brush our teeth, we go to work, and attention is completely dissipated. This experiment will force you to perform familiar actions in an unusual way.

For example, you can try to put on a jacket in a different way than you usually wear it. If you are used to putting your right hand into the sleeve first, then start with the left. Tie your shoelaces in the wrong order, or cross your arms so that the “unusual” arm is on top. Watch how it affects you. This practice helps to identify old habits and allows you to behave contrary to the routine.

5. Practice silence

Silence is not only the absence of sound, but also the silence that we carry within ourselves even in a crowded square. Choose a day and dedicate it to silence: notice when and how you break it, and choose silence.

For example, if you’re used to turning on the radio at breakfast, try eating in silence. If you read or eat in front of the TV, turn it off. This experiment will strengthen the ability to remain silent without requiring entertainment. You will begin to be aware of the flow of thoughts and hear them.

6. Play Sherlock Holmes

Choose a familiar place – your room, the usual way (for example, from home to work). Become Sherlock Holmes investigating a crime scene or an anthropologist studying the habitat of an unknown tribe. Slowly, carefully look at everything that surrounds you. Note the texture and details, look at everything from different positions, carefully observing.

Turn on all the senses. You will notice the temptation to skip over the most familiar items, so proceed on the assumption that everything here is new to you. Take a closer look at how labels interfere with comprehending objects. This experiment sharpens the senses and helps develop observational skills.

7. Do not interrupt the interlocutor

One day, practice listening to others completely and to the end, until the interlocutor says everything he wanted, and only then answer. Fix your tendency to insert a remark, to make assessments, to judge the content of the conversation without listening to the end.

Practice total concentration on the interlocutor. Pay attention to the choice of words, tone, posture, facial expression. Notice the effect these words have on you, including the sensations that arise in your body. Increased attention creates a space for inclusion in the dialogue.

8. See the world through the eyes of a child

We often rush to the “how” question, forgetting the “why”. The next time you’re faced with a complex problem, don’t rush to solve it and don’t resort to the usual methods, but do like a three-year-old child: with sincere curiosity, ask “Why?”.

If such a question seems risky, correct it. Ask, for example, the interlocutor to tell more. This approach helps to clarify the goal and choose the best course of action.

9. Fantasize!

By improvising, you fully accept the proposed circumstances. To accept does not mean to agree, but it means to accept the conditions and work with the offer, moving forward. For example, in impromptu sketches, if someone says, “There is an elephant hiding in the room,” and another says, “There is no elephant here,” the game will end there.

If the second participant answers: “Yes, and now the elephant will rush at you,” the mise-en-scene is ready. Everything that people say and do, take it as such a “delivery” of a partner. Accept everything, confirm and develop ideas (“Yes, and now …”). This experience helps to build a truly creative dialogue in which both sides will be heard and together they can create something new.

10. Set up a 90 day challenge

Change is hindered by the belief that “this won’t work.” There is a way to prevent the rejection of an idea in the bud – give it a chance, a 90-day trial. Choose one problem, one where there is uncertainty and for which it is not clear whether the proposed solutions are suitable.

Run this idea for three months on a smaller model: if the solution does not come, discard it. This approach eliminates the fear of trying new things and clinging to the usual course of things. 90 days is quite enough time for the idea to take root and to be able to accurately judge how suitable it is.