THEordinary intuition constantly reveals to the individual what he perceives from the inside. It is a continuous flow, almost unconscious, which helps to position thought in relation to the outside world.

THEintuition expert allows an individual to instantly assess the situations he is confronted with and identify the answer to be given. It can be compared to how a professional tennis player can immediately estimate where the ball is going to go and act accordingly given the angle and striking force used by his opponent. We find this type of intuition in The force of intuition de Malcolm Gladwell.

THEstrategic intuition produces a clear analysis and brings out a very clear formulation of the procedure to be followed. Unlike other types of intuition, it does not occur instantly, but as a result of long thought or a slow process. Usually, it is required for an unusual phenomenon or a problem that the individual has never faced. When it occurs, one often has the impression of a “moment of lightning insight”, a “flash of clarity”. 

The “flashes of clarity”, corresponding to a strategic intuition, are described in many works, like those of the mathematicians Descartes and Poincaré who tell how, in an instant, an enigma is often solved.

In the book Of the war, Clausewitz explains that strategic intuition has 4 essential characteristics:

Memorization of experiences and examples. According to Clausewitz, it is important to glean examples and accumulate them in memory. The study of the lessons of history, case studies, anecdotes are all information to collect to have a chance to experience strategic intuition.

Mental availability. The second prerequisite is to mentally access a level of “mental availability” allowing one to free oneself from prejudices and preconceived ideas about the situation to be resolved. It would be the most delicate step to achieve. To achieve this, you have to stop thinking all the time, instinctively “scratching your brains”, emptying yourself and allowing this void to repopulate itself as the fluctuations fluctuate.

The moment the light comes on. The flash of clarity would be characterized by the sudden coming to mind of memorized references, then a combination of these elements with the real situation and a revelation.

The resolution that allows you to take action. After the revelation comes the time to conclude by moving from visualization to implementation. 

Some commonly used practices such as brainstorming or creative stimulation do not promote the mental availability necessary for the emergence of intuition. We especially retain 3 practices from neurological studies conducted on the subject.

Ancestral practices. Certain ancient practices, martial arts, yoga, and in particular hatha yoga, kendo, karate and aikido, teach how to access a level of mental availability.

Brainstorming (or “brainstorming”) backwards. Unlike classic brainstorming where participants agree on a date to meet without preparation, there are several sessions with mandatory preparation as well as a weekly meeting to discuss the ideas that participants have had throughout the week. The organizer asks everyone to take note of the ideas and those moments of clarity that appear to them randomly during the week.

Restorative sleep. It’s probably one of the best and most accessible tools we have at our disposal, yet one of the least used. Who, in the midst of a complex and insoluble project that absolutely needs to be creative and innovative, would have the courage to go to rest and get a good nights sleep? A very small percentage, most preferring to persevere at all costs until dawn. And they are quite wrong! Hard work demands a lot of the brain, and it is very important, at such times, to let it settle in order to see recombinations appear, to give birth to new ideas …  

“Do you have the patience to wait

May your mud settle and the waters of your being cleared up?

Can you stand still

Until the procedure reveals itself? “

Extract from Tao te Ching.