How to Look at Everything – 4 Steps

Do you know how to look at everything?

Non Obvious MegatrendsIn preparation for writing my next book, I have been thinking about how to look at everything. I'm interested in intersection thinking and want to explore the topic deeper. I first came across the idea in one of Rohit Bhargava's Non-Obvious books. The concept of intersection thinking is to seek information across disciplines, so you see what others miss.

According to Rohit Bhargava, author of Non-Obvious 2019: How to Predict Trends and Win The Future:

“Intersection thinking is a method for creating overlap between seemingly disconnected ideas in order to generate new ideas, directions, and strategies for powering your own success. It can create a crossover gamechanger. It allows you to think in a way your competitors aren’t.”

How do you look at everything, so you do not leave out important information?

I was transported back to the book, How to Look At Everything by David Finn, which I read over 13 years ago.

1. How do I know what to focus on?
2. What have I learned that is changing me?
3. How is what I am learning or have learned shaping my thinking?
4. What lessons are universal ones?
5. How can I ensure that I am not rushing ahead, compromising the full experience?
6. Can I balance what is important to me with what will be important to my readers?

If I take the time to answer these questions, they will give me clues to the important elements that have to be included in the book. What techniques do you use to ensure that you are looking at all the important elements in a situation?

How to Look at Everything – 4-Step Guide

1. Gather information to answer key questions. There isn't a lot of information on intersection thinking. It's a new concept, but one I think is worth exploring. I'm using myself as a test case. So, I'm reading diverse books and am analyzing the important information from the books I read. My key question is “How can intersection thinking become a game changer in my career?” Your situation would be different.
2. While you are reading through the information that you have gathered, take very good notes. How is the new information different from what you already know? What are you learning that is surprising? In my instance, everything is connected. I'm seeing a lot of connections between the books I read. In what ways can you combine what you are learning with what you already know? Taking good notes has made the process of analyzing informational text easier.

3. Evaluate the information. Look at the different pieces of information individually, then as a whole. What jumps out at you? Pick out the big thinking ideas. How can you connect the ideas – integrate them? I'm always comparing and contrasting information, trying to come up with something new. Look at all your big thinking ideas, choose one that you can expand on. It’s often been said that there is one book that has the seed of information that can transform your life. In my case, I'm still reading books to really understand the intersection thinking concept.

4. Apply the idea. Apply the one new idea that you found to a project that you are working on to transform your life. And the life of those around you. I will use my newfound knowledge to create value for myself and for others. I'll write the book on Intersection Thinking, so others can use the concept as well.  So, the value will be in the book. I'll use information from the books I read to create Bookish Notes for the membership site I recently created. An app may be another result of my exploration of intersection thinking.

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The Art of Seeing in a 24/7 World

Although I am still working on my exploration of intersection thinking, as you can see, I have started the process of writing about my journey, without realizing it. Before I start to work on any project, I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about my approach. I have to first work things out through my mind.

In this instance, my mind was transported back to over 10 years ago while I was working on three projects at the same time, and was in a state of flow. The question I am asking myself now,

“How do I get into a state of flow while writing my next book?”

Considering that the event happened over a decade ago, it is difficult to remember everything. But what I do remember while in the zone was that I knew what I was doing. A couple of the projects were difficult, yet I wasn’t feeling any stress because I knew exactly what I needed to do. I possessed the necessary skills, and I acted instinctively. Have you ever experienced that?

What this means to me, is that to be in flow,

1. You have to have the required knowledge.
2. Know and understand the approach.
3. Be challenged.
4. Take action.

Flow is about knowing and doing. I also knew that I was in flow because I had read Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Have you ever been in flow, or in the zone? How can you tell when you are in flow?

Final Thoughts: How to Look at Everything – 4 Steps

The ability to look at everything that's impacting your world is a useful skill, especially in times of change and uncertainty. How will you decide on the most important elements to look at? How can you use the four steps to look at everything. And how can you use the idea of intersection thinking in your work?

The most accomplished people use books as problem solving tools. They carve out the time in their schedule to find solutions in the pages of a book. Let me help you to solve your own problems. Additionally, this program helps you to learn valuable career skills. Click the link MoreReads: Blueprint to Change the World to buy.

If someone clicks on a link and buy something from Amazon, the company will pay me a small commission. First published June 2014.