3 Actionable ways to sharpen your logical thinking

As a developer or a business person, one of the crucial skills for success is logical thinking skills. Logical thinking is needed to be a good developer because, in the absence of logical thinking, you may end up rewriting code, fail to anticipate critical error handling scenarios, and waste a lot of time in the process of putting out fires long after your code is deployed. Similarly, as a business representative, if you don't anticipate your opponent's move in the market, you could lose market share, you could be late to the market, and lose your competitive advantage.

One question I've always had since I was a developer and later as a business person is, "Is logical thinking something you're born with, or can it be improved?". Fear not, it can be improved with practice.

How can you develop logical thinking? Here are 5 steps you can follow

1. Practice Mathematics

I've always considered myself weak in mathematics. However, all this changed when I prepared for the GMAT as a pre-requisite to apply to business school. The GMAT questions were designed to trick you into choosing the wrong answer. So, it was important to have fundamentals and logic clear as well as think through various solutions to a problem before choosing the right option. To my delight, I found that my mathematics improved significantly once I started practicing.

2. Play Chess

Chess is a game in which you have to think strategically and be quick to beat your opponent. You have to think several steps ahead of your opponent. Chess is a game that will develop your logical and strategic skills.

3. Spend some time thinking

In this time when you have all the answers at the tip of your fingers, it can be very tempting to not actually think and immediately use Google or Stack Exchange. I was one of the people guilty of this as well. To sharpen your logical thinking, you need to spend some time thinking about the problem and question the assumptions you have. Then you can come up with a solution. You should definitely question the solution and think of alternate ways to approach the problem. Finally, you can seek expert help to validate your solution.

Is there any other method to improve logical thinking that worked for you personally? Do let me know.

Bio: Amrapali is a digital marketing consultant who blogs about business and marketing at Bazaar Expert.