Focus on your breathing. Start by noticing when you breathe in and when you breathe out. [2] X Research source You can even try using an app to help you with your breathing, such as Breathe or Pacifica. Pay attention to what you’re doing, even in your daily routine. Notice the “crack” of the eggshell breaking, taste the mint of your toothpaste, smell the rain as you walk to your car, feel the smoothness of your steering wheel, and see the leaves swirling across the parking lot. Immerse yourself in the moment. When your mind wanders, bring it back to the present.
Sharpen your hearing by listening to instrumental music on a low volume. Try to pick out the different sounds and pinpoint the different instruments. Improve your sense of smell by closing your eyes and focusing on a smell. Add to your practice by choosing smells to focus on, such as coffee or essential oils. Work on your sense of taste by eating pure, whole foods, concentrating on the flavor of the food. Enhance your sense of sight by adding vitamins to your diet, taking screen breaks, and getting natural light. You can also try eye exercises, such as rolling your eyes around and focusing on an object. Work on your sense of touch by making a point to describe the texture of objects you come into contact with. Compare and contrast different textures.
Sharpen your hearing by listening to instrumental music on a low volume. Try to pick out the different sounds and pinpoint the different instruments. Improve your sense of smell by closing your eyes and focusing on a smell. Add to your practice by choosing smells to focus on, such as coffee or essential oils. Work on your sense of taste by eating pure, whole foods, concentrating on the flavor of the food. Enhance your sense of sight by adding vitamins to your diet, taking screen breaks, and getting natural light. You can also try eye exercises, such as rolling your eyes around and focusing on an object. Work on your sense of touch by making a point to describe the texture of objects you come into contact with. Compare and contrast different textures.
Start by gathering information about the environment and people you encounter every day. Be a passive observer. Try to make small predictions about what will happen, such as who will volunteer to speak when the group is asked a question. Confirm your predictions with evidence. [4] X Research source
Ask yourself questions such as, “What coffee will this person order?” or “Will this person act the same way with his friends as he was before they got here?” Practice picking up on a person’s personality or mood.
Pick up a Sudoku book, or print out free crossword puzzles from the internet. Challenge yourself to complete a human maze. Go alone so that your friends won’t help you solve the puzzle.
Test your powers of observation by listing what you can remember about the places you’ve been. For example, after you go to lunch at a local restaurant, list what you can remember about the place. What does the decor look like? What are the uniforms like? What dishes are on the menu? Next time you go to that restaurant, compare your list to see what you remembered correctly. Continue to test yourself to see how well you are noticing details.
Push yourself to focus on particular details. For example, you could decide to look for people who are wearing a red shirt or people carrying an umbrella. On your commute, try counting people who fit into a similar category. For example, if you ride the train you could count the number of people playing on their cell phones. At the doctor’s office, you could track how many people read the magazines the office provides versus how many people bring items with them.
Cut out distractions so that you can really pay attention when people speak to you. For example, put away your phone and take a break from any tasks you were doing. Maintain eye contact with the person speaking to you. Focus on what the other person is saying, not on what you’re going to say in response. Paraphrase what the other person said before adding your own thoughts.
People who are lying often cover their nose and mouth. They may also twirl their hair or tug on their clothes. While it may take time, learning to spot micro-expressions in a person’s face can also help you figure out if a person is lying. Watch for inexplicable sweating. For example, if the person starts sweating in an air-conditioned room, then they may be lying. Listen to the speed at which a person speaks. Slow or fast speech can indicate lying.
Well practiced intuition will enable you to make quicker decisions without thinking through all of the details because your brain builds a network of connections that process the information for you. As a result, you will arrive at the right decision out of habit.
Let the facts guide you, not your opinions. For example, if someone stole your lunch, it may be tempting to blame someone with whom you’ve had negative run-ins in the past, but don’t rush to judgement. The facts may point to someone else. Keep an open mind. Listen to the opinions and views of others so that you can learn from their perspective. We all see the world differently, and sometimes you need that shift in vision to stay objective.
Play an active role in your life instead of sitting apart from others so that you can gain experience that will help you flex your intuition. Make a point to do an activity everyday, even if it’s something small. For example, you could go on a walk with a friend, play a pickup game of basketball, sketch on a park bench, or practice a new language. Minimize the time you spend watching television.
For example, if someone is walking toward you in a shopping mall, you may nod at them and keep walking; however, if someone is walking toward you in a dark alleyway, you may tense up and try to keep your distance from them. While you don’t want to jump to conclusions, knowing your environment will help you read the situation better because you’ll more easily pick up on cues.
Spend two weeks noting the times you found yourself giving in to distraction, such as watching TV while eating dinner, playing on your phone while you’re going to work, or flipping through a magazine while your friend is talking to you.
When you find yourself reacting to something or someone, take a moment to ask yourself why you feel that way. For example, if you feel uncomfortable around your friend’s new boyfriend, ask yourself if it’s because of him or because of outside factors. Does he remind you of your ex? Are you worried that you might lose your friend? Don’t immediately believe gossip. Look for the evidence and use it to judge the truthfulness of any rumors that you hear.
Try brainstorming activities like making a mind map, doodling, or making a list. Go somewhere different. For example, take a notebook to a coffee shop you’ve never tried, or go on a nature walk. Collaborate with others to create joint ideas. Do something artistic. Change your routine to shift your point-of-view.
Deduction relies on the principle that all things in a particular group have the same rules. For example, if everyone in the conference room has won a prize and Tom is in the conference room, then we know that Tom is a prizewinner. [14] X Research source
Look for patterns in your life. Pay attention to the who, what, where, why, when, and how. For example, document who you see making the office coffee. You may discover that the only person who makes coffee before 8 AM is the office accountant, Lily. Make generalizations using your evidence. According to this pattern, you can generalize that all coffee made before 8 AM is made by Lily. Based on this theory, if there is no coffee after 8 AM, then Lily has not come into work.
Start by defining your problem and understanding the facts. Gather and analyze information. List out possible solutions, and examine the qualities of each one.
For example, if your friend drinks more cups of coffee on Thursdays, then ask yourself what’s different about that day. She may stay up late on Wednesday because she’s taking a night class. Collect more information to determine if it’s cause and effect or a correlation, which means that the two things are related but one is not causing the other. Be careful not to assume that a relationship between two things will be true in reverse. While a late class may cause your friend to drink more coffee the next day, that does not mean that every time your friend drinks a lot of coffee she has been to a night class. [17] X Research source
Don’t limit yourself in what you study. For example, knowing pop culture might not seem important, but it can help you understand the people around you, so it will help you better rely on your intuition. Try EdX. org, which offers classes from major institutions like Harvard, Berkeley, Georgetown, MIT, and other prestigious universities. You can take a class for free to learn from the world’s best, or you can pay a small fee to get a certification that you took that course. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to expand your knowledge. Check out sites like Meetup. com, which offer community-run groups. Some groups will connect you with people who can teach you new skills. For example, you may be able to learn how to build a website, cook Indian food, or combine essential oils.
