structured thinking

About a year ago I joined alan because of its people and its culture

The smartest bunch I had the pleasure to work with and the strongest governance I ever witnessed in a startup

I often joke that Alan (like most of its people) is an old soul. A three year old with the mindset of someone in their late twenties

Everything stems from Alan strong engineering DNA and its’ disproportionate love for structure and processes

We love rational thinking and breaking down problems to their smallest components. As an engineer or consultant you probably think this is normal, and wish everyone behaved like this

However, if nobody ever thought you how, it’s hard to pick up the good habit

The key is ‘structured thinking’

How does one even develop ‘structured thinking’?

I could give you books, blogs and podcasts, but to me it’s really all down to practice

The best way to learn is to teach

And the best way to learn how to structure your thinking is to teach people that are smarter than you and don't know anything about your craft

They don’t have patience
They expect you to be brief and structured
They call you out on anything that isn’t crystal clear

Unless you are consistently the dumbest person in the room, this one can be hard to replicate

Also, speaking from experience, it can be discouraging and a real hit on your self-esteem in the long run. I recommend you do it alongside the next tactic

The second best way is to write, a lot

How I practice my ‘structured thinking’ it is by writing. This blog is indeed a way for me to structure my thinking

Try to explain complex ideas as simply as you can and get feedback from estranged reviewers aka people that don’t know anything about what you are writing

I follow the principle that If your grandma doesn’t get it, it’s not clear enough

Start writing about a topic that you master and aim to explain as much as you can by being as brief as possible

Do it often and do it regularly