Suzanne Weller: Coach, Speaker, Change Practioner, and Founder of Weller Collaboration.

Your phone buzzes with a new text. You’re getting pinged in Slack. There’s a calendar reminder for a call starting in 10 minutes. Your dog is sitting at your feet, needing to go outside and do his business. You’re trying to find a 15-minute window to sort through your inbox.

Sound familiar?

We’re constantly bombarded with information, challenges and decisions that demand our attention. From work emergencies to professional obligations, personal relationships to just staying on top of the news cycle—the growing complexity of life can feel overwhelming. The key to navigating it isn't about finding quick fixes; it’s about developing approaches that help you distill clarity from chaos.

Understanding Cognitive Entrenchment

One of the biggest obstacles to clear thinking is "cognitive entrenchment"—the human tendency to rely on existing knowledge and familiar solutions when faced with challenges. This is no surprise when you consider how fast we move every day, in our race for productivity to squeeze the most out of every minute. Hacks and shortcuts are essential tools to save time, but they’re also limiting, creating cognitive traps where you repeatedly apply the same thinking patterns, potentially missing new and better solutions.

This isn’t to say your habits are bad, or working against you—but maybe observing where you’re falling into established grooves will uncover where there’s an opportunity for change by doing things differently.

Opening Up Through Repatterning

When looking at your thinking patterns through this lens, you’ll surface realizations: what’s important to you, what you might be glossing over (or completely bypassing) and maybe where you’re repeating habits that have been handed down to you in some way. We all hold onto our individual “shoulds” and various thoughts telling us the “right” or “wrong” way of doing things based on our upbringing, social conditioning and what’s worked for us in the past. Maybe it’s time to investigate them and see if they’re giving you the results you want as you look ahead.

"The most dangerous phrase ... is, 'We’ve always done it that way.'" —Grace Hopper

Breaking free from cognitive patterns requires you to consciously disrupt your thinking and invite fresh perspectives. Think about going to the gym and doing a different workout—it’s hard (and likely awkward) at first, but you build up new muscles and gain new strengths through rotational practices. To escape cognitive entrenchment, you’re essentially doing the same: flexing new mental muscles.

How might you recognize your cognitive traps so you can break free?

Rather than viewing challenges as straightforward problems with single solutions, start by reframing them as complex situations with multiple potential approaches. This subtle shift in perspective opens up more possibilities for creative solutions and removes the pressure of finding a single "right" answer.

Create space for inquiry. A simple and effective way to see alternatives is to ask more questions. They help you adopt a different mindset where you’re curious, not solutioning (yet). Some personal favorites include:

• “How might we ... ?”

• “What am I missing?”

• “What’s getting in the way of this happening?”

A Framework For Clarity

In addition to asking more questions, a simple (and likely familiar) framework to challenge your thinking is Why, What, How. These three elements come up in many strategic and planning conversations for good reason; they create a straightforward framework I’ve found to be a game changer when used either on your own or in conversation with others.

The Why

Start by clearly defining your goal or desired outcome. This is your North Star, helping to filter out unnecessary noise and create a clearer path forward.

The What

Identify all the elements at play in your situation. This inventory-taking process helps you understand the full scope of what you're dealing with. This is where you consider options, investigate assumptions and prioritize. Here’s your chance to edit, hone and simplify.

The How

When you’ve honed down your “What(s),” it’s time to wrap your brain around how to make it a reality. Here’s where new possibilities arise as you’re able to focus and develop strategies for achieving your desired outcome. Remember to stay open here—even as you’re getting clarity, avoid moving too quickly and passing over new approaches and perspectives.

Practices For Emergent Thinking

Frameworks are a helpful start, but repatterning habits and changing our thinking require practice. If you’re looking to enhance your problem-solving capabilities—and rewire neural pathways you’ve dug into deeply—here are some additional steps to help you break out:

1. Schedule regular reflection time. Set aside dedicated time for reviewing your goals and priorities. A weekly "ramp-up" session can help you align your activities with your objectives.

2. Enable "open range" thinking. Create space for unstructured thinking time. This mental freedom allows for creativity and new insights to emerge naturally. I have an hour each week dedicated to this and find it particularly helpful to do it while walking.

3. Engage in collaborative problem-solving. Engage others in your thinking process through structured brainstorming sessions. Using techniques like anonymous question-posting can help avoid groupthink and generate fresh perspectives.

Seeing The Mental Forest For The Trees

Minimizing mental noise isn't about eliminating complexity—it's about developing better ways to navigate it. By understanding our cognitive patterns, creating structured frameworks for thinking and allowing space for both action and reflection, we can approach challenges with greater clarity and effectiveness—with the added bonus of calmer, more grounded thinking.

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