Tell me how to be sharper

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12-30-2007, 01:52 AM
Marvo

Tell me how to be sharper

In theory, I've always been a pretty smart person, with great knowledge. I can figure a lot of stuff out, and is generally smarter than the average person my age. My physical condition is not as good as it could be, but I'm planing to work on that.
However, my biggest problem is thinking fast. I often see people in my class thinking much faster, in both lessons and conversation.
An example, is if somebody tells me something, it might take me some time to get it, be it a joke, an order or discussion. Sometimes I'm also fast, it kinda depends on various factors.

Don't get me wrong though. It's not like I'm some slowpoke at thinking. I just want to think faster, to process stuff faster.

What kind of stuff can I do in my everyday life, to practice fast thinking, and what kind of actual practices (that I can use time on) are there, to help thinking faster?
Last time I took an IQ test, I scored 112 by the way.
12-30-2007, 02:02 AM
Jdeadevil

Marvo, don't worry. I have the same problems as you. But I've come to realize that people are just different, so becoming quicker really isn't that big of an issue. The way I see it, it doesn't matter how quick people are at thinking, unless ofcourse you're saving the world. But, there is a way to make you think faster, I think. It's called:

Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training on the Nintendo DS.

I did it throughout my last years of school and I did see a change in Maths class. Although I'm a bit too impatient to work on that in college, as they're like robots and are 5X as fast as me. For example, read the parts in quote:

Quote:

A kid in my college class has ADHD, he's hyper most of the time (obviously) so his learning is really good. He did a peice of work I was doing in an 8th of the time I did it in. He's pretty smart, but I reckon I'm the same as him, even if he is super quick

Alot of people in my group are alot faster than me. But I can live with it, I hope. There's also another educational video game you could try:

Big Brain Academy on the Nintendo Wii. It's also on Nintendo DS but I find the Wii edition alot easier to put up with.

I put them in quotes because someone told me that when I posted this kind of thread.
12-30-2007, 02:17 AM
Alban

Well, if it's any help, it might be an attention thing.
I'm pretty sure that I'm above average, I think there's a good proportion of above average people on this forum, but I have a mood disorder,
which means my mind is thinking of a thousand things at the same time, which makes me talk really fast... about nothing,
which makes me rubbich in chat,

and which makes me seem intelligent but slow at the same time.

So, in short, maybe it's about focus. Are you scatty at all?
A lot of very intelligent people are still scatter-brains.
12-30-2007, 02:22 AM
M-Cat

Next LD you get be all like "OK subconscious, you better make me think faster " and your subconscious will be all like "all right Marvo whatever you say " and you'll wake up and kapow you know? you're all fast now

Edit: here's a copy of a message I sent to someone, perhaps it will elaborate on my somewhat vague post.

"I posted that in a funny way, but yeah it tends to work. Have you ever been in a lucid dream and shouted "increase lucidity now!"? You are much closer to your subconscious in your dreams, and it's easier to get it to listen to you. So shouting "increase clarity" makes your LD more clear most of the time. This might not work, but it's worth a try. (And, of course, this shouldn't be used as an shortcut to serious, rigorous efforts in real life to increase your mental speed. I haven't ever shouted "increase mental speed" in an LD before, but I'm guessing the effects will be somewhat temporary.)"
12-30-2007, 07:29 AM
Marvo

I don't think I'm scatter minded. Well, I don't know what it is, but I don't think I apply to it :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by JD

unless ofcourse you're saving the world.

:chuckle:
12-30-2007, 07:42 AM
Man of Shred

what you need is an excercise or drill you can do with a friend that tests your sharpness. Improv games are great for this. the format is pretty simple: you drill yourself with a friend and when you are really out in the field you suprise yourself with how much your skills have really been honed.
12-30-2007, 08:14 AM
Mes Tarrant

Somewhere I read/heard that walking around your house with a blindfold over your eyes improves cognitive ability and stuff. In any case, might be kinda fun if you're bored. :P
12-30-2007, 03:14 PM
Grod

Better yet, blind yourself. I've heard blind people's other senses improve greatly to make up for their lost vision.
Might even make you sharper.

Good idea, no?
12-30-2007, 03:19 PM
Marvo

Negative.

Ranma, I'm not quite sure what you mean by drills?
12-30-2007, 09:50 PM
thegnome54

I don't think there's any cure-all for general mental processing speed.

I'm sure there are exercises you can do to improve your performance in specific areas, though. Is there anything in particular which happens often that you would like to get better at first? You should narrow down your focus a bit.
12-30-2007, 10:34 PM
nina

Piracetam
12-30-2007, 10:44 PM
Mes Tarrant

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grod

Better yet, blind yourself. I've heard blind people's other senses improve greatly to make up for their lost vision.
Might even make you sharper.

Good idea, no?

We should practice on you.
12-30-2007, 10:47 PM
Marvo

Gnome, I'm not quite sure actually. It just happens often, that I'm a bit slow. I've always pretended to be a bit stupid (stupid as in playing of a bit slower than I actually am) actually, I don't know why. Guess it's just some dumb habbit I've gotten into, that I have to get out of. Maybe that is what sometimes can slow me down.

*sits down and reevaluates*
12-30-2007, 10:48 PM
Mes Tarrant

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvo

Gnome, I'm not quite sure actually. It just happens often, that I'm a bit slow. I've always pretended to be a bit stupid (stupid as in playing of a bit slower than I actually am) actually, I don't know why. Guess it's just some dumb habbit I've gotten into, that I have to get out of. Maybe that is what sometimes can slow me down.

*sits down and reevaluates*

Yeah part of it might just be psychological, lack of faith in yourself. I've had that happen to me, then I snapped out of it and began to excel at everything!
12-30-2007, 10:59 PM
Marvo

Uh oh, I don't think I lack faith in my self. Playing a bit stupid every now and then, just made for some funny conversations sometimes :P
12-30-2007, 11:08 PM
Jdeadevil

You could always look for something in a program like Brainwave Generator or I-Doser. I doubt there's an Increase Mental Skills but you could always have a look.
12-30-2007, 11:16 PM
Marvo

Those programs only provide temproary solutions, to my knowledge.
12-30-2007, 11:33 PM
Daeva

Improvisational games, as in what they do on 'Who's line is it anyway?,' are the only thing I can really think of that would help you but really anything that requires you to 'think on your feet' would help out some.
12-31-2007, 12:03 AM
Ynot

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daeva

Who's line is it anyway?

Nyaaaa!!

whose

damn it
12-31-2007, 12:16 AM
M-Cat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jdeadevil

You could always look for something in a program like Brainwave Generator or I-Doser. I doubt there's an Increase Mental Skills but you could always have a look.

They have "Brain +" but it's meant for deeper thought, not faster thought.
12-31-2007, 12:23 AM
Goldney

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/pre...787/628648.JPG

But seriously, I worried about the same thing as you, eventually you'll just grow into it. Sometimes worrying about not being quick is negatively enforced by comedians you see on television who are so sharp it's alarming (case in point: Stephen Fry). But these people are the exceptions, hence them being on tv.

In short, don't worry about it.
12-31-2007, 01:41 AM
Marvo

I see! Thanks for the help then :)