Category: Cognitive Skill Stack

Knowing What to Look For

April 24th, 2025
Improve Your Observations by Asking Better Questions

So acquire the habit of being present at this activity of the material and moral universe. Learn to look; compare what is before you with familiar or secret ideas. Do not see in a town merely houses, but human life and history.

If you cannot look thus, you will become, or be, a man of only commonplace mind. A thinker is like a filter, in which truths as they pass through leave their best substance behind.
– Sertillanges

Imagine with me for a moment, that we are members of a team of researchers tasked with traveling through time to collect first hand anthropological research on ancient cultures. However, on our latest assignment the time machine malfunctions. We crash land in an unknown time and location. We are confused and directionless.

This is how thinking and learning often feels. We know that the pursuit of knowledge, and the thinking that follows should begin with inquiry (research). But the landscape of that research is often vast,confusing, and directionless. Like our hypothetical team of time-travelers, we have a hard time figuring out where we are, when we are, and what we need to know in order to get back home.

In this post, I want to propose that successful navigation through the ambiguous terrain of inquiry depends on our ability to make good observations. The quality of those observations is directly related to the quality of the questions we ask in the research process. Below, I elaborate on this important relationship, and provide the three step guide I use when formulating my own research questions.

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Observations Start With Questions

In a previous post, I described observation as the foundational skill we need in thinking and learning. Observation is the skill of noticing. It is the distinct act of calling something to attention and of moving information from the background into the foreground. When you highlight a sentence in a book or write something down that you heard in a lecture, you are making an observation. You are making an intentional choice to call something out from the background of the page or speech, and put it into the foreground of your notebook.

For our team of stranded time-travelers, they will need to make excellent observations using some of the expertise and training they have (memory), to map out where and when the time machine has crash landed. The quality of their observations will directly depend on the quality of the questions they ask. For example:
- Low Quality Question: What time period are we in?
- High Quality Question: What can the building materials/methods of the civilization tell me about this time period?
Crafting good research questions is a lot like making a map. We embark on the turbulent journey of research because there are things that we want to know. When we set out on the journey to find the answers, we collect observations (data). Those observations are then collected, organized (taxonomy), and stored (memory). From there, they can be called upon in order to form conclusions and solutions.

In the pursuit of excellent thinking, the observations we collect are directly related to the questions we ask. Often, when research feels confusing and directionless, it is a result of having not asked the right questions. Asking good research questions is a craft and the most important part of the research journey. After all, one should not set out on an expedition without a good map.

Making A Map With Questions

Step 1: Make a Pirate Map

By “Pirate Map,” I am simply referring to the silly cartoon maps we were familiar with as children. They feature big dotted lines, an “X” that marks the spot, and general directions based on landmarks (e.g. you will know you’re close to the treasure after you pass the mountains).

When we start our research journey we need a similar approach. We need to know what the big landmarks are that we are looking for. I often refer to this as the “research domain.” If I find myself in a domain that doesn’t have the big landmarks, then I’ve drifted off course and need to correct.

Your research domain will often consist of the big question and purpose of your research (what are you wanting to find out?). For example, if I am doing research on AI policy in Higher Education, then I might build a pirate map like this:
- What are the policies of other liberal arts/humanities based colleges?
- How have policies evolved since Fall 2022?
- What has been the impact or effectiveness of these policies?
These three questions are still fairly broad. Still, they form a pirate map that tells me the landmarks that I need to pay attention to in my research: (1) policies of liberal arts/humanities colleges; (2) articles written after fall 2022; (3) articles that primarily evaluate or assess policy effectiveness. If I find myself reading articles or asking questions outside of this domain, then I need to course correct.

Step 2: Chart the Territory

Once we have a general idea of where we are going (purpose) and the landmarks we are looking for (big questions), we need to chart the territory by identifying key themes, variables, or potential gaps in existing literature.

With the key landmarks in mind, we will need to do an initial search and make observations along the way. Try to get into the habit of collecting the research questions that others are asking about your topic. This is usually one of the first things I look for when reading an article or chapter. The research questions I observe from other literature will not only help me read more closely, but it will also help me craft my own questions along the way. You also want to pay attention to the methods that authors use when pursuing the answers to these questions (more on this below).

Here I offer three suggestions for where you might look for some of this background information:
1. Popular News/Media: These are some of the most helpful resources for getting the pulse on an issue or topic. Popular media can tell us a lot about the general perception of something and provide us with some of the contextual relevance we might need to strengthen our argument. These sources should mainly be limited to setting the context and illustrating points. Popular media (typically) should not be used to support the main points of our arguments.
2. Personal Experience: In a similar way, personal experience is generally not recommended to strengthen our arguments (i.e. hasty generalization). But we can use personal experience to help us understand why we are interested in the research.
3. Existing Literature: Most of the time when we engage in research, we will be consulting the existing literature on a topic. These are published (often peer-reviewed) scholarly articles, books, chapters, presentations, etc.
It is from these common sources that we get a feel for the territory we are working in and can finally move forward with the process of crafting our own research questions. I should also add that the observations we make as we engage with the research is also a source from which we gain further territorial insight.

SIDEBAR: Students often express frustration that they “can’t find anything about (or against) their topic.” However, this is rarely the case. If relevant literature seems unavailable, the issue is likely with the framing of the research question rather than the topic itself. Finding useful sources often requires refining your question, exploring related concepts, and engaging more deeply with existing literature. You will always find what you’re looking for – so long as you ask the right questions.

Step 3: Plan the Route

Here is where we finally arrive at the step of asking our research questions. This is where we go from pirate map to aerial view.

Hopefully, a thorough reading of the literature has equipped us with everything we need to formulate our research questions. J.T. Dillon (1984) identified 17 different kinds of research questions that Alvesson & Sandberg summarize in the following four categories (*whispers 🤫* this reminds me of Aristotle’s four causes):
1. Descriptive Questions (what is it?) are aimed at knowledge concerning kind, components, parts, quality, quantity, etc.
  1. Example: What policies currently regulate the use of AI in academic writing and research at universities?
2. Comparative Questions (what is it like, not like?) get at the heart of differences and similarities.
  1. Example: In what ways do faculty perspectives on AI policy differ in the STEM fields versus the liberal arts and humanities?
3. Explanatory Questions (what are its causes and effects?) help us further understand the potential impact or effectiveness of a thing.
  1. Example: What impact (if any) do strict AI restrictions have on student learning outcomes and academic integrity violations?
4. Normative Questions (what is its utility? what should be done?) are all framed around what “should” or “ought” to be done in light of the observations we make. These are difficult questions to answer apart from the previous three.
  1. Example: What are the ethical principles that should guide AI policy development in higher education?
Now that we have four general categories of questions that we can ask, we need to consider the components that make up a good research question. Here are three qualities that every research question should have:

Good Research Questions are:
1. Focused: Our questions need to be specific to a given domain and the big questions we are asking. Further, they need to be restricted to only one kind of category (above), and should only be answerable by one type of observation.
2. Exploratory: At the same time, we want to ensure that we are asking questions in which we do not already assume or suppose we have the answers. Again, we are wanting to make observations and assuming we have the answer already puts us in the vulnerable state of bias and blindness.
3. Strategic: Lastly, we need to make sure that we are asking questions which tell us exactly what we need to look for (observations) in order to arrive at the answer to the questions. Knowing what kind of observations we need to make will help us know what tool to use in order to source those observations.
When I am setting up a large research project, I will typically begin with a Research Question Map similar to this (I typically give either each question or objective its own row):

Now that we have a map of where we are going, we are ready to head out on our research journey.

Looking Forward: The View from the Street

Writing research questions and making observations is an iterative process. We are always going back and forth between our research map and the view from the street to make sure we are headed in the right direction. The more observations we make from the street view, the more we might need to refine our research questions.

Often, seeing the details up close can help us get a better understanding of what it is we are looking for.
- Are the questions you asked generating the specific observations you need to advance the purpose or objective of your research?
- Are your research questions actually strategic or do they merely outline the procedure/step to take in your research? Tip: if you use a research question map like the one above, then you should likely avoid this error.
- Can the questions you are asking be answered by the sources/methods you have access to and/or do your sources have access to the information?
Asking and answering these questions when we get stuck along the way will direct us back to the drawing board to refine our questions and ultimately make better observations.

The first step towards improving our observations often starts with asking better questions. This helps us know what to look for.

Unlocking the Power of Attention: Why Attitude is Key for Mastering Focus

January 14th, 2025

In a previous post, I discussed the importance of attention and proposed some strategies that might help you strengthen your attentiveness skills. While these strategies are essential for laying the foundation for more excellent thinking, they may not solve all the challenges we face with attentiveness in learning.

As the great Coach Lou Holtz once said, “Ability is what you’re capable of doing…Attitude determines how well you do it.”

In the context of thinking and learning, our attitude and approach to learning greatly influences the quality of our attentiveness.

In other words, your struggles with attentiveness might stem from not making a meaningful connection with the topics or material you are trying to learn.

To put it bluntly, you might have an attitude problem.

In this post, I explore the connection between attitude and attention and suggest ways to make more meaningful connections in our intellectual efforts as we pursue more excellent thinking through growth in the Cognitive Skill Stack.

The Connection Between Attitude and Attention

If you’re still with me, I want to clarify what I mean by suggesting that our attention problems might be an attitude problem. We often get defensive when someone implies we don’t care enough about something we are invested in. After all, you’re reading a post about improving your thinking—clearly, you care!

By “attitude problem,” I am simply suggesting that there are some intellectual tasks that we approach with our arms crossed and a pout on our face. There are subjects that we have closed our minds off to and are not open to engagement with. There are activities that we have written off as boring and not worthy of our attention. (All of this is normal by the way – if thinking were easy, everyone would do it.) When these tasks, subjects, or activities inevitably come up, we tend to struggle. Focus becomes more difficult and we get frustrated.

Along with a variety of other reasons, this is why tax season tends to frustrate so many of us. Tax season forces us to think about math and money, and most people tend to have a negative attitude when it comes to these subjects.

As I mentioned elsewhere, focus tends to come more naturally when we care about and enjoy the subject. Conversely, a negative attitude toward a subject makes us lose focus, become frustrated, and procrastinate. However, when we have a positive attitude,whether from prior knowledge or experience, we tend to find it easier to focus and learn.

The best teachers are the ones who inspire and possess the pedagogical gifts that make any subject enjoyable. Similarly, the best students are those who possess the “Creative Imagination,” to find meaningful connections between the less enjoyable subject and the subjects they love.

In the rest of this post, I provide some strategies for making the kind of meaningful connections that promote a positive attitude and therefore greater attentiveness for any subject.

Three Strategies for Making Connections that Improve Attention

(1) Make it Personal

Replace “I can’t focus on this” with “I haven’t found why this matters to me yet.”

If our ability to pay attention is positively affected by our personal connection to a subject, then one of the biggest levers we can pull in strengthening our attentiveness is to make more personal connections with the subject.

As I highlighted above, attentiveness is not an effort in forced willpower. Rather, it’s about connecting dots to what matters to you. So, make it personal.

The best learners aren’t those with naturally long attention spans. They’re the ones who actively find ways to make subjects relevant to their interests and goals. Further, the strongest motivators for our work (according to this research) seem to be those which are closely tied to our personal identity.

In other words, the motivation for emotional pleasure or more economic benefits do not seem to be as strong as the motivation that comes from doing something for the sheer purpose of “that’s just the kind of person you are.”

The employee who deeply identifies themselves as someone who loves learning will find it much easier to focus through the training seminar than the one who is just in it for the credential.

Here’s the good news, with practice and intentionality, we can get better at making these connections.

The next time you find yourself struggling to engage with a particular subject, take out a sheet of paper and give this exercise a try:

The C3 Framework for Making it Personal:
Connect: make as many personal connections as possible with the subject. Reflect on your personal interests, daily life, career goals, and calling or broader life purpose

Clarify: Why does this subject or topic matter from a big picture perspective? Why are people interested in studying this? What makes this topic interesting? What questions do I need clarity on to find it more interesting?

Customize: How can you customize your engagement with this topic? Maybe you have a lot of unanswered questions? Maybe step two was really difficult for you – Good! That means you have a lot more to learn.

There are no boring subjects, just subjects you haven’t made a personal connection with yet. It’s difficult work, but making a difficult or seemingly boring subject more personal can dramatically help you feel more connected and therefore more attentive.

(2) Make it Valuable

Replace “this is not worth my time” with “how can I prioritize this more?”

No one is immune to the habit of procrastination. We all do it. Some of you will do it later…😀

Jokes aside, procrastination is one of the biggest intellectual struggles we tend to face. I know that is certainly true for me. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it seems so mysterious – we have a difficult time understanding why we procrastinate.

Everything changed for me, when I started viewing procrastination as a value problem. In other words, I tend to procrastinate, because I value the distraction more than the activity I really ought to be doing.

In the realm of thinking and learning there are a variety of explanations for why we tend to undervalue certain subjects or activities. Perhaps most notably is the reward delay that we experience in these areas.

For example, the enjoyment I get from watching my favorite show or spending time with friends is immediate, while the enjoyment I get from finally “cracking the code” to some complex statistical model is delayed for days, months, or sometimes even years.

If I am the kind of person who is wired to seek immediate gratification, then I will likely be tempted to procrastinate more, since I would tend to value immediate pleasure over the delayed reward of learning.

Making a subject or intellectual activity more valuable will help you avoid the distractions and commit your focus towards higher value activities such as thinking and learning. To do this we can do things to reduce the reward delay by breaking things down into smaller units and rewarding ourselves at each milestone. Or, we might make it personal (above) and try to understand why it matters to you and your long term goals.

(3) Make it Interesting

Replace “this is boring” with “how can I make this more interesting?”

When we learn to put it in its proper place, boredom is not necessarily a bad thing. Boredom is a sign that we are not as engaged with the material we are seeking to learn as we should be. It is an alarm bell that, if we are attentive to, will help us improve our thinking.

Here’s what I mean. The best response to boredom is not avoidance, “how can I do something more interesting.” Rather, it is to dig in our heels and seek out ways to make it more interesting.

So brainstorm. What would it take for the subject to be more interesting? What do you want to know? What questions do you have? What are its connections to the other topics you are interested in?

The best thinkers are the ones who can make the most connections with the subjects they are trying to learn. It’s difficult work, but well worth the effort! The key is being aware of what is happening when we get bored, and recognizing boredom as a sign that we are not engaged and need to change our approach.

Looking Forward

Attention is not just about willpower—it’s about attitude. By shifting our mindset and making it more personal, valuable, and interesting, we can enhance our attentiveness and overall learning experience. Remember, the journey to excellent thinking is ongoing. As we grow in our development through the Cognitive Skill Stack, embrace the process, stay curious, and commit to putting some of these ideas into practice. With time and effort, you’ll find that even the most challenging subjects can become opportunities for growth.

Mastering the Art of Focus: Strategies to Strengthen Your Attention in a Distracted World

January 7th, 2025
I had to put my phone down to write this entry – seriously. Paying attention is difficult.

This has always been true. In my research on the history of learning and thinking, I am always surprised to find intellectuals from centuries past who struggle with procrastination and distraction. Our ability to apply our sustained attention to a chosen task or stimuli is part of what makes us human. On the flip side, it seems like our struggle to do this very thing is also a part of what makes us human.

In the pursuit of excellent thinking, honing the skill of attention is foundational. Without it, every other cognitive function becomes compromised. The good news? Attention is trainable, like a muscle. In this post, I expand on the importance of this first skill in our Cognitive Skill Stack and discuss some of the ways I have worked on improving in this area. Hopefully, you find them beneficial as well.

Why Attention Matters

Attention is the cognitive ability to concentrate on specific stimuli or tasks for a sustained amount of time while ignoring distractions. Like a flashlight in a dark room, attention illuminates what matters while keeping the peripheral noise in shadow.

I have the privilege of teaching, working with, and working around college students. With first hand experience, I can assure you that the skill of maintaining focus in a lecture, on homework, in the middle of a conversation over coffee – is rare. But it’s not just college students. Research shows that the average knowledge worker is interrupted every 11 minutes and requires somewhere around 23 minutes to return to deep focus.

It seems that there are two obvious problems that need to be addressed: (1) The frequency of interruptions – you have some control over this, but I’ve worked in enough different office environments to know that this is not always possible; (2) The amount of time it takes to return to focus – this is where the skill of attention comes into play. Distractions, boredom, and procrastination are inevitable. The real question is, how can we reduce the time it takes to go from distraction back to engaged focus?

Attention is the gateway to all cognitive processes. Without the ability to focus, our minds are scattered, our productivity suffers, decision-making loses precision, creativity diminishes, and learning efficiency decreases. Without a strong ability to focus, other skills like memory and logical reasoning cannot function effectively. Developing attention and focus is not just about avoiding distractions; it’s about training your mind to sustain effort on meaningful tasks.

In an age of seemingly endless distractions, the ability to focus has become one of our most valuable cognitive resources. As with all important skills, developing a strong ability to focus is challenging. But here’s the exciting part: attention is not a fixed trait—it’s a trainable skill that responds to consistent practice, much like building muscle in the gym. Everyone can improve their ability to pay attention. Here are four strategies that have worked in my life.

Four Strategies for Improving Attention

Just like other skills worth pursuing, the price for paying attention is costly – but worth it. The methods I list below are not quick and superficial fixes. Attentive thinking is slow, and that’s a good thing. Below are some of the daily habits I have sought to cultivate that over time have greatly improved my ability to lock in and focus my thinking.

(1) Create a Focus Routine and Environment

Being the creatures of habit that we are, one of the easier ways we can improve our attention is by developing a thinking routine that helps us signal to our brain when it is time to focus. An initial draft of this post was written in the early mornings after following this routine:
- 30 minute walk on the treadmill & listening to the Bible
- Praying a Psalm
- Brewing a cup of coffee
- Sharpening 2 Blackwing pencils
- Opening my thinking notebook to begin a focus session
Specifically, the routines of prayer, coffee, and pencils (it’s weird – I know) seem to be the signals needed to help me get started. My study/school routine and pre-work routine in the office at the start and middle of the day follows a similar pattern.

It doesn’t matter what the specifics of your routine are as long as you have one. If you don’t know where to start, just start small with elements you know are helpful. Make notes, and adapt as you go. For example, walking has been a new development and improvement for me lately while prayer and coffee have been consistent staples.

Setting up your focus environment can also be a component of your routine. I think a lot of people overthink this one (or, at least I do). Your focus environment doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect, organized, and distraction free. It just has to be the place where you do your most important and attentive work. Your focus environment should not be multifunctional. Its singular task is providing you with a space to sit down and focus. It’s a refuge from distraction.

As you strengthen your attention muscle, you will become more adaptable and less dependent on your routine and environment. I am at a point now where I can turn on “focus mode” pretty much anywhere. Having a routine that is not context dependent will help with this down the road. Whenever I am having trouble focusing, I start with the basics. I clean my room first, and then get to work on the other areas.

(2) Intentional Sets and Reps

For most of my life, I’ve been pretty strong. For a short period of my life, I was really strong. However, due to some injuries and negligence, until this past year I had never been able to perform more than a single pull up. What changed? I applied some attention to the exercise.

I begin with simply hanging from the bar. When that became easier I incorporated some assisted pull ups with a slow unassisted descent. To really focus on the exercise, I added a few sets of pull ups to every workout. As time progressed, the pull ups became easier, and I started performing multiple reps without any assistance. Intentional focus pays off.

If you want to strengthen your attention muscles, you need to apply some intentional sets and reps periodically throughout the day and week. For those who are unfamiliar with the terminology. A “rep” is short for repetition, the singular act of performing a movement in an exercise. A “set” is the number of times you repeat that grouping of repetitions. So, 2 sets of 5 pull ups would be five pull ups, performed three times with some rest in between the sets. Stay with me.

Implementing something like the Pomodoro Method into your day can be an effective way to apply this technique. The method is relatively simple:
- Pick a task you want to focus on
- Set a timer for 25 minutes (this is called a “Pomodoro”)
- Work on the task until the timer rings
- Take a short break (about 5 minutes)
- After four Pomodoros, take a longer break (15-30 minutes)
So after 1 set of 4 Pomodoros, you would have worked with distraction free focus for close to two hours. The first time you sit down to do this, you might struggle. That’s okay. I remember when I first applied this method. I could barely make it through 2 Pomodoros. As with strength building, the same concepts apply here. Intense focus, followed by intentional recovery, should result in improved ability.

Unless I am really struggling with distraction or working on a major project, I rarely set a timer anymore. But this is generally how my work rhythm is structured.

The early morning is where I try to do some of my most focused creative work. Here, I don’t set a timer, but instead use the John Steinbeck method of sharpening two Blackwing pencils (instead of 24), and writing until they are sufficiently dull.

(3) Focused Play

Because we are thinking about attention as a muscle, it is important to point out that some forms of focused play can be beneficial for strengthening our attention muscles. It doesn’t really seem to matter a whole lot what you focus on, as long as you are focused for extended periods of time.

That being said, since we tend to have an easier time paying attention to the things we enjoy the most, the attention gains we experience from an activity like playing video games are likely extremely minimal. If the activity is enjoyable, it won’t produce enough of a challenge to stimulate growth in your ability to focus. When it comes to focused play, the idea is to find an activity that is enjoyable yet demanding on your attention.

I enjoy lifting weights as a form of focused play. It provided the benefit to both my physical and intellectual health. Having a lot of muscle mass seems to be a strong indicator of long term general and cognitive health. An added benefit of picking up heavy objects throughout the week is improved attention. For a variety of safety concerns, it’s not recommended to let your mind wander while handling heavy weight. You have to have all your attention on the activity and mechanics of your movement.

In addition to physical exercise, other forms of focused play might include: puzzles, brain games, writing poetry, challenging board games, playing an instrument, building blocks like Legos (or, Magna-Tiles for toddler parents), arts and crafts, and reading a challenging book.

(4) Prayer and Meditation

The French philosopher Simone Weil, once summarized the whole enterprise of Christian education as an effort in cultivating the attention necessary for prayer directed with affection for God. Her entire essay (linked above) is absolute gold and well worth your time.

Even if you would not consider yourself religious, Weil’s point is worth consideration. There are some exercises, like reading or puzzles, which train lower forms of attention which will aid us in the pursuit of higher attentiveness through prayer and meditation. Interestingly, Plato lays out a similar argument in The Republic when he discusses the importance of mathematics. To summarize, mathematics is an exercise in preparing the soul for the contemplation of reality (the art of Philosophy).

Following the line of thinking from Weil and Plato, I want to propose that the attention muscles we build through the three strategies above find their greatest pay off in our engagement with exercises that require higher forms of attention such as prayer, meditation, the pursuit and contemplation of the truth,etc. At the same time, due to the level of attentiveness they demand, these higher forms of attention also help us sharpen and strengthen the lower forms of attention.

As I mentioned earlier, I like to spend my early mornings in focused prayer (usually with a Psalm) and meditation on Holy Scripture. When it comes to meditation, I typically use a combination of making observations, reflection, and committing the passage to memory. Most mornings I record my thoughts by pencil in a notebook.

Looking Forward

The skill of attention forms the foundation for the pursuit of excellent thinking. By strengthening our attention muscles, we can enhance our ability to learn, solve problems, and achieve our goals. The fact that attention is trainable offers hope and opportunity for anyone seeking to improve their cognitive fitness. In an age of constant distractions, the skill of focus is more valuable than ever. By investing time in practices that enhance attention, we can unlock your full cognitive potential and achieve greater excellence in our thinking as we progress through the Cognitive Skill Stack.
The Cognitive Skill Stack: A Framework for Better Thinking in 2025

December 28th, 2024

In 2024, I worked on several research projects exploring critical thinking, logical reasoning, intellectual virtue, and the aims of liberal arts education. I learned a great deal over the past year. Most importantly, I strengthened my conviction that the ability to think deeply and meaningfully is an art. It requires consistent effort, but like any craft, it holds immense value. If thinking deeply is an art, then it involves certain skills that can be developed and refined over time. Just as a painter improves their brushstroke or a carpenter perfects their detailing, our minds can enhance specific cognitive skills for sharper and more thoughtful intellectual work.

As we head into 2025, I want to introduce a concept I call “The Cognitive Skill Stack.” This is a set of seven skills that provide a framework for improving our thinking abilities. While technological advancements might make some aspects of thinking appear easier, the reality is more complex.

Technology often simplifies superficial thinking. However, true thinking—the kind that matters—is never easy. While technological tools provide greater access to information, this is only the first step. Just as access to gold ore doesn’t eliminate the need for refining it, access to information doesn’t replace the effort of deep, meaningful thought.

The Cognitive Skill Stack forms the foundation for processing information, solving problems, and generating new ideas. Below is a summary of each skill, its definition, importance, and tips for improvement, presented in ascending order of difficulty.

Note: I’ll expand on each of these in future posts.

(1) Attention

At the foundation level of the cognitive skill stack is the skill of attention. We can understand attention as the ability to concentrate on specific stimuli or tasks for a sustained amount of time while ignoring distractions.

We are constantly bombarded with distractions to lure us away from deep engagement with thought. Once distractions do occur, it takes us a significant amount of time to refocus our attention back to the tasks at hand.

Honing the skill of attention is an essential fundamental skill to excellent thinking. Without it, every other cognitive function becomes compromised. The good news? Attention is trainable, like a muscle.

To strengthen your skills of attention, work on intentional periods of deep engagement followed by brief periods of intentional rest and recovery. The more intense and challenging the stimuli, the more rest and recovery you will need. I’ll share some more tips in future posts, but for now something like the Pomodoro Technique is a great place to start.

(2) Observation

A little less obvious than the skill of attention, but equally as foundational is the skill of observation. This can be understood as the ability to notice key details, patterns, similarities and differences, etc.

Our contemporary culture tends to value faced paced thinking. We often feel pressured to make decisions in a hurry, based on our initial impressions of the details – without necessarily having the full picture. Therefore, the skill of making observations, to look and look again, is essential for clear and thorough thinking.

One initial step in strengthening your observation skills is to challenge yourself to exhaust your noticing. Pick a subject, look, make observations – rinse and repeat.

(3) Memory

I learned about the importance of this skill later in my intellectual development. When we discuss memory, you likely have (traumatic) flashbacks to index cards and mindless repetition of facts, dates, and formulas. Memory is the ability to learn, store, and retrieve information when needed.

Modern technology makes it easy for us to offload (or upload) our memory to external tools. This is a good thing when it comes to certain information like my task manager, calendar appointments, and digital files. But it is not an adequate tool for the full possession of knowledge. When we memorize information, it becomes a part and extension of us in ways that digital tools fall short of. For example, if you have read and memorized parts and passages of the Christian Bible, your ability to engage with literature is significantly enhanced. You pick up on things others cannot. Your observations are sharper. You can more naturally interact with the material. Sure, you can always look it up, but without a well of memory to draw from you are limited to the observations of others and have to take their word for it.

I was reminded of the importance of memory recently after a re-read of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. The full possession of knowledge through memory should be enough motivation to pursue growth in this liberating skill.

(4) Taxonomy

One of my favorite metaphors to use when thinking about mental activity comes from the Yale College faculty report of 1828 (hang with me). We can think of a mind like a house, they write, and one of the outcomes of strong mental powers is that of a well furnished and organized mind. The skill of taxonomy (association and organization) captures this idea of the well furnished mind. We can think of this skill as the ability to group, classify, and organize information. It is the skill of knowing which piece of “intellectual furniture” belongs in a given room and how it relates to the other pieces of furniture. Organized information is easier to retrieve and apply. As Seth Godin, recently pointed out, taxonomy is a service both to ourselves and others. This skill is the bridge between knowledge acquisition and practical application.

The skill of association and organization works hand in hand with the skill of memorization. As we expand our memory vault, the increased volume of data we now possess allows us to make better connections. Again, this is where our digital tools are not so helpful. To exercise this power, you actually have to think and retrieve information. You have to know where to look and how to put the pieces together. This is probably the most abstract skill in the list. I’ll come back and expand on this idea in future posts.

(5) Logical Reasoning

The skill of logical reasoning is probably the first place our mind goes when we think of skills to improve our thinking. It certainly is an important skill, but without the previous four, improving our ability to reason logically can be a struggle. Logical reasoning enables you to construct strong arguments, avoid cognitive biases, and solve complex problems effectively.

One of the most helpful places to start building this skill is simply learning the structure of strong argumentation and the simple fallacies that make for weak arguments. By learning the basic structure of argumentation, my ability to understand, summarize, and communicate complex ideas has greatly improved.

(6) Wisdom (or, Judgment)

It is not enough to know how to make strong arguments that withstand attack. We must know how to implement the mental powers at the proper time, in the proper way, and with excellent intellectual character. In other words, we need the virtue of wisdom to govern our thinking. Wisdom is the hallmark of mature thinking.

Growing in wisdom is never easy, but a good place to start is by seeking feedback. Asking for feedback from someone who’s opinion and counsel you trust takes a whole suite of virtues like honesty, humility, courage, etc. The activity of reflection helps you to learn from your mistakes and successes. Applying the feedback and advice you receive further deepens the channel of wisdom making it more enjoyable and natural as you progress in this intellectual virtue. To summarize King Solomon the author of Proverbs, wisdom is costly – but it’s worth it.

(7) Creative Imagination

The last skill on the list is the human superpower of creative imagination. This is the ability to generate new ideas, synthesize information, and develop novel solutions to problems. Creative imagination is distinct from association and organization in the sense that it unites the entire economy of the mind. Rather than developing ideas out of a single room, creative imagination integrates the whole mental house. It integrates subjects and concepts in order to arrive at new ideas and creative solutions.

Looking Forward

My goal as I head into 2025, is to apply myself to learning and expanding more on each of the skills in this framework. This might be a controversial take to end a post on, but as technology (A.I.) develops to take on more basic cognitive tasks, the human advantage will lie in higher-order thinking—exactly what the Cognitive Skill Stack is aimed at. By mastering these skills, you’re not just improving your thinking; you’re future-proofing your mind.

What level of the cognitive skill stack are you working on right now?

Let me know your thoughts!

Tanner C. Williams

Category: Cognitive Skill Stack

Knowing What to Look For

Improve Your Observations by Asking Better Questions

So acquire the habit of being present at this activity of the material and moral universe. Learn to look; compare what is before you with familiar or secret ideas. Do not see in a town merely houses, but human life and history.

If you cannot look thus, you will become, or be, a man of only commonplace mind. A thinker is like a filter, in which truths as they pass through leave their best substance behind.
– Sertillanges

Observations Start With Questions

Making A Map With Questions

Step 1: Make a Pirate Map

Step 2: Chart the Territory

Step 3: Plan the Route

Looking Forward: The View from the Street

Unlocking the Power of Attention: Why Attitude is Key for Mastering Focus

The Connection Between Attitude and Attention

Three Strategies for Making Connections that Improve Attention

(1) Make it Personal

(2) Make it Valuable

(3) Make it Interesting

Looking Forward

Mastering the Art of Focus: Strategies to Strengthen Your Attention in a Distracted World

Why Attention Matters

Four Strategies for Improving Attention

(1) Create a Focus Routine and Environment

(2) Intentional Sets and Reps

(3) Focused Play

(4) Prayer and Meditation

Looking Forward

The Cognitive Skill Stack: A Framework for Better Thinking in 2025

(1) Attention

(2) Observation

(3) Memory

(4) Taxonomy

(5) Logical Reasoning

(6) Wisdom (or, Judgment)

(7) Creative Imagination

Looking Forward

Category: Cognitive Skill Stack

Knowing What to Look For

Improve Your Observations by Asking Better Questions

So acquire the habit of being present at this activity of the material and moral universe. Learn to look; compare what is before you with familiar or secret ideas. Do not see in a town merely houses, but human life and history.

If you cannot look thus, you will become, or be, a man of only commonplace mind. A thinker is like a filter, in which truths as they pass through leave their best substance behind.– Sertillanges

Observations Start With Questions

Making A Map With Questions

Step 1: Make a Pirate Map

Step 2: Chart the Territory

Step 3: Plan the Route

Looking Forward: The View from the Street

Unlocking the Power of Attention: Why Attitude is Key for Mastering Focus

The Connection Between Attitude and Attention

Three Strategies for Making Connections that Improve Attention

(1) Make it Personal

(2) Make it Valuable

(3) Make it Interesting

Looking Forward

Mastering the Art of Focus: Strategies to Strengthen Your Attention in a Distracted World

Why Attention Matters

Four Strategies for Improving Attention

(1) Create a Focus Routine and Environment

(2) Intentional Sets and Reps

(3) Focused Play

(4) Prayer and Meditation

Looking Forward

The Cognitive Skill Stack: A Framework for Better Thinking in 2025

(1) Attention

(2) Observation

(3) Memory

(4) Taxonomy

(5) Logical Reasoning

(6) Wisdom (or, Judgment)

(7) Creative Imagination

Looking Forward

If you cannot look thus, you will become, or be, a man of only commonplace mind. A thinker is like a filter, in which truths as they pass through leave their best substance behind.
– Sertillanges