Seizing on intuition… (Part Two)

Having some intuition is one thing, using it effectively is quite another. So, how can we make it useful to us? Specialists say that everything starts with a rich "Database", something that could also be called a form of input. In fact, intuition is only as good as the data it’s built on. Chess masters have "perfect" intuition about a board because they have seen thousands of patterns. Conversely, a novice has "little or bad" intuition because their database is empty. 

We must go beyond experiencing the moment and instead draw the teachings of every breathing moment in our lives. Let's not just work; let's analyze. If we are a manager, let's not be content with running a meeting, instead, always ask: "What were the three subtle cues I missed?" This feeds the subconscious better data. In addition, we must read case studies or "After Action Reviews." Our brain can always "claim" the experiences of others and add them to our intuitive library. In addition, before making a decision, picture the project failing 6 months from now. 

Let’s ask our gut: "What went wrong?" This forces our intuition to scan for subtle red flags we’ve been ignoring. The next stage is to work on the "Receiver" and make it more sensitive. Scientists call the ability, should I say this talent, to feel your own internal signals “Intreroception.” People with high interoceptive awareness (the ability to accurately feel their own heartbeat or "butterflies") consistently make better intuitive decisions. 

We can get better at this by practicing body scans, in which we practice a 2-minute "check-in" during low-stress moments. What does our chest feel like? Our stomach? our jaw? Then there’s the "Flash Decision" exercise in which when faced with a trivial choice (like picking a restaurant), we give ourselves exactly 3 seconds to choose. We observe the physical sensation of that "instant" choice. Does it feel "heavy" or "light"? Over time, we should learn to recognize the physical "signature" of a correct hunch. 

This leaves us with calibrating the "Feedback Loop", and within it, the biggest enemy of intuition is hindsight bias (the "I knew it all along" feeling that is often a lie). To improve, we must prove ourselves wrong by keeping an "Intuition Journal" in which we write down a hunch when we have it, including how it felt physically. For instance, "Met the new contractor today. 

My stomach felt tight, even though his resume is perfect. I’m going to hire him but watch the budget closely." From there, we need to review the outcomes by going back to that journal every 3 months. Was our stomach right, or was it just anxiety? This "tunes" our brain to distinguish between real intuition and emotional noise. Tomorrow, we’ll see how we can keep track of our various intuitions and measure them…