As the CEO of a small bootstrapping company, you often have to make decisions.  These can be critical decisions that will shape the growth (or failure) of your company.  Or they can simply be approvals of ideas.  Sometimes, you might even have to come up with a blog topic!

Read on for my sure fire ways to think, think, think.

1. Practice makes perfect!

Use your noggin!  Every single day, at the very least, challenge your brain.  I love Suduko.  I also like brain teasers, trivia, numberX.  I also like simple matching or organizing games like Bejeweled Blitz (by PopCap).  I used to think that zoning out for a few minutes on these types of games helped to clear my mind, better making me able to be productive or make a good decision.  Now, I think that the organizing, matching, or computing, sharpens my brain.  Like a mental workout, these types of activities provide exercise to keep your brain sharp.  They are warm ups laps for your mind.

2. Hot Beverage of Your Choice

Something about hot beverages simply helps my brain relax.  A cup of tea on the sofa is the best way to do “wanderingly-thinking.”  This my personal way of describing thoughts which generally sort themselves out.  When I am overwhelmed with options, paths, and ideas, it helps to simply let my mind take me down each path slowly.  Wandering along each thought until I reach the conclusion.  This usually takes 2 cups of tea.

Other times, I need a boost of energy to build excitement for a plan or idea.  I want to think quickly, zipping along.  Brainstorming sessions or thoughts about details, require connections made quickly.  Coffee is the beverage of choice here.

Lastly, I always save hot cocoa for winter days, when nothing is working correctly and my computer crashes 15 times in a row.  Hot Cocoa is “Slow down, go carefully, and you’ll get there” drink.

3. A Good Pen on Good Paper

If I am really stuck on new ideas, I break out my good pens.  I take out a nice pad of thick paper.  Handwriting physically slows you down, causes you to think about each word you are writing before going on to the next.  You can draw small doodles.  You can underline good, or strike though the ugly.  Nothing feels as nice as a good pen on good paper, and nothing sounds more poetic than words written by a good pen on nice paper.

Happy Thinking!

What are some ways you process your thoughts?