Lightbulb Moment

Most people can relate to lightbulb moments, where suddenly something connects and starts to make sense.

In German, this is called an “aha-erlebnis”, which my brain relates to an image like this instead of that classic lightbulb image.

Back to the lightbulb moments. You get them while in the shower, on a long drive or walking in nature. That’s no coincidence. It’s your subconscious brain making an often creative connection between two or more pieces of information. This process is called mind wandering, and the brain activity resembles what happens in your brain while dreaming.

Now, while the light might be turned on instantly by the flick of a switch, wouldn’t it be great if you could slowly turn up a dimmer to make insights like this happen more often?

You can.

Harness the power of oscillation: Devote some time to studying a subject with full effort and focus, countered by some time off, where you and your mind can wander. Consciously engage your brain in collecting new information, but give your brain time off to organize this information and make connections. This takes time, and you can’t force it.

You might want to sleep on it.