7 Keys To Learning To Think Like Sherlock Holmes

To learn to think like Sherlock Holmes, there is nothing better than immersing ourselves in his mind, one of the most lucid in the history of literature. The famous method with which Conan Doyle endowed his character is extremely linked to attention and discipline; Sherlock possesses touches of natural skepticism and an inquisitive, curious and energetic gaze that we can all develop effectively …

Joseph Bell, the foreign doctor from whom Doyle drew inspiration to bring the famous hero of Baker Street to life, said that any diagnosis made in a foreign, scientific or other context must be based on three very simple steps:  observe carefully , deduce cleverly and confirm with evidence. The assimilation of such a strategy is not done in a day or two but through a meticulous routine, where you have to train your mind and get to know a little better the “attics of our brain”.

This Scottish doctor, whom Conan Doyle had the chance to know, was always proud that his pupil took him as a reference for his work; in fact, he even made the prologue to some of his books. It should be noted that Doyle was not only inspired by the analytical method of Dr. Bell; he also felt attracted by the personality and reasoning of another famous detective, C. Auguste Dupin,  the famous detective who was born from the pen of Edgar Allan Poe in “Le double assassinat dans la rue Morgue” .

Arthur Conan Doyle knew very well what he wanted when he sketched out his character’s fascinating personality traits one by one. He didn’t want an easy man, he didn’t want a classic hero; he had to have dark and contradictory undertones, a proper sense of justice and, most of all, he had to have one of the brightest minds of all time. And he succeeded, there is no doubt …

Learning to think like Sherlock Holmes is within our grasp if we follow the following strategies …

1. Develop your skepticism

There is no worse enemy than to stop questioning ideas or thoughts,  than to assume a passive attitude towards any fact, information or event that arises in front of us. What’s more, if we don’t even learn to question our own thoughts and attitudes, we will never get beyond a veil of smoke.

To learn to think like Sherlock Holmes, we must go through a phase of preparation intended to let go of our prejudices, also ceasing to accept as true the opinions or reasoning that others defend, as if they were irrefutable universal truths. Let’s learn to put filters, let’s be skeptical,  let’s be curious and able to see beyond the tip of our nose, by controlling above all these automatic reasonings  which sometimes arise in front of us and which we do not always question.

2. Inclusive thinking

When Sherlock Holmes receives a note, he doesn’t limit himself exclusively to reading the message. In fact, sometimes the text is the least important. The “Sherlockian method” involves developing inclusive thinking where everything counts, where everything provides information. Thinking like Sherlock Holmes involves taking into account the fact that any seemingly innocuous object, face, tone of voice, gesture or place provides much more information than you might first think.

Let us remember, for example, the adventure of “The Blue Carbuncle” and how, through an old hat and a goose, Holmes cleverly succeeds in tracing the thread of one of the most complex and original cases that Conan Doyle succeeded in creating.

3. A genuine commitment

Those who have read all the cases and all the adventures of Sherlock Holmes have surely realized one essential aspect: the tenant of the Baker Street apartment goes from inactivity and deep lethargy to excitement. and to movement when something catches his interest. This is when her mind focuses and stops wandering, idle and saddened.

Holmes refuses cases that are not stimulating enough for him or those of clients who do not inspire him with confidence. His mind is selective, he saves time and energy to focus only on what suits his values ​​and interests. Thus, he only accepts business that motivates him and which, according to him, can pose a real challenge to his abilities.

4. To think better, you sometimes have to move away

To learn to think like Sherlock Holmes, it will be very useful for us to apply one of his techniques: imaginative thinking. During those moments when his mind has endless data, pieces to fit together, testimonies, imprecise sensations and contradictory images, Holmes needs to order them in order to analyze them and then develop plausible theories that will explain the facts.

To carry out this process, he does not hesitate to isolate himself from the world by locking himself in his room, smoking a good pipe and playing the violin to immerse himself in his mental palate and refine his deductions. Sometimes, to think better, it is better to take some distance from the central problem and stop concentrating our efforts on retrieving information and work that we already know.

5. We can help ourselves with a newspaper

Sometimes, we have too much confidence in ourselves and think that our mind is not going to forget such a given, such a detail or such a piece of information. It is a mistake. Using journals, writing down our thoughts and ideas on a piece of paper can be a great help, not only to remember information but also to think better, channel more ideas and contrast concepts.

We also cannot put aside a fact that Sherlock Holmes and scientist André-Marie d’Ampère had in common: to always carry a pencil and paper with you. Ideas are free, they come and go over time and appear at the most imprecise moment. Therefore, it is best to be prepared to notice them when they appear.

6. To learn to think like Sherlock Holmes, look for mental challenges

There is a curious fact to take into account about the character of Sherlock Holmes. His powers of deduction, his faculty of analysis, his virtuosity in connecting apparently different facts with those which demonstrate a theory are not aspects that automatically came to his mind.

The one who actually has exceptional intelligence is his brother Mycroft,  whom everyone describes as England’s greatest mastermind. However, his fabulous brain contrasts with his passive attitude; he is a man of routine, who hates action and work in the fields. He left these tasks – with pleasure – to his little brother, to this constantly restless mind that needed stimuli, challenges and puzzles to “feed itself”. Sherlock could thus train his mind, his skills and his flair as a consulting detective.

7. Use your faculties to do good

One detail Doctor Watson is used to pointing out about his dear fellow adventurer – and roommate – is being grateful that Sherlock is using his splendid abilities to do good. Otherwise,  Holmes could have entered into competition on the other side with another extraordinary mind, but this time criminal: that of Professor Moriarty. 

All of this prompts us to think about an idea: the concept of intelligence as well as our cognitive skills need a goal, a motivational object that we use to train ourselves, to be more effective in our reasoning, our reflections. and our fields of action.

Thinking without motivation and inspiration is of little use. In fact, Sherlock Holmes himself resorted to this “6% cocaine solution” when the days went by without a single case to be resolved, when time passed slowly like the London haze, without his mind serving a thing. end, a goal.

Learning to think like Sherlock Holmes is without a doubt a great goal that we can set for ourselves on a daily basis. Let’s try to always have at our disposal this magnificent Sherlockian model to inspire us, these dozens of adventures to teach us a little more about the methods and strategies  of one of the most loved and admired characters in the history of literature. .

Our thoughts

Emotions often take precedence over rational thoughts, preventing us from seeing reality as it is.