The Secrets of Utilizing 'Zero-Second Thinking' Learned from 240 Days of Practice and Your Notes

The recent buzz around Tsubasa Ito's post about 'Zero-Second Thinking' is still fresh in my memory.
As someone who was posting notes on the same topic at the same time, I could only admire the sheer perfection of Ito-san's note.

After that, as I looked back at various people's notes related to 'Zero-Second Thinking' and passed the 7-month mark of my own practice, I realized something.

There is a trick to how you utilize 'Zero-Second Thinking'.

This time, I would like to explain the tips for utilizing and continuing 'Zero-Second Thinking' that I noticed from my own practice and everyone's notes, from my own perspective!

For those who are wondering, 'What is 'Zero-Second Thinking' anyway?', to put it simply, it is 'using A4 paper horizontally to organize your thoughts'.
If you want to know more, there are wonderful notes from Ito-san and others, and I have also summarized it, so please feel free to read whichever one you like.

The important things are these three

From here on, for those who have tried 'Zero-Second Thinking' but didn't quite get it or couldn't keep it up, let's take a detailed look at my own tips for utilization and continuation.

By the way, continuation happens naturally if you find it fun or useful, so first, I would like to focus on utilization.
*Don't worry, I will touch on continuation in the arrangement section at the end.

1. Know the 'state' of your thinking

First, what you want to be conscious of from the start is that before you get the effects and results of problem-solving, visualization, or verbalization, the primary purpose is to know your own 'state' regarding the issue.

For example,
- Is there something you consider a problem?
- Are you feeling vaguely troubled, even if it's not clear?
- Is the problem clear, but you are actually trying to approach the true issue by digging deeper?
Depending on the current location of your thinking, the results you get (or want to get) will differ.

In other words, if you are in a state of confusion, there is great significance in being able to visualize and verbalize it, and in some cases, the results you want to achieve may be complex.
Conversely, it would be a waste to give up, feeling disappointed that 'I tried Zero-Second Thinking but the problem wasn't solved,' even though you were able to visualize and verbalize what was bothering you.

The trap of motivation

This is a common motivation trap; even when you are getting small results in things like English conversation or muscle training, you only focus on the big results and jump to the conclusion that 'it's useless.' It is a great waste when you have put in the effort and had the motivation to take action.

After all, it is important to notice small changes and small happiness. By the way, in the Zero-Second Thinking method, the act of recording itself counts as logging.
Therefore, people who have trouble noticing changes usually look back at the Zero-Second Thinking memos they have written over about 3 months, but looking back at an earlier stage, such as after 1 month or 2 weeks, might also be good.

2. How you frame your questions is 90% of the work

For those who thought, 'Oh great, another '90% of the work is X' thing,' I would appreciate it if you could wait a moment.
The feature of the Zero-Second Thinking method is to take advantage of the habit that 'people think when they are given a question.' Furthermore, it uses A4 paper horizontally, based on the idea that 'the width of the paper is the width of your thinking.'

However, as I compared my own memos from when I first started with everyone's notes, I felt that what I had vaguely thought about at first gradually took shape.

At the time, I was just writing down whatever keywords came to mind, or asking very vague questions, or conversely, questions that were too specific to allow for any deeper exploration; I was definitely wandering aimlessly at first.

Of course, that doesn't mean it was bad. I think it's fine to try things out in your own way and tune the method until it becomes useful and meaningful for you, but it's a real shame to give up halfway through, so I'm sharing this with you now.

Try to deepen your inquiry by asking, "Is that really true?," in response to your questions. It doesn't matter if your initial theme for the question or issue is broad or narrow; by repeatedly asking "why" or "is that really true?" to what you've quickly written down—what you've put out there for the moment—the Zero-Second Thinking method should become much more meaningful.

This is something I noticed when I looked through your notes.

3. Master it further with your own original arrangements!

The last thing I want to convey is that, even so, I think it's quite difficult if there's no fun (including things that are interesting) involved, so I'd like to introduce a few of my own arrangement methods.

Honestly, I'm saying things that might be considered unorthodox based on the book's content, so I hope the purists and hardliners will look upon this with a warm heart. As for me, I want to reduce as much as possible the number of people who drop out before they encounter the true fun of it, so I think it's fine to study under a stoic teacher after you've realized how interesting it is.

The key to continuing is not to quit = to start again

I think this might be the biggest hurdle, but perhaps many people who struggle with consistency do so because they think, "I have to do it every day."} {
At first, start small without pushing yourself." I think it's fine to start with something like "once a week on your day off" when it's relatively easy to find time.

And if there is a gap in your practice, that's okay. Just likethat day you first started, you can just begin again.

For those who think, "Isn't that cheating?" I really want you to hear this: the important thing iswhat is positive for your life. If that's the case, then borrowing its power whenever you feel like trying it again is all you need to do.

Regarding consistency, even though I'm saying this, I actually had a very strong sense of struggle with it myself, so I've written about it in detail here as well.

Use your favorite writing tools

This might work for some and not for others, but I want to cherish the time I spend on the Zero-Second Thinking method, so I bring out my favorite stationery.

I've always liked writing on paper analog-style, and the binder I bought previously, along with the paper, is Maruman's "Easy-to-Write Loose Leaf." *It's a domestic manufacturer, and the product name is no exaggeration. I use a fountain pen that I've recently started using. *The image is of an OHTO one, but I'm also fond of the PILOT Cocoon.

By the way, this isn't limited to the Zero-Second Thinking method, but I also try to make it easier to get into the zone by changing my BGM (and physical location) depending on the time of day, the content, and my mood.

Use your right brain!

This is a method I was recently taught by a mentor-like figure, who explained the importance of using not just the left brain, which focuses on logic, but also the right brain.
So, I combined it with the Zero-Second Thinking method: drawing mind maps using colored pencils.
The idea is not to prioritize logic, such as 'using specific colors for work-related tasks,' but to write and draw with the colors you envision.

Because of my line of work, I often have my left brain running at full capacity, so this was personally effective. *By the way, I also feel my right brain at work and enjoy it when I'm creating the images and top banners to insert.

What did you think of this topic for those who couldn't quite find the appeal in 'Zero-Second Thinking'?
If you have experiences like 'this is where it didn't work for me' or 'I tried doing this instead!', please let me know in the comments section!

Also, I have compiled the notes I referred to this time here! I always find your wonderful articles helpful!