3 Steps on How to Think Logically

4 min readJul 16, 2020

Most of us fancy ourselves logical and smart people. Most of us think we know how to think and how to think logically.

Honestly, I think this is completely correct. I truly believe that people know how to do this. And yet there’s still a problem.

The problem I’ve seen is that some of us consider ourselves logical thinkers, but when the time comes to demonstrate that logical thinking, it’s nowhere to be seen.

In my former job, there were a number of times where I’d be talking to someone and walking them through steps of a procedure or events that led to where they are now, but despite agreeing and seeing what I was saying, they tripped on the conclusion and completely invalidated everything that was said.

It wasn’t that these people were simpletons. They just weren’t able to access the ability to think logically in that moment. So if you cannot rely on your brain to think logically by default, here are the steps to get you there.

1. Make sure that you are not using emotion

When you’re talking about something or making a decision, you should be able to talk about why you are saying what you are saying with zero emotional reasoning behind it.

Even the term “emotional reasoning” explains why people think they are being logical when in reality they aren’t. They feel a certain way and that is how they arrive at the conclusions they arrive at.

Emotional reasoning may involve reasoning, but that doesn’t mean it is logical. It’s just how you feel and you feel it strongly.

But in terms of coming to conclusions or making decisions using logical thinking, there is no room for emotional language like, “I feel as if…” or “I don’t like…” Moreover, when you are feeling an emotion and then talking from the emotion like when you’re in the throes of passion or in a heated debate, this too is not logical.

And we all know we can make stupid decisions and say things we regret in those types of scenarios.