How to develop analytical skills: step-by-step instructions. Develop analytical thinking: exercise your brain


What are analytical skills and why are they important in the workplace? Analytical skills refer to the ability to gather and analyze information, solve problems, and make decisions. These strengths can help solve the company's problems and also increase and enhance the company's productivity. Here's information on why employers are looking for employees with these skills, as well as a list of analytical skills employers look for in resumes, cover letters, job applications and

What are analytical skills and why are they important in the workplace? Analytical skills refer to the ability to gather and analyze information, solve problems, and make decisions. These strengths can help solve the company's problems and also increase and enhance the company's productivity.

Here's information about why employers are looking for employees with these skills, as well as a list of analytical skills employers look for in resumes, cover letters, job applications, and interviews.

Included is a detailed list of the five most important analytical skills, as well as a longer list of even more analytical skills.

Also see below list keywords related to analytical skills that you can include in your application.

Why employers value analytical skills

Employers are looking for employees who can investigate a problem and find a solution in a timely, effective manner.

Employees need strong analytical skills to solve problems. Hiring managers desire a person who uses clear, logical steps and excellent judgment to understand a problem from all angles before taking action. Solutions can be achieved through clear, methodical approaches or through more creative and lateral angles, depending on the goal. Both of these ways of solving a problem involve analytical skills.

Analytical skills may sound technical, but we use these skills in Everyday life by identifying patterns, brainstorming, observing, interpreting data, integrating new information, theorizing and making decisions based on multiple factors and options,

These essential skills are required by employers to various types jobs in various areas, including business analytics, data architecture, data science, marketing, project management, accounting, business development, programming, law, medicine and science,

How to use skill lists

You can use these skill lists throughout your job search process.

First, you can use these skill words in your resume. You can use some of these keywords in describing your work history.

Secondly, you can use them in your cover letter. In the body of the email, you can highlight one or two of these skills and give a specific example of a time when you demonstrated these skills on the job.

Finally, you can use these skill words in interviews. Make sure you have at least one example of a time where you demonstrated each of the top 5 skills listed here.

Of course, each job requires different skills and experience, so read the job description carefully and focus on the skills listed by the employer.

Also check out our other skill lists, listed by job and skill type.

Top Five Analytical Skills

Creation
Analysis often requires a creative eye to identify trends in the data that others have not found.

Creativity is also important when it comes to problem solving. Employees often have to think outside the box to come up with effective solutions big problems.

Critical thinking
Critical thinking is essential to having strong analytical skills. Critical thinking refers to evaluating information and then making a decision based on your findings. Critical thinking helps employees make decisions that help solve problems for the company.

Data analysis
No matter what your career is, good analytical research means being able to examine large amounts of data and look for trends in that data. You have to go beyond just reading and understanding information, making sense of it and finding patterns.

Study
Often, before analyzing it, a worker must first collect data or information. After all, you must learn more about the problem before solving it.

Therefore, an important analytical skill is the ability to collect data and research a topic.

Examples of Analytical Skills

  • Analysis
  • Audit
  • Budgeting
  • Calculation
  • Calculation
  • Accuracy check
  • Classification
  • Information collection > Communication
  • Comparison
  • Compilation
  • Cost Analysis
  • Count
  • Creation
  • Critical thinking
  • Data analysis
  • Data collection
  • Making decisions
  • Deductive Reasoning > Diagnosis
  • Grade
  • Study
  • Financial management
  • The financial analysis
  • Financial entry
  • H-M
  • Study

Judgment

  • Logical thinking
  • Indicators > N-S
  • Organization
  • Planning

Prioritization

  • Problem solving
  • Qualitative analysis
  • Quantitative Analysis
  • Study
  • Reasoning
  • Registration Information
  • Research > Reporting
  • Permission
  • Survey
  • Synthesizer
  • T-Z
  • Inventory analysis
  • Troubleshooting
  • Analytic Keywords

Keywords are an important component of a job application because hiring managers use words and phrases in resumes and cover letters to job candidates on screen (often using software for recruitment management). By including words that employers are looking for, you are more likely to move on to the next round of the hiring process.

  • Here is a list of analytical keywords for resumes, cover letters and job applications.
  • Analytics

Analytics

Benchmarking

Big Data

  • Two-dimensional
  • Business analysis
  • Business analytics
  • Calculation
  • Case Analysis
  • CATWOE
  • Causal relationships
  • Cohort analysis
  • Company analysis
  • Comparative analysis
  • Correlation
  • Cost Analysis
  • Credit analysis
  • Critical analysis
  • Critical Thinking > D - I
  • Data analysis
  • Data analysis
  • Data output
  • Deductive Reasoning
  • Descriptive analysis

Diagnostics

  • dissection
  • Productivity increase
  • Grade
  • Financial analysis
  • Fourier analysis
  • Fundamental Analysis
  • Heptalysis
  • Definition of savings
  • Improvement
  • Industry analysis
  • Conclusion
  • Interpretation
  • J-P
  • Logical analysis
  • Analyze data across multiple channels
  • Optimization
  • Analysis of calculations
  • Policy Analysis
  • Predictive Analytics
  • Predictive modeling
  • Prescriptive Analytics
  • Price profit ratio Price profit before growth
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Prioritization
  • Problem solving
  • Process Analysis
  • Q - Z
  • Qualitative analysis
  • Quantitative Analysis
  • Permission
  • Restructuring
  • Return on Investment
  • Rhetorical Analysis
  • Risk assessment
  • Scattering limits
  • Scenario Analysis
  • Sentimental Analysis
  • Social analysis
  • Statistical analysis
  • Strategic planning
  • Process optimization
  • Structured Data Analysis
  • Technical analysis
  • Trouble-shooting
  • Univariate
  • More details:
  • Business Skills List | Research Skills List | Skills not to use your resume

The article is devoted to the main methods aimed at development of analytical skills in trainings and coaching managers using the most effective and developmental decision-making techniques that have been developed and effectively used in the field of project management and quality management.

The author also identifies three main types of intelligence - rational, emotional and spatial - which are involved in the process of analysis, search and decision-making. The techniques proposed by the author involve the development of analytical skills using all three types of intelligence.

The leader’s logic, emotions and intuition unite to achieve the goal, and do not oppose each other in his decisions.

The article is written on many years of experience in conducting training and coaching for senior managers.

Introduction. Original problem

In our culture, analytical skills, so necessary for making effective management decisions, are usually developed through problem solving. Does this mean that a leader who does not have strong abilities in the field of mathematics and physics cannot make quality business decisions?

The answer is quite clear - no, it doesn’t.

But how then to develop analytical skills in different people? psychological type of people?

Three types of intelligence and three types of management decisions

In accordance with the structure of the human brain, there are three main models of information processing and decision making. In their works, famous scientists Paul MacLean, Rolf Schirm and Victor Batayar identified three main types of analytical processes in the brain, which, respectively, first appeared in reptiles, mammals and primates.

Conventionally, these three types of information processing processes were designated by three colors - green, red and blue.

On the basis of the “green” process, spatial intelligence is formed, built on an intuitive model of information processing.

On the basis of the “red” process, emotional intelligence is formed, built on an evaluative model of information processing.

And finally, on the basis of the “blue” process, rational intelligence develops, built on the cause-and-effect processing of verbalized information.

Each person is characterized by the predominance of one or another type of information processing, this is determined by the characteristics of his endocrine system. Therefore, the search and decision-making of each specific leader is limited by his individual characteristics.

Spatial intelligence allows you to make general intuitive decisions that are distinguished by relatively accurate forecasting, but such a decision does not take into account either the specific nuances of the current situation or cause-and-effect relationships. As a result, such a solution is not technologically feasible. It is true only in a specific case. It cannot be reproduced again. Making such a decision is difficult to teach. The most effective decisions using spatial intelligence are made by a group of people who are involved in active process discussions, for example, in brainstorming mode.

Emotional intellect allows you to make decisions regarding priorities, main directions, methods of responding to the current situation. Emotional intelligence is based on the ability to quickly assess the main factors determining a situation and choose the one with the highest priority. Decisions based on emotional intelligence are the fastest and most dramatic - this is a kind of basic decision-making model in business process reengineering and crisis management. But such a solution is also limited from a technological point of view. It lacks completeness and depth of analysis and cannot be reproduced again if the underlying factors have at least partially changed. Often, to increase the effectiveness of emotional intelligence, the motor activity of a leader is necessary, such as Lenin, who constantly walked from corner to corner, analyzing the situation and coming up with a solution.

Rational Intelligence allows you to make deep, thoughtful decisions that differ high level systematic, accurate, multifactorial and abstract. The basis of rational intelligence is the ability to find the subtlest cause-and-effect relationships even where their presence cannot even be assumed. Decisions based on rational intelligence are the most strategic, global and take into account the finest nuances. But decision-making based on rational intelligence is impossible without sufficient provision of incoming information and in noisy, uncomfortable conditions. These are office solutions that require maximum concentration and privacy in the environment modern means communication and information processing.

What is the difference decisions made on practice?

Relatively recently, a certain pharmaceutical company experienced a significant loss, despite the high season. How different leaders analyzed this situation, and what decisions they made.

The head of one of the businesses with a pronounced spatial intelligence gathered all second-level managers and asked everyone to express their vision of the situation. As they spoke, he gradually began to understand that managers did not want to take responsibility for increasing profitability while reducing costs. He gave a fiery speech and motivated managers to constantly work with costs, and subsequently constantly reminded them of this task. At the end of the next quarter, the loss decreased threefold.

Leader with a pronounced emotional intelligence requested a manager for economic security, financial analyst and chief information officer. He clearly limited the set of indicators for the last financial period which he wanted to see. Having received the necessary data, in two hours he created a 4-point program for the quarter: abandoning the reserve warehouse, reducing staff in logistics by 12%, increasing sales in the hospital department and replacing 10% of expensive drugs in the assortment with more economical analogues. As a result, by the end of the next quarter his business became profitable.

Leader with a pronounced rational intellect During the first month I studied the situation in all its nuances and wrote detailed business plan. As a result of the implementation of this plan, the situation remained virtually unchanged in the next quarter, but within six months his business achieved stable growth and overtook other businesses in terms of profit.

So you see that:

  • In business, a leader needs all three forms of analytical skills.
  • Each type of intelligence has its own strengths and weak sides
  • Each leader adopts his own decision-making model

Therefore, when developing analytical skills, it is necessary to rely on the manager’s strong abilities and at the same time find a way to compensate for the weak ones.

Techniques and methods for developing analytical skills, taking into account the individual characteristics of managers

Therefore, in our work, we always begin the development of a leader’s analytical skills with an analysis of the structure of the intellect of the training or coaching participants. On currently the only model that allows you to evaluate this indicator is the structogram technique ( www.structogram.ru). And only after this we form a specific set of training activities.

At the same time, we give preference to such models of analysis, information processing and decision-making that contain the processes of all three types of intelligence.

Let's take, for example, the well-known SWOT analysis model, which is actively used in project management, quality management, and marketing. In contrast to the classical model of using this method, we have introduced a number of elements into it that allow us to compensate for certain analytical processes. Below I will give an example of handouts for training on the development of analytical skills with notes with which I want to draw your attention to the use and compensation of one or another type of intelligence.

I chose this model for consideration as the most famous and I hope that, taking into account the large number of new details that take into account the activation various forms intelligence, you will find in it big number new and unexpected facets.

In almost any similar model of search, analysis and decision-making, it is possible to build a similar model of development and compensation of all three main types of managerial intelligence. For example, our variation of the Ishikawa cause-and-effect diagram model, which is so popular in the quality management system, turns out to be very interesting.

Within the framework of this article, I will still limit myself to only one model, but I will try to show on it all the main facets of our approach.

Example: practical exercise “SWOT analysis”

Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the project ( internal environment), as well as the threats and opportunities that exist in external environment. Write the results in the SWOT analysis matrix in the appropriate squares.

1. Strengths

Availability of a no-budget budgeting model

2. Weaknesses

Lack of reserves

3. Opportunities

Lack of preparedness of competitors

  1. Possibility of planned advance. Hence:
  2. Budget reallocation - cost reduction combined with aggressive marketing.
  1. Risk of falling with the market. Hence:
  2. Application of marketing methods guerrilla warfare and asymmetrical impact.

Falling purchasing power

  1. Possibility of reorientation. Hence:
  2. Replacement of the assortment with more affordable products.
  1. Risk of falling sales. Hence:
  2. Temporary increase in the level of trade credit from suppliers.

Stages of analysis (SWOT analysis) of the external and internal situation (environment) of the company:

FIRST STAGE. Distribution of existing factors into external and internal, favorable and unfavorable from the point of view of the goal. Distribution of factors according to the corresponding columns No. 1-4. Additional procedures:

1.1. Correlating each factor with the goal. Conducting a primary analysis to answer the question: “What can the influence of this factor lead to on the goal?”

1.2. Consideration of extreme forecast options:

1.2.1. average or optimal option

1.2.2. worst or pessimistic option and possible ways preventing it

1.2.3. best or optimistic option

1.3. Recording the results of the most probable forecasts for further use if the analyzed goal is approved.

SECOND PHASE. Analysis of the relationships between factors. To do this you need:

2.1. compare each factor in column 1 with each factor in column 3 and enter the result in columns 1-3. The result should be:

2.1.1. description of the resulting active factor

2.1.2. the most optimal action to achieve the goal, taking into account this factor (possible measures)

2.2. then in the same way it is necessary to compare factors 1 and 4

2.5. Then all the resulting active factors within the corresponding columns are ranked according to their degree of probability.

THIRD STAGE. The resulting possible activities must be analyzed in terms of their financial risk in order to make a preliminary decision about whether it makes sense to achieve the stated goal (policy or vision). To do this you need to take the following steps:

3.1. Each activity is assessed according to the level of potential costs in absolute or relative values and multiplied by the probability of realizing these costs

3.2. Each event is judged according to its level financial effect(additional profit) throughout the entire time of achieving the goal in the same amounts and multiplied by the probability of achieving this additional profit

3.3. The investment attractiveness of your solution is calculated. Namely :

3.3.1. For each event it is calculated algebraic sum(including sign)

3.3.2. All positive sums are divided by 2 and added together

3.3.3. All negative amounts (remainders) are multiplied by 2 and added together

3.3.4. Both sums are added together

3.3.5. The amount received is divided by the total amount of receipts

3.4. You compare the result obtained with the table of solutions and determine your further actions from three options:

3.4.1. decision-making,

3.4.2. solution correction,

3.4.3. refusal of a decision (project)

FOURTH STAGE. Correction of the resulting structure of factors and measures.

4.1. Replacement of economically unprofitable measures

4.2. If clause 4.1. is not enough - make an additional reformulation of the goal (policy, vision).

4.3. The remaining and newly acquired activities are structured according to importance and urgency relative to the set goal (policy, vision).

conclusions

  1. Many years of work with the manager showed that solutions developed using the processes of all three types of intelligence turned out to be the most effective.
  2. Combining the processes of each of the three types of intelligence in a training exercise allows you to develop analytical skills at a new and much more effective level. Analysis of the training results showed that even the most “unpromising” participants from the point of view of customers, after such trainings, quickly increased the level and quality of the decisions they made. So, in one company, after we trained a group of executive assistants in analytical skills, ALL participants in the training were appointed to management positions up to the level of top managers within a year after the training.

The modern world is overflowing with information. Each object or phenomenon can be named (and the name will have a lot of synonyms and concepts related to it in meaning), measured (according to a number of principles, on different scales) and taken into account (repeatedly). And then an object or phenomenon can be compared with others based on this variety of characteristics and dimensions...

As a result, without multiplying entities (the number of objects and phenomena is large, but finite), we can observe an endless wave of information generated by them. If you think that the solution to the problem of information overload is to ignore everything uninteresting and unimportant, then analytical skills are probably not your strongest suit. If the abundance of information inspires and intrigues you, you believe that information is never superfluous, you just need to put it into a system and everything will immediately come into harmony, moreover, you already have a couple of ideas on how to systematize what seems like a tangle to others incoherent information - it seems that you are a natural analyst, and working with information is your thing.

At one time, man escaped from the natural environment, duplicating it in his consciousness. The invention of speech as a unique way of preserving experience and transmitting impressions set man apart from other mammals and allowed him to make a leap forward in his development, overtaking all his neighbors on the planet once and for all. Today is unique in that we are experiencing a new stage in human development in the accumulation, transmission and processing of information, and the leading role in this process is occupied by people with analytical abilities.

Think about it: until recently, any human action was a step into the unknown, and all that he could rely on was a small own experience and on the tradition that has developed in his area.

Oral folk art tried to convey the experience of generations with the help of legends and fairy tales, but the information in them was given in such a coded form and so distorted from centuries-old retelling with alterations that only the wise and dedicated (or those who looking for deep meaning even where the author did not intend it). Printing was invented relatively recently (first in the 10th century in China, then in medieval Europe), people began to join reading (and thereby the experience of humanity) on a large scale much later (at early XIX centuries in Russia, about 21% of men and no more than 13% of women were literate, despite the fact that literacy was understood as the ability to read in layman's terms). Now in the pocket of every schoolchild there is a phone, the power of which exceeds the capabilities of NASA at the time of sending a man to the moon, and any student can take advantage of this opportunity to learn everything about everything through reference and information resources on the Internet (or ignore this advantage and continue to “post” “funny pictures” ).

It is the accuracy, precision and scrupulousness of analytical people that allows most of us to use computer programs and Internet browsers without thinking about how exactly it works. If you are one of those who are interested in the hidden sides of the movement of information, it is likely that analytical abilities have become an inclination and influence your choice of activities.

The analytical type is characterized by the ability to perceive and retain in memory significant amounts of information expressed in words, signs or symbols, and the ability to focus one’s attention on symbolic material. The analytical type’s special view of symbolic material presupposes that he sees the encoded information extremely clearly, critically; he grasps the system and meaning of the material better than others.

For him, a written sheet of music is music, which he can appreciate even on paper; huge accounting forms, densely packed with numbers, do not cause his eyes to wander or his attention to wander - he sees relationships and contradictions, and is able not only to quickly find an error, but also to understand what kind of accident caused it, geographic map for the analytical type, this is the key to understanding the area; for him it will not be difficult to remember the route, because for him it is not a set of signs that need to be remembered and retained in memory by effort, but coherent information that is naturally and logically linked with what he was already known.

IN childhood An analytical type student can be recognized by his special, serious attitude to rules and instructions. He, unlike his more frivolous peers, not only remembers all the “dos and don’ts” mentioned by adults, but can also justify every prohibition or impulse. He himself breaks the rules extremely rarely, because when testing the system for strength, he experiences much more discomfort and anxiety than fun and excitement.

Most people with analytical abilities retain their adherence to rules into adulthood. Many of them are not only extremely law-abiding themselves, but also encourage their friends to do the same, occupying the position of “voice of common sense” in the company of their comrades. Some of the representatives of this type find themselves in professional activity related to compliance with rules, protocols and instructions, for example, such people are excellent at office work, searching and systematizing legal information, and working with important documentation.

Those with analytical skills often read a lot; their entertainment is somehow related to the consumption and processing of information. For example, many of them love crosswords and puzzles. If a representative of the analytical type likes cinema or music of a certain genre, he watches or listens to huge amounts of artistic material, becomes an expert in his favorite genre, and often systematizes his impressions (compiles ratings and catalogs, develops systems comparative characteristics), such people are also prone to systematic collecting.

When working with sign systems, there is a place for both humor and creativity, but they, as a rule, are of a narrowly professional nature. Translators create puns that make fellow translators smile, programmers leave special messages in the code for fellow programmers. In essence, those with analytical skills represent the vanguard modern humanity, and there is more mutual understanding between representatives of this type than between analysts and representatives of other types.

Drawing an analogy, we can say that it is just as difficult for a person with analytical abilities and corresponding developed skills to communicate with people ignorant of sign systems and not interested in them as it is for a person who loves reading to be among illiterate people who do not think about learning at least alphabet. This contradiction, as well as a deep misunderstanding of why others behave irrationally, often creates difficulties with communication and social self-realization for people endowed with analytical abilities.

If you are thinking about a career in the field of collecting, analyzing, processing and communicating information, ask yourself a number of questions:

  • Is it natural for you to concentrate for long periods of time, or are you a lively and active person?
  • If you have written an essay, are there high chances that you will find all your mistakes and shortcomings in it from the first reading and correct them before the teacher starts checking it?
  • Can you briefly and accurately, indicating landmarks, tell a person how to get to a place he has never been to, or after your explanations is it more reliable to ask someone else for directions?
  • Do you have your own system for storing personal belongings, books, disks, or do you prefer to dominate the chaos?
  • Can you always quickly remember how you solved a problem and restore your train of thought if you did not record the solution in writing?

Activities that will help you develop analytical skills: mastering programming languages, studying foreign languages, systematization interesting information(creating an expanded catalog of a collection of books, films, music albums, etc.), working with databases, mastering various computer programs, solution of nontrivial mathematical problems, cryptography.

In order to analyze sign systems, it is necessary not only to have the appropriate abilities, it requires special psychophysiological and personal traits. But, be that as it may, motivation plays a decisive role in whether you will be successful in this area. If this is your path, develop in the right direction and reach professional heights. A person can achieve a lot if he does exactly what he is passionate about.


S.O. Kropivyanskaya

Analytic skills- one of the key ones. There is a lot of information everywhere and it is increasing geometric progression. Even if your field of activity is not related to this, the skill will be useful to every person. In addition to direct benefits, it brings indirect benefits: it develops memory and logic. These two parameters are called one of the first when it comes to mental abilities. Today, it is important for any person to be able to effectively cope with incoming information and draw the right conclusions.

Not all ways to develop analytical skills will be of interest to you personally. However, you can choose the ones that are most suitable and practice them every day.

Solve math problems

This is one of the best ways improving analytical skills. Mathematics is very logical and mathematical problems and problems are structured.

  • Solve problems involving mental arithmetic.
  • Do this every day.
  • Solve problems from everyday life and do not use a calculator.
  • Go through to level up these skills.

Love brain games

These games will help improve your brain skills. Plus, it's fun, which means you'll get even more benefits from the exercises.

  • Download to your phone or tablet.
  • Solve crosswords, sudoku and logic puzzles.
  • Play chess.

Join a discussion club or reading group

A competent discussion of a certain topic helps improve logical and analytical abilities, as well as develop critical thinking.

Book Club - great way discuss the same book. It’s great when one text allows you to draw several very different conclusions. After all, debating is also a skill that helps develop analytical skills.

Create a large database

The more you read, study and absorb, the larger your database of information to work with when needed.

  • Read a wide variety of literature: philosophy, science, religion, fiction.
  • Attend lectures and conferences.
  • Sign up for training classes in your city.

Take time to think

Building a database is a great strategy, but it is not enough. You need to take time to digest all the information and reflect on what you have learned. Most people who strive to improve themselves read a lot, but never stop and analyze what they read.

  • Remember in detail what the book or article was about.
  • Consider several ways to solve one problem. Why is one method better than another? Prove your point.
  • Avoid yourself simple solution. Often it turns out to be true, but do not deny yourself the pleasure of thinking about the problem deeper and more carefully.

Expand your worldview

This process must not stop. Accustom yourself to the fact that you need to expand your worldview every day.

  • Think about other ways of understanding the world. Consider it from a political, philosophical, scientific and religious point of view.
  • Try to understand points of view that you often ignore.
  • Surround yourself with people who are different from you.

Look for connections

Undoubtedly, many things in our daily life are connected with each other. By understanding and establishing these connections, you can realize a lot of things and draw reasonable conclusions.

  • Think about things in terms of cause and effect. Are you absolutely sure what is first and what is second? Sometimes what is considered an effect is actually a cause and vice versa.
  • Think about the similarity of things and events, look for analogies, come up with ideas.
  • Think about human history. What cycles, patterns and trends are you noticing?

Pay attention to details

You need to know the big picture, but without understanding the details, you cannot draw correct conclusions or weigh the pros and cons. Constantly move between a specific event and the situation as a whole.

We wish you good luck!

>>>> Analytical mindset - what is it?

Analytical mindset - what is it?

Analytic skills human is the ability to think logically (reason). When they say that a person has an analytical mind, they want to emphasize that his ability to think has a strict logical sequence. Such a person is able to collect facts, analyze them and build a chain of these facts that would lead to the correct conclusions (to the most probable results).

Almost all people have the habit of reasoning (expressing their opinions out loud) or reflecting (thinking about their opinions), but not everyone is able to build the correct logical chain of their knowledge, which means that decisions (conclusions from their thoughts or judgments) will not always be the same. This is where the saying comes from: “How many people, so many opinions.” If everyone reasoned equally logically, then the opinion would be almost the same, but in life everything is different. And a logically thinking person will always notice inconsistencies in the reasoning of other people whose thinking is illogical.

Where does illogical thinking come from? In addition to the fact that a person is endowed with the ability to think, he has a tendency to react emotionally to all sorts of life situations, and no one has canceled instincts that do not lend themselves to logic in its mathematical sense. The logic of instincts is different from logic scientific knowledge. Human thinking, emotionally charged and driven by instincts, does not have the ability to arrange facts in the correct order with mathematical precision. This is where divergences in views on the same events arise.

But this does not mean that people with an analytical mindset are not susceptible to emotions and instinctive behavior. It’s just that the brain of a person with analytical abilities, accustomed to constantly analyzing everything that comes his way, will, out of habit, analyze any situation without mixing emotions or natural instincts into it.

Analytic mind is a gift of nature, but whether it is worth developing analytical abilities if there is no inclination for them is a personal choice for each person. First you need to think about how to use these abilities in the future; are they needed in everyday life? An analytical mind is usually needed in situations where a person is inclined to engage in scientific or writing activities, advocacy or medicine, investigations or research, because the results of his activities will be used by other people, and these results must be impeccable, error-free.

To develop analytical skills, daily exercise is required. To get started, you can perform several exercises that will allow you to track your own way of thinking and find differences from the way of thinking of another person:

  • When listening to other people's opinions that are different from yours, try to take their position and arrange the facts in such a way that you get conclusions similar to the conclusions of the other person. This way you will find inconsistencies in the other person’s thinking and draw conclusions about where he was wrong, and maybe where you were wrong.
  • Try to analyze any situations you encounter. View them with different sides, try to come up with several ways out difficult situation or several ways of its development.
  • Read detective novels and try to identify the culprit of the crime halfway through the novel.
  • Buy a problem book called “Entertaining Mathematics” with answers and solve problems from it every day. It's fun, educational, and will allow you to sharpen your brain.

People with an analytical mindset use their abilities every minute, but do not notice any intellectual load. When you understand that analysis (analytics) is not brain strain, but entertainment, consider that you have already developed analytical skills.