I’ve always had this sense of there being two different modes of thinking like what I’m about to talk about but until recently wasn’t able to clearly establish the logic between the two. Now, I know them as intuitive and sensory thinking. I believe this is a fundamental concept that accounts for many things in human beings. Everybody does some of each but many people function primarily from one or the other.

So what are they?

Intuitive Thinking

Intuitive thinking is all about focusing within yourself and your own imagination & intellect. Where instead of figuring things out by observing the outside world, you imagine & analyze them within your own mind. People who are primarily intuitive thinkers are the imaginative, head in the clouds type of people. They like to think, analyze, philosophize, etc, within their own mind for the right answer. There is often a lack of sense of time with highly intuitive thinkers. With intuitive thinking, it is about the inside world and not the outside world.

Sensory Thinking

Sensory thinking is all about observing what is going on outside yourself. Where instead of figuring things out through your own imagination & intellect, you simply observe what the answer is based on the external world. People who are primarily sensory thinkers are the observant, responsive, reactive, ear to the ground type of people. They like to observe and directly react to what is going on in the world when solving something. Sensory thinkers are very in tune with what is going on around them in their environment. With sensory thinking, it is about the outside world and not the inside world.

Everybody does some of each but many people function primarily from one or the other. If you start to observe and sense this within yourself, then you’ll probably find that it generally takes a completely different state of mind to think from one or the other. Where when you are in a clearly intuitive mindset, it is hard to conduct very effective sensory thinking and visa-versa.

Both types of thinking have value and combining the two would consistently yield the best results. However, I do think that major advancements in the world rely heavily on intuitive thinking and day to day management of things relies heavily on sensory thinking.

I am primarily an intuitive thinker. You can probably easily guess this by taking a glance at my personal website. I’ve observed many things in the world through my senses. However, after a while, it gets extremely repetitive in my opinion and similar patterns repeat themselves over and over. Therefore, to gain any major ground in understanding the world & advancing strategy for impact in the world, one has to turn inward to think primarily from their own imagination & intellect. This is what I primarily do with my thoughts. It is also true that I am consistently oblivious to several environmental factors such as time. I very rarely know what day it is. However, when I am competing in something that has a very finite amount of time to it, I can turn up my sensory thinking a lot and respond to many environmental variables occurring moment to moment like a hawk. Although, I have experienced mindsets of simultaneous high performing intuitive and sensory thinking. It has been rare. However, it certainly has occurred. I usually have extra energy and adrenaline running through me when I experience this capability.

We are always enabled and limited by our current mindset for thinking intuitively vs. sensory. We usually consistently gravitate towards one or the other types of thinking. Do you primarily have your head in the clouds or your ear to the ground?