How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes: Mental Hacks & More (2024)

Co-authored bySandra Possingand Eric McClure

Last Updated: August 25, 2024Fact Checked

Things You Should Know

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   Understand the difference between seeing and observing. Anyone, including Watson, can see something. Sherlock Holmes observes. By default, you probably have a habit of seeing your surroundings without processing the basic information. Observing the full details of a circ*mstance will give you the perspective needed to be Sherlock Holmes.^[1]

   • Don’t take anything for granted! Sherlock Holmes only made assumptions once he could prove they were true.
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   Focus and engage with one thing at a time. The human brain is not structured for heavily complex multitasking. If you really want to make meaningful observations, you cannot be involved in too many activities all at once. Take things one at a time.^[2]

   • Being engaged in observation allows the mind to persist longer and trains it to solve problems more effectively and efficiently.
   • Staying engaged is actually one of the simpler aspects of observation. All you really need to do is focus only on the matter at hand. Leave your phone on silent and don't let your mind stray.

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   Be selective and judicious. Sherlock Holmes was deeply judgmental. If you tried to observe everything you saw in full detail without assessing what counts as important, you would make yourself exhausted and overwhelmed in no time. Be selective about the things you focus your attention on—especially when you’re making assessments.^[3]

   • Quality always beats quantity. Observe things more thoroughly, not simply how to observe more things.
   • The first thing to do in a situation is to size up what areas are vital and which are of no consequence.
   • Once you determine which aspects are essential, observe them down to the smallest details.
   • If the areas you observe do not provide the detail you need, slowly expand your field of observation to other aspects of the situation you previously ruled out as being inconsequential.
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   Do your best to be objective. By nature, humans tend to have biases and preconceptions that influence the way they perceive things. If you really want to make meaningful observations though, fight against and dismiss these biases as you find yourself stumbling into them.^[4]

   • Keep in mind that observation and deduction are two different parts of the process. When you observe, you are doing nothing more than studying. Only during the deductive stage can you make final calls on the information you gather.
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   Make inclusive observations based on other factors. As you wind down the observational portion of your case, take things you may not have directly witnessed into account (like witness reports). Include mental notes on other senses, as well, including hearing, smell, taste, and touch.^[5]

   • Focus on fine-tuning your senses of sight, sound, and smell. These are the three most essential senses for observation.
   • Practice mindfulness on a regular basis. This will help tune into your different senses and be more aware of them.

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   Ask a lot of questions and stay curious. View everything with a healthy level of skepticism and continually ask questions about what you observe, think, and feel. Instead of jumping straight to the most obvious answer, break any dilemma down further into more questions, answering each one so that you arrive at the most thorough solution.^[6]

   • Question every new piece of information you gather before storing it in your mind. Ask yourself why the information is important enough to remember or how it connects to things you already know.
   • To ask important questions, educate yourself, stay curious, and never stop learning.
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   Know the difference between impossible and improbable. By human nature, you might be tempted to rule out a possibility if it seems improbable. These possibilities must be allowed for, however. Only the impossible—that which cannot be true no matter what—can ever be ruled out completely.^[7]

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   Talk to a trusted colleague to get a second opinion. Even though Sherlock Holmes is a renowned genius, his intellect would have been a bit crippled if he did not have Dr. John Watson to bounce ideas off of. Find a friend or colleague whose intellect you trust and discuss your observations and conclusions with that person.^[8]

   • It is important that you allow the other person to shape theories and conclusions without ruling out the information you already know to be true.
   • If your discussion brings up new ideas that alter your theories, allow it to happen. Do not let pride come in between you and the truth.
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   Give your mind a break before issuing any rulings. Your mind will burn out if you continually leave it set to “Sherlock” mode. Even the great detective himself took breaks during particularly grueling cases. Letting your mind rest actually improves its ability to form accurate conclusions in the long run.^[9]

   • Focusing too intensely on a problem can cause your mind to become worn out, and as a result, it will process information less accurately.
   • Giving your mind a chance to relax can allow it to make connections steadily and subconsciously, so when you return to the problem, you might realize a seemingly obvious train of thought you hadn't noticed before your rest.
   • Some good ways to relax your mind and feel more connected with your body at the same time include dance, yoga, breathwork, doing a workout, or getting out to enjoy nature, sun, and fresh air.

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   Meditate to hone your ability to process information. One practical way to exercise and develop your ability to observe is to meditate for fifteen minutes each day. Meditation can keep your mind keen, make you more aware of what is happening in your brain in real-time, and may help acquaint you with the concept of being fully focused on your surroundings.^[10]

   • You don’t have to go out of your way to meditate. All you really need to do is to spend a few minutes a day shutting out distractions and building your ability to focus.
   • You can focus on a specific image in your mind, or you could focus on an external image during meditation. The main idea is simply to make sure that whatever you are meditating on has your full focus.
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   Challenge yourself with puzzles and games. A daily, weekly, or monthly puzzle can help you sharpen your powers of observation. Give yourself a mystery to solve, but make sure that the mystery will require the full use of your powers of observation.^[11]

   • One simple challenge you can give yourself is to observe something new every day.
   • For instance, take one picture a day from a different perspective. Focus on taking pictures that demonstrate fresh perspectives on everyday locations.
   • People-watching is another powerful yet simple challenge you can give yourself. Start with simple details, like the clothes a person wears or the way that person walks.
   • Eventually, your observations should include details about body language and signs of specific heightened emotions.
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   Take notes and maintain careful records. Even though Sherlock Holmes does not need to carry around a notepad and pen, while you are working on developing your powers of observation, taking notes can be beneficial. Make sure that the notes you take are detailed enough for you to recall the various sights, sounds, and smells of a situation.^[12]

   • The process of taking notes forces your mind to pay attention to situations in detail. Hopefully, you will reach a point at which such notes will no longer be essential. At the beginning, though, this activity may help gear your mind toward observing instead of just seeing

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   Know the benefits of building a mind palace. A “mind palace” or “mind attic” allows you to organize information in a way that makes it more readily accessible and easy to remember. Holmes used this technique, but the concept itself actually dates back much further than that.^[13]

   • Officially, this technique is called the "Method of Loci," with loci referring to the Latin plural form of "location." It dates back to Ancient Greece and Rome.
   • Facts and information are remembered by associating them with a specific physical location.
   • An important note: Please note this is from the Sherlock series by BBC and not Arthur Conan Doyle's books. Arthur never wrote about Sherlock having a mind palace—it only exists in the show. Even then, this will probably help!
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   Close your eyes and build a physical space in your head. Choose an image that you can visualize clearly and in full detail inside your mind. The place you choose for your mind palace can be somewhere you created or somewhere you once visited.^[14]

   • A larger space is preferable since you can store more information. For instance, if you imagine a literal palace, you can assign a separate room to each discipline or subject area.
   • If you choose a place that exists in the real world, make sure that you know the place well enough to visualize it in great detail.
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   Map out a route through the space you’ve created. Visualize yourself moving through your mind palace. The route should be the same each time, and you should practice traveling that route often enough for it to become second nature to you.^[15]

   • After you set the route, identify markers along that route. For instance, you might imagine half a dozen chairs or a series of lamps in a long hallway, or you could identify each piece of furniture in a dining room or bedroom.
   • Spend time in each spot along your route and define as many of these markers as possible.
   • Even if you aren’t using your mind palace, take the time to mentally stroll through it periodically. Keep the details and route the exact same each time.
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   Place key items along this route to remember them. Once you know how to travel through your mind palace, begin filing information along the route you travel. Picture placing the information in a specific location. As before, practice traveling along your route and accessing that information often enough to become accustomed to the action.^[16]

   • Use the details you pinpointed previously as you assign information to various parts of your mind palace.
   • For instance, if you imagined a lamp in the corner of a room inside your mind palace, you may end up picturing a key person turning on that lamp to remember a detail concerning that person.
   • Make the details as specific and unusual as possible. The mind will have an easier time remembering something strange than it will if you make everything seem too ordinary.

   See Also

   Sherlock Holmes' famous memory trick really works

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