Sterling Terrell

smart ideas from books (mostly)

  • Home
  • About
    • My CV
    • Books
    • Series
  • Newsletter
  • Advertising
  • Tools
You are here: Home / Books / Mastermind, By: Maria Konnikova

Mastermind, By: Maria Konnikova

Mastermind, By: Maria Konnikova

Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes
By: Maria Konnikova
Penguin Books (December 31, 2013)
288 pages

The subtitle of Mastermind says it perfectly. This book is about thinking like Sherlock Holmes. Author Maria Konnikova began reading/listening to Sherlock Holmes as a child and developed a love for his way of thinking. But don’t we all share that? Even if your only exposure to “Sherlock Holmes” is in the movies – or maybe you know him by reputation only – everyone knows that Detective Holmes has a way of seeing things that others don’t. He puts together pieces no one else would consider and disregards what seems obvious to others. Holmes does not waste a second of brainpower on something inconsequential – yet hyper-focuses on the smallest detail that moves the issue forward. We could all be more like that.

Two of my favorite quotes:

Remember: specific, mindful motivation matters. It matters a great deal. We have to frame our goals ahead of time. Let them inform how we proceed. Let them inform how we allocate our precious cognitive resources. We have to think them through, write them down, to make sure they are as clear-cut as they can possibly be.

What Sherlock Holmes offers isn’t just a way of solving crime. It is an entire way of thinking, a mindset that can be applied to countless enterprises far removed from the foggy streets of the London underworld. It is an approach born out of the scientific method that transcends science and crime both and can serve as a model for thinking, a way of being, even, just as powerful in our time as it was in Conan Doyle’s. And that, I would argue, is the secret to Holmes’s enduring, overwhelming, and ubiquitous appeal.

Buy this book.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: BooksTagged With: #Books, #MyReadingLife2017

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Privacy Policy

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Notifications of all new posts by email.

Connect

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search

Top Posts

  • The Tricky Lily Pad Riddle (You Probably Can't Solve)
    The Tricky Lily Pad Riddle (You Probably Can't Solve)
  • The Tragedy Of Gina "Bronco" Bouza (1932-1957)
    The Tragedy Of Gina "Bronco" Bouza (1932-1957)
  • The Massive Power Of Visual Persuasion
    The Massive Power Of Visual Persuasion
  • 31 Persuasion Tips That I Learned From Scott Adams
    31 Persuasion Tips That I Learned From Scott Adams
  • Instabooks 169
    Instabooks 169
  • Sentience vs Consciousness
    Sentience vs Consciousness
  • 8 Great Passages From: The Hiding Place, By: Corrie Ten Boom
    8 Great Passages From: The Hiding Place, By: Corrie Ten Boom
  • How The West Texas Sky Changes You
    How The West Texas Sky Changes You
  • 4 Great Persuasion Tools
    4 Great Persuasion Tools
  • Hyatt Hill Country Sunday House
    Hyatt Hill Country Sunday House

Supporting = Loving

Buy Me a Coffee

Recent Posts

  • Asymmetric Opportunities To Tilt Luck
  • Where I Sit 26
  • X.com
  • How Is Your Lot Always Full?
  • Random Thoughts – 382

Copyright © 2023 · Generate Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in