The TalkGraph blog

How thinking works, and how to do more of it.

Short, practical articles on thinking out loud, organising your ideas and the methods that actually help, with the research behind them.

Think itout loudFeatured · How thinking worksDoes talking out loud actually help you think?Why muttering through a problem works, and the catch most people miss.3 min read · 4 October 2026

How thinking works

What research says about speaking, remembering, questioning and thinking with AI, and how to use it.

??????Ask thenext questionHow thinking worksSocratic questioning, and how to use it on your own ideasSix kinds of question, and the one you always skip.2 min read · 4 October 2026rereadtest yourselfTest,don't rereadHow thinking worksActive recall: why testing yourself beats rereading your notesRereading feels productive. A week later, testing yourself wins.4 min read · 4 October 2026storageWhat tohand overHow thinking worksCognitive offloading: what to hand to your tools, and what to keepWhat to hand to your tools, and what you'll want back.2 min read · 4 October 2026??Notes thatstickHow thinking worksHow to take lecture notes that stick (free revision template)Stop racing to copy every word. Think about the lecture while it happens.7 min read · 4 October 2026

Organising your ideas

Practical ways to get ideas out of your head, sort them and turn them into something.

Get it out,then sortOrganising your ideasHow to organise your thoughts when your head feels fullA full head is rarely full of big things. Usually it's thirty small ones.4 min read · 4 October 2026Catch it,then chooseOrganising your ideasToo many ideas? How to catch them and choose the good onesOne place to catch them, and a quick test to pick the best.2 min read · 4 October 2026?BrainstormaloneOrganising your ideasHow to brainstorm on your own (and why it often beats a group)Why people working alone often out-think the meeting room.2 min read · 4 October 2026DECISIONACTIONQUESTIONNotes peopleactually useOrganising your ideasHow to take meeting notes people actually use (free template)Decisions, owners and open questions. Everything else is optional.5 min read · 4 October 2026

Thinking methods

Plain explainers of the methods people already use, from the Feynman technique to Zettelkasten.

1234Explain itsimplyThinking methodsThe Feynman technique, done out loudWhere you stumble is exactly what you need to learn next.4 min read · 4 October 2026!Say everystepThinking methodsWhy explaining a problem to a rubber duck worksWhy the answer turns up halfway through explaining the problem.2 min read · 4 October 2026Link smallideasThinking methodsZettelkasten, PARA and the second brain, explained without the jargonThree popular systems, what each is for, and why most people quit.2 min read · 4 October 2026
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