Welcome to ​One Thing Better​. Each week, the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine (that’s me) shares one way to achieve a breakthrough at work — and build a career or company you love.

Today’s edition is sponsored by my company CPG Fast Track. See below for a free virtual event that’ll help your brand grow!

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You’re trying to understand something, but you’re stuck.

Maybe it’s a problem at work, a decision you need to make, or an idea you can’t quite articulate. You’ve been thinking about it a lot, but clarity is elusive.

Here’s my advice: Don’t think alone.

Your brain is not designed to figure things out in isolation. It’s designed to understand things through conversation with others. So lean into that.

Today, I’ll show you why — and how to gain clarity more strategically and intentionally.

But first, here’s how I stumbled upon this idea… and how YOU were a part of it!

The solution I couldn’t explain

A few weeks ago, as you might remember, I wrote a newsletter about how to solve tricky problems. I called it ​list before you leap​.

To explain the concept, I told a story from home. Here’s a quick recap:

• My son had a problem with his friends, and my wife and I were trying to figure it out. I said to her: “Let’s list every possible solution.”
• I started listing options, but she kept interrupting to say: “That solution won’t work, and here’s why…”
• Eventually, I explained my process: I wanted to list every option we could think of — and then start narrowing them down.
• Why? Because when we evaluate options individually, it’s easy to say no and move on to the next one. But when we see all the options at once, we force ourselves to pick one, even if it’s imperfect.

Alright, now here’s what I didn’t tell you:

I’ve been using this problem-solving strategy for years, but I’d never actually thought about why I do it. It was just a thing I did!

When I explained it to my wife, I finally gained clarity on my own actions.

And that isn’t a coincidence.

I’m currently reading a book called ​The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity​.

This passage in chapter 3 floored me, because it explained so much. Here’s from the book:

Neuroscientists tell us we spend the overwhelming majority of our time effectively on autopilot, working out habitual forms of behavior without any sort of conscious reflection.

When we are capable of self-awareness, it’s usually for very brief periods of time. … The great exception to this is when we’re talking to someone else.

In conversation, we can hold thoughts and reflect on problems sometimes for hours on end. This is of course why, so often, even if we’re trying to figure something out by ourselves, we imagine arguing with or explaining it to someone else.

Human thought is inherently dialogic. Ancient philosophers tended to be keenly aware of all this. That’s why, whether they were in China, India, or Greece, they tended to write their books in the form of dialogs. Humans were only fully self-conscious when arguing with one another, trying to sway each other’s views or working out a common problem.

I read that and thought: Hooooooly crap.

First of all, what a cool explanation for Socratic dialogs. But more importantly:

Now that we know this, we shouldn’t leave dialog to chance.

How to stop thinking alone

Let’s say you’re stuck on a problem. Instead of being frustrated, you need to get your brain into dialog mode — which means you need an audience.

Here are three options:

Option 1: Find an explanation buddy

Find someone who’s a great listener, and who engages with big ideas. Or better yet: Build a whole menu of those people — because everyone has different strengths.

And here’s the best way to start that relationship: Volunteer to be their explanation buddy first!

I often tell friends: If you need to kick ideas around, just reach out. It’s a great way to build strong connections (I often become closest with the people who take me up on it), and I know they’ll always return the favor!

Option 2: Voice memos

In-person talks are best. Phone calls work too. But honestly, sometimes all you need is to record a voice memo for someone.

I do this regularly. I’ll be stuck on an idea, think of a friend who it would resonate with, and then open my voice memo app and say: “Hey, I have an idea and need to think out loud. Tell me what you make of this…” and then talk for a few minutes, and text the recording to them.

Sure, I could talk out loud to myself — but the voice memo puts my brain into dialog mode, which helps me gain clarity faster. And their responses are always helpful!

Option 3: Start writing more

I’m not alone in saying this: Writing helps me think.

When I write ​One Thing Better​, for example, I usually start with a simple idea — and I have no idea how I’ll expand upon it.

Then I imagine explaining it to one single reader. It might be a friend who’s going through a problem, or a stranger who recently emailed me. I imagine them asking: How does that work? Why’s that useful? What happens next? And this helps me craft the idea.

Don’t have a newsletter? No problem. You could…

• Start one! (I recommend the platform ​Kit​)
• Post explanations on LinkedIn (I teach how ​in my course​)
• Start journaling, which could become raw material for something else

Once you know, you can grow

There are surely many other ways to create dialog. (If you have some, email me.) But the point here is this:

Answers don’t come from a blank screen or a silent room.

Your brain is an inherently social organ, and it works best in dialogue with other brains. Now that you know that, use it.

That’s how to do one thing better.