A few thoughts on thinking

“The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first.” Nancy Kline

We spend a lot of time thinking - and very little time thinking deliberately. Dentistry trains us to act quickly, decide confidently and keep moving. What dentistry - and life - doesn’t teach is how to stop and think properly, with intention.

Good quality thinking is something we might feel inclined to do if we’re facing a challenge or a big decision. I think, mostly, that we allow thoughts to happen to us passively or unconsciously as we go about our daily lives.

Active thinking requires a different kind of attention – one that is uninterrupted, unhurried and allowed to go beyond the obvious first answer. It’s important to understand that thinking isn’t linear, it doesn’t necessarily follow an orderly sequence, so we might need to harness our thoughts, capture the essence of them, and note them so we can look at them collectively. A visual mind map works well.

When is a good time to think?

How do we organise ourselves to create the right environment for productive thinking? It’s less formal than you might imagine but you can create habits that allow you to have some unhurried, regular time to focus on your internal dialogue.

Ideas for carving out quality thinking time:

1.         Take a regular walk without a podcast

2.         Use your drive-time or commute without calls or music

3.         Allocate ten-minutes to write in your notebook before bed

4.         Sit alone in your favourite park or coffee shop without a book or distractions

5.         Drink your first coffee of the day without doing anything else at all

An interesting way to approach this comes from Nancy Kline, whose work centres on creating the conditions for clear thinking. At its core is a simple idea: better thinking happens when we remove interruption, urgency and the pressure to respond quickly. In practice, this means allowing yourself to think a thought all the way through – and it shows up as active thinking, not passive thinking.

Passive thinking is familiar. It happens while we’re distracted, often repeating the same conclusions. It feels like thinking but it rarely leads us anywhere new. Passive thinking, for me, shows up as a sort of running narrative of what I’m doing, seeing, feeling in the moment. It’s an internal planner and a way of noting reactions or observations.

Active thinking is more deliberate

It needs you to stay with a question or challenge for slightly longer than is comfortable. A simple starting point is to take one question and give it your full attention. For example: What part of my work do I want more of? Don’t answer immediately. The first response is often predictable. Keep thinking about the question from all angles. Let the second and third thoughts surface. This is where something more useful tends to appear. Explore and challenge the thoughts that come to you in the same way.

Writing can help. Not structured reflection, just capturing thoughts fluidly as they come. It slows thinking down enough to create some clarity. It also stops you forgetting your thoughts and allowing them to get away.

Creating powerful thinking habits

Over time, this kind of time becomes a signal to shift into a different mode of thinking - one that isn’t reactive or time-pressured. You won’t resolve everything in one sitting. The value is in noticing patterns - what consistently energises you, what feels heavy, what you can change. These kinds of observations build quietly and make decisions easier when they are needed.

Without this kind of thinking, it is easy to continue on a path shaped by habit, opportunity or expectation. With it, direction becomes clearer. I like to write things down, not specifically as a journal, but as a prompt, idea or reminder of something I’d like to think through. If my thinking isn’t taking me somewhere new or challenging me, I probably need to think again.

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About the author:

Dr Dhiraj AroraBDS MJDF RCS (Eng) MSc (Endo) PG Cert CE.

Owner of evo endo with three practices (limited to endodontics) in Twickenham, Gerrard’s Cross and Slough.

He is a passionate teacher and ambassador for all things endo.

Follow him on Instagram: @drdij_evoendo

About this article:

It first appeared in The Probe magazine in May 2026