Asking Better Questions = Better Results
- Brainz Magazine
- Mar 1, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 22, 2022
Written by: Sarah Moody, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you know what the number one tool in coaching yourself to feeling calm, confident, and happy in your life?
Asking powerful questions.
That’s it! But wow, the questions you ask your brain really make a difference. And our brain is ALWAYS asking us something.
“Doesn’t that cupcake look delicious? Did you remember to do that? What are they thinking about you? What if you get fired? What’s for dinner? Why didn’t they call me back?”
Your primitive Puppy Brain wants your prefrontal CEO Brain to have an ANSWER. It’s pretty much a constant talk track in your head of responding to your own questions. This is why phenomena like decision fatigue happens! If you have to expend energy every time your brain asks you a question, you’re literally exhausting yourself with the details and missing the opportunity to direct energy to creating the results you want to see.
Which is why you DESERVE to be asking yourself BETTER QUESTIONS.
Of course, it sounds obvious, but even coming up with better questions can be a huge source of analysis paralysis. Here’s the process I use:
Step 1: Designate time to answer all the little detailed questions ahead of time. What you’re going to have for lunch, when you’re going to work on that deliverable, when you’re going to work out and what you’re going to do for that workout… all of that can be decided ahead of time. If the plan changes, that’s fine. If not, you don’t have to spend any more energy than necessary dilly-dallying around in deciding.
Step 2: Now the hard part – coming up with new questions to ask. So try this: identify a result you would like to create (or avoid creating!) Imagine you’re about to interview someone who has created this result. You want to know about the before, during and after, right? Now set a timer for 10 minutes and write down as many questions as you can think of about that result. You don’t need to know the answers to any of them!
Step 3: Edit your list. If working in customer advocacy has taught me anything, it is ASK OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS. So go back through your list and cross off any questions that could be answered with a yes or no answer. You will be surprised at how many there are!
This is an iterative process. The more you implement it, the easier it becomes and the faster you’re able to see results. Here are some of my favorite go-to questions I’ve developed using this process:
What is my dream best-case scenario here?
What would it feel like to create that?
What could be the first step here?
Remember, don’t let your brain spin out into drama about answering these. If you don’t know the answer, just say to your brain, “let’s guess”! It’s not a test, it’s a practice.
Here’s one last question for you: What do you think your life would be like if you stuck with this practice for 30 days?
Only one way to find out!
Sarah Moody, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sarah is the only certified coach who:
Recovered from decades of anorexia and bulimia.
Has been a tech veteran for the past 20 years and started a company from scratch after getting fired from a job in 2001. Clients are some of the largest software enterprises in the world, and the company has grown by over 400% in revenue.
Has coached hundreds of clients and is on a mission to help other high achievers like herself, break through burnout and bring magic back into their career and life.
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