Strategies to Emulate Leonardo da Vinci's Cognitive Approach

Turning the big 4-0 a few years back, I decided to rummage through all the journals I've kept since childhood. This midlife retrospective inventory was a way to take stock of my journey so far. In one of those high school journals, I stumbled upon pages of notes from a book that had a massive impact on me back then but had slipped my memory: Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael J. Gelb.

This book uses the life of the great Leonardo as a muse for habits that can enhance your thinking, unleash creativity, and create a fulfilling life. Having recently turned another year older, I thought it was about time to revisit this book and see if it would still inspire and motivate me as it did when I was a rebel teenager. To my delight, it did!

Think Like Leonardo da Vinci is an entertaining read that blends history and self-improvement, seamlessly weaving philosophical ideas with practical strategies that can be incorporated into your life. Below, I highlight Gelb's "Seven Da Vinci Principles," along with some useful exercise suggestions I found beneficial for both 17-year-old Brett and for me at 42.

The Seven Da Vinci Principles and Practices to Cultivate Them

1. Curiosità - Fueling Your Inquisitiveness

Leonardo never stopped asking questions throughout his life. Sadly, as we grow older, we tend to become less curious. We often settle for what we already know and stop seeking the unknown.

To foster Curiosità, Gelb suggests that you:

*Keep a running list*. As I talked about with Roland Allen on the AoM podcast episode about the power of thinking on paper, Leonardo always carried a notebook with him. He filled its pages with observations, sketches, and questions. Do the same. Jot down anything that piques your interest in your notebook. Draw in it. Record ideas. Brainstorm questions. Think Like Leonardo da Vinci inspired me to keep a pocket notebook on me during my high school years and throughout my adult life.

Dump 100 questions. Write down 100 questions. They can be about anything and everything. Capture your thoughts without worrying about overthinking them. This exercise reveals themes or topics that are significant to you.

I did this exercise in my teenage journal; here are some of the inquiries I scribbled:

What will I be like in 10 years?
Where will I live when I'm older?
What is the definition of a man?
Am I meeting that definition?
Is technology the downfall of society?

2. Dimostrazione - Proving Your Knowledge through Experience

Leonardo sometimes referred to himself as a discepolo della esperienza - a "disciple of experience." He didn't believe others' accounts; he tested, experimented, and observed for himself.

To cultivate Dimostrazione, Gelb recommends that you:

Audit your thought processes. Make a list of three beliefs and mental models that guide your interaction with life. After you've listed them, scrutinize each belief and consider the extent to which the following sources have shaped them: media, other people, or personal experience.

If you realize that the first two sources, rather than direct experience, have predominantly influenced your beliefs, Gelb suggests searching for ways to validate those beliefs through personal experience.

3. Sensazione - Sharp-eyed and Ear-open

What made Leonardo a fantastic artist was not just his keen observation skills but also his ability to immerse himself fully in the sensory details of the world around him.

Here are a few exercises inspired by Leonardo's keen sensory perception:

Describe a sunset. Find a peaceful outdoor spot and observe the sunset. Jot down a detailed account of the experience.

Learn to draw. Sketching played a vital role in Leonardo's understanding of the world. His journals are filled with drawings. While you don't have to be an expert artist like Leonardo, learning to draw can be a powerful tool for absorbing information. It turns abstract ideas into something tangible. After chatting with Roland Allen about Leonardo's notebooks, I was inspired to learn how to draw. It's slow going, but I'm improving!

4. Sfumato - Embracing the Grey Areas

One of Leonardo's greatest strengths was his comfort with ambiguity. The Mona Lisa is a striking example of this. The phrase sfumato (meaning "smoky" in Italian) describes Leonardo's style of blending edges, but for Gelb, it also reflects Leonardo's ability to navigate uncertainty and the tension that comes with it.

To cultivate Sfumato, Gelb recommends that you:

Cultivate "confusion endurance." Reflect on paradoxes in life such as:

Happiness and sadness - Consider moments in your life that were the saddest but also the happiest. What is the connection between the two?
Strength and weakness - List your strengths and weaknesses. How are these qualities related?

5. Arte/Scienza - Art and Science, a Match Made in Heaven

Leonardo integrated science and art effortlessly. His anatomical drawings were both medically accurate and aesthetically stunning. He saw no distinction between logic and creativity.

To foster Arte/Scienza, Gelb suggests that you:

*Doodle brainstorms*. Inspired by Leonardo's nonlinear style of note-taking, doodle brainstorming uses pictures and words to link ideas organically. In your notebook, draw out brainstorms for questions like:

What do I want to achieve in the next 5 years?
What should my upcoming article/podcast/project focus on?
What do I know (or need to know) about [topic]?
What steps do I need to take to reach this goal?
What should I include in my trip/event plan?
What areas of my life need more attention right now?
What are the root causes of this issue?
What are possible solutions to this problem?
What are the pros and cons of my two options for this decision?
What criteria should I use to make this decision?
What are the short- and long-term consequences of each choice?

6. Corporalità - Physical Fitness and Poise

Leonardo didn't just strengthen his mind - he took care of his body, too. He was known for his strength, endurance, and grace. According to legend, Leonardo could bend a horseshoe with his bare hands. He had brains and brawn!

To foster Corporalità, follow Leonardo's lead by practicing the many habits that encourage physical health and grace, such as taking morning walks, strength training, maintaining a balanced diet, and improving your posture.

Gelb also suggests two quirkier practices:

*Juggle*.** According to biographer Antonina Valentin, Leonardo was a juggler. Gelb believes that juggling can help your mental and physical quickness.

Cultivate ambidexterity. Gelb encourages us to follow Leonardo's example and become ambidextrous. Spend the day performing tasks with your nondominant hand, such as writing and brushing your teeth. Gelb also recommends writing and drawing using both hands simultaneously.

7. Connessione - Recognizing the Web That Connects All Things

One of Leonardo's genius qualities was his ability to combine seemingly disparate ideas to create new concepts. A renowned example is Leonardo's connection between water and hair; he noted that they flowed similarly, allowing him to draw both more skillfully.

To cultivate Connessione, Gelb recommends that you:

Search for connections. Get a notebook and write down three connections between the following:

An oak leaf and a human hand
A laugh and a knot
Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and rain

I enjoyed revisiting Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. It's inspired me to pick up some exercises from my teenage years again. I'm beginning to feel more creative already. It's also just been fun.

If you wish to cultivate a curious, imaginative, and balanced mind and become a true Renaissance man, give some of the exercises above a try. Get writing, thinking, questioning, sketching, and juggling yourself.

Despite turning 42, I continue to foster my inquisitiveness by carrying a pocket notebook, as inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's style, and filling it with observations, sketches, and questions.
In an effort to validate my beliefs through personal experience, I audit my thought processes by listing three mental models that guide my interactions with life and scrutinizing how media, other people, and my personal experiences have influenced them.
To immerse myself fully in the sensory details of the world around me, I describe a sunset in a detailed account, finding a peaceful outdoor spot to observe and jot down the experience.
Embracing ambiguity, I cultivate "confusion endurance" by reflecting on paradoxes in life such as the connection between happiness and sadness, and strength and weakness.
Leveraging art and science, I doodle brainstorms in my notebook, drawing out organic connections between ideas for various questions and topics.
To encourage physical health and grace, I practice habits such as taking morning walks, strength training, maintaining a balanced diet, improving my posture, juggling, and becoming ambidextrous.
To recognize the web that connects all things, I search for creative connections between seemingly disparate ideas, like an oak leaf and a human hand, a laugh and a knot, and Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and rain.
For personal growth and self-improvement, I revisit books like Think Like Leonardo da Vinci and incorporate the exercises into my lifestyle, seeking inspiration from fashion-and-beauty trends, mindfulness practices, entertainment, and education-and-self-development resources to achieve a balanced and fulfilling life.