The 60-Second Shift That Unlocks Genius Mode
The 60-Second Creativity Shift High Performers Use Daily
Your brain runs two engines.
Most people floor the wrong one.
The difference between stuck and elite?
High performers don’t just “think harder.”
They think in sequence.
Your Brain Has 2 Modes. Master the Shift.
System 1 = Fast. Embodied. Instinctive. (Flow. Improv. Pattern recognition.)
System 2 = Slow. Analytical. Effortful.
(Strategy. Problem-solving. Logic.)
You don’t need better thoughts. You need better timing.
Pitching? → System 1
Reviewing numbers? → System 2
Building something bold? → Both—sequenced
Elite performance isn’t about picking the right gear.
It’s about switching with precision—on command.
Creativity Is a Timing Game
Two thinking modes drive every breakthrough:
Divergent Thinking → Idea generation
wide, fast, messy)Convergent Thinking → Idea refinement
(focused, slow, decisive)
Most people don’t know how to shift between them.
They stay stuck in one—too wide, or too narrow.
Too much divergence = creative chaos
Too much convergence = intellectual gridlock
The win? Learning to toggle.
Use This: The Diverge → Converge Protocol
This is what I train execs and athletes to embed into their thinking loop—so they don’t just perform, they scale that performance under pressure.
Step 1: Divergent Spark (System 1)
2-minute walk, no phone
Widen your gaze (panoramic vision)
Brain dump 10 ideas in 30 seconds
Step 2: Convergent Lock-In (System 2)
Hydrate (16 oz water)
Pick your best idea
Set a 25-minute timer
Refine. Decide. Ship.
The Neuroscience Behind It
After working with everyone from MLB athletes to Fortune 500 execs to fast-scaling founders, I noticed the same pattern:
The top 1% don’t have better ideas. They just switch gears better than everyone else.
And neuroscience backs it up.
Divergent thinking increases alpha wave activity in the frontal/parietal lobes—linked to fluid creativity
Convergent thinking activates the prefrontal cortex—the seat of logic, focus, and decision-making
Most performers wait for clarity.
The best ones build it on demand by toggling between these systems with intention.
P.S. I created a simple visual to quickly break down divergent vs. convergent thinking and how they map to System 1 and System 2.
See the full visual → HERE
P.P.S. Side note: That visual used to take me an hour.
Now it takes 3 minutes—with AI I actually use.
