TheThinkingGamer Profile Joined August 2010 United States 48 Posts Last Edited: 2010-09-25 14:32:40 #1



So I brainstormed for awhile taking in to consideration how my brain thinks. I realized that if I ask myself a preset list of questions mentally (such as: Are my minerals low?, Am I building probes?, What's my food?, What's next in my build order?) that my efficiency wasn't all that great and I wouldn't remember half of what I wanted to.



I find that with such a list I am literally word for word asking myself in my head the questions on my list and that it was quite inefficient and was compounded by the issue of a small delay trying to remember what the next question was. You literally have to wait for yourself to ask the question before your brain frees up enough capacity to begin answering the question.



So the solution? Well for me the answer was to find a way to ask the question quicker so your brain can get to the answer much quicker. In combination with some visualization techniques I will list below my speed improved a ton! The key is something I learned while in the military and as anyone who has served can tell you the military loves acronyms. Acronyms have the ability of truncating those long questions into small concise questions that are astonishingly easy to remember.



So heres my Mental Checklist and what I actually think about as I try to answer them in my head:



1. M & B.O. (Money & Build Order)

- I immediately check my money and see if its high while simultaneously thinking of the next building on my build order. While I'm doing this if I'm beyond the initial build order and into the midgamge/lategame I visualize my opponents base and army to help me determine where the money can best be spent.



2. P.P.C. (Probes, Pylons and Chrono)

-Rather than think aloud probes, pylons and chrono I attempt to visualize how they look. My brain is much quicker at visualizing a probe followed by a pylon and a nexus casting chronoboost than it is saying them in my head. So i simply say PPC in my head and instantly the vision of all three flash across my head and i check them very quickly.



3. S&S (Scout & Strategy)

-For this I simply visualize my opponents base if I can't do that it's time to find a way to scout. I think about the composition of the and how I should properly transition. I also think of creative ways to scout my opponent if it's been uncomfortably long since I gathered intel. Try and retain that knowledge so when you get back to Money & BO you are armed with the knowledge to adjust your BO on the fly.



4. T.E.E. (Timing, Engage, Expand) pronounced Tea Eee Eee not TEA

-At this point I look at the clock and determine if my timing is correct to engage, I will rely heavily on my S&S phase to see if it's a good time to push and where. I also think about expanding and maintaining & defending my current expansions.



Now time yourself trying to ask yourself:

Hows my money? Whats next in build order? Am I making Probes?, Is my supply good? Am I chronoboosting? Am I scouting?, How do I react to the meta? Is it a good time to attack? should I expand and how are my expansions doing?



Keep in mind how difficult that is to memorize and how much harder it will be to remember once in a game.



Now try asking yourself:

M & BO, PPC, S&S, TEE



Your brain shouldn't have a hard time picking this up quickly and it will understand what the acronyms mean rather quickly. In fact if you take a moment or two to memorize it you will quickly find you can name every single question in the top list with only a few minutes practice.



Hope you find these mental exercises useful in your macro!



http://www.youtube.com/user/TheThinkingGamer



Edit: In retrospect S&M might not have been the best choice as that seems to be a pretty well known abbreviation already and one that has some awkward meanings...but non the less I shall keep it.



Edit #2: In double retrospect I'm going to take the below posters suggestion and change it to S&S not only because it makes more sense but its also easier to remember. So after watching Day[9]'s awesome video in regards to a mental checklist I started asking myself how I can improve on the efficiency of such a list while at the same time making it easier to remember?So I brainstormed for awhile taking in to consideration how my brain thinks. I realized that if I ask myself a preset list of questions mentally (such as: Are my minerals low?, Am I building probes?, What's my food?, What's next in my build order?) that my efficiency wasn't all that great and I wouldn't remember half of what I wanted to.I find that with such a list I am literally word for word asking myself in my head the questions on my list and that it was quite inefficient and was compounded by the issue of a small delay trying to remember what the next question was. You literally have to wait for yourself to ask the question before your brain frees up enough capacity to begin answering the question.So the solution? Well for me the answer was to find a way to ask the question quicker so your brain can get to the answer much quicker. In combination with some visualization techniques I will list below my speed improved a ton! The key is something I learned while in the military and as anyone who has served can tell you the military loves acronyms. Acronyms have the ability of truncating those long questions into small concise questions that are astonishingly easy to remember.So heres my Mental Checklist and what I actually think about as I try to answer them in my head:1. M & B.O. (Money & Build Order)- I immediately check my money and see if its high while simultaneously thinking of the next building on my build order. While I'm doing this if I'm beyond the initial build order and into the midgamge/lategame I visualize my opponents base and army to help me determine where the money can best be spent.2. P.P.C. (Probes, Pylons and Chrono)-Rather than think aloud probes, pylons and chrono I attempt to visualize how they look. My brain is much quicker at visualizing a probe followed by a pylon and a nexus casting chronoboost than it is saying them in my head. So i simply say PPC in my head and instantly the vision of all three flash across my head and i check them very quickly.3. S&S (Scout & Strategy)-For this I simply visualize my opponents base if I can't do that it's time to find a way to scout. I think about the composition of the and how I should properly transition. I also think of creative ways to scout my opponent if it's been uncomfortably long since I gathered intel. Try and retain that knowledge so when you get back to Money & BO you are armed with the knowledge to adjust your BO on the fly.4. T.E.E. (Timing, Engage, Expand) pronounced Tea Eee Eee not TEA-At this point I look at the clock and determine if my timing is correct to engage, I will rely heavily on my S&S phase to see if it's a good time to push and where. I also think about expanding and maintaining & defending my current expansions.Now time yourself trying to ask yourself:Hows my money? Whats next in build order? Am I making Probes?, Is my supply good? Am I chronoboosting? Am I scouting?, How do I react to the meta? Is it a good time to attack? should I expand and how are my expansions doing?Keep in mind how difficult that is to memorize and how much harder it will be to remember once in a game.Now try asking yourself:M & BO, PPC, S&S, TEEYour brain shouldn't have a hard time picking this up quickly and it will understand what the acronyms mean rather quickly. In fact if you take a moment or two to memorize it you will quickly find you can name every single question in the top list with only a few minutes practice.Hope you find these mental exercises useful in your macro!Edit: In retrospect S&M might not have been the best choice as that seems to be a pretty well known abbreviation already and one that has some awkward meanings...but non the less I shall keep it.Edit #2: In double retrospect I'm going to take the below posters suggestion and change it to S&S not only because it makes more sense but its also easier to remember.