In today's information loaded world where everyone is pressed for time, more and more business people are relying on their gut instincts to narrow down and focus on the clutter of data before them, and make better decisions more rapidly. When you trust your gut instinct, you're not being psychic. You're not seeing into the future, rather, you're being in the present. When you're fully present, you're more alert to the most pertinent data and signals from others.

Here are four effective gut building techniques:

1. The best time to see the light about a difficult situation is early in the morning. Think about work or personal decisions when you first wake up, before having a cup of coffee. Because you've just woken up, your intellect is still woozy and less loud and pushy. In the early morning light, you don't have as many defenses against your subconscious so it can speak more loudly and clearly.
2. Your sense of touch develops before your sense of sight and your intellect, so it's a more highly developed sense. Find an object related to your business decision and hold it in your hands. Ask yourself directly what you want to know, and allow stray thoughts to wander.
3. When you talk out loud you give your reflective mind less time to interfere with your overly-thinking mind. Find a place to sit alone and speak your thoughts out loud. Ask yourself rapidfire questions and give yourself rapidfire answers.
4. If you're feeling a major innovation block, stop trying to untangle the problem. Take a nap. See a movie. Read a magazine. Do a crossword puzzle. Sometimes you need to take a break and let an intuitive flash hit you.

1 Minute Career Therapist