Critical thinking is key to many aspects of life. This is a person’s ability to interpret and analyze information in order to obtain the most correct answer to a particular question. When working through any task, a critical thinker relies on his own experience, reasoning, observations and communication with other people. As a result, he makes informed decisions that lead to positive results. The importance of critical thinking can hardly be overestimated, because it allows you to: competently assess the validity of arguments; form your own opinion about phenomena, events, people, their actions and words; develop self-confidence; interact with people on a deeper intellectual level, forming strong interpersonal connections; objectively evaluate your actions, which helps in the future to avoid repeating mistakes and increase the effectiveness of your activities. To develop the ability to think critically, you should adhere to the following rules and recommendations: Don’t believe everything they tell you. Look at the situation from different angles, analyzing several points of view. When perceiving information, you must understand what evidence it is based on. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each side's arguments. Consider whether there might be other ways to solve the problem. Don't believe everything you think. You must question your own beliefs by allowing other information to take up space in your mind. Just because you've done something a certain way for a long time doesn't mean you've chosen the right method. Be open to exploring other points of view supported by arguments. This approach will allow you to look at things more broadly, learn a lot of new, interesting and useful things. Get to know yourself. Think about your values, morals, beliefs, aspirations. Analyze your likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, personal preferences, prejudices. This knowledge will allow you to understand why you approach specific situations from a certain perspective. Learn your thought process - how you receive and process information, how you react to it. Develop foresight. Think through the most likely consequences of your decisions - both positive and negative. This ability will help you make the right choice when performing a particular task. Practice active listening. Listen carefully to the conversations of colleagues, teachers, superiors, and subordinates. Try to understand everyone's point of view - this is how you practice empathy. Understanding other people's wants and concerns will help you have productive conversations. Ask questions. Do not hesitate to check with your opponent for detailed information. Additional questions will create new occasions for intellectual discussion, which will allow you to dive deeper into the topic and exchange new ideas. Try paraphrasing the other person's position to determine whether you understood him correctly. Having received information, evaluate what is fact and what is opinion. Look at the root. Try to collect as much information as possible on the issue, get to the core of the problem using several sources at once. Let's evaluate your work. Assess the strength of your arguments to determine whether there is a need to improve your persuasion tools. Think about what additional justifications for your position could be used in further discussions. Engage in intellectual duels more often, exchange ideas with other people, try to defend your beliefs with reasoning, but at the same time listen carefully to your opponent, try to understand his position, and do not reject it it in a radical way. Critical thinking needs to be developed by every person, because this skill helps to analyze information, draw correct conclusions, form one’s own judgments on any issue and make decisions in accordance with them. The ability to think critically allows you to successfully cope with school and work.