I don't think it's possible to literally speed up the way brain processes the information, neurons will probably fire and transmit the information at a constant

I don't think it's possible to literally speed up the way brain processes the information, neurons will probably fire and transmit the information at a constant rate. So if we want to "think faster" we are tallking about: - strengthening connections between the neurons - learning new patterns, so that instead of reprocessing the information(reinventing ideas) brain would "cache" the familiar patterns as memories. I guess either way, the solution to both things comes down to developing skill. Picking a type of problems and solving them a lot, until brain builds up the circuits for them. I think that when a person "observes the environment and quickly grasps essentials about the situation" he is simply recognizing a familiar pattern, so to be better/faster at that you simply need to learn more patterns(experience). The same goes for the point 3 - the more often you use/recall some information, the better you will be at it. Regarding the points 1 and 2 - I highly recommend a book "Serious Creativity" by Edward De Bono, learn and practice skills this book is explaining. This is the best book on creativity I've ever encountered, it addresses exactly these issues. Besides that, a practical advice would be to remove things that slow you down. Remove anxiety, distractions, learn to focus better. Learning meditation is very useful for that.