I have a noisy mind—always on, always narrating. Striving, stressing, plotting. A buzzing mosquito only I can hear. As an introvert who tends to perfectionism, I spend a lot of time in my head—and it’s not always kind in there.

If that sounds familiar, you may recognize the pattern: lots of to-do’s but few ta-da’s. Small chores keep winning; meaningful work keeps waiting.

So, how do we quiet the noise and actually ship what matters? Author Nil Demircubuk’s new book, Down to Earth: Demystify Intuition to Upgrade Your Life, offers a practical roadmap for making clearer decisions and moving forward without waiting for perfect. This interview kicks off a series on tools from her approach—starting with a technique called “priming.”

NA: To start, what do you mean by priming, in plain language, in this context?

ND: Priming is calming the mind and emotions to tap into intuition. Research shows that intuition is more active and accurate in this relaxed state.

NA: What’s the core science behind priming, and how does it relate to attention, emotion, and decision-making?

ND: Bolte and colleagues found that participants solved word puzzles intuitively when they were primed to be in a positive mood. Ceci and Bronfenbrenner showed that children who failed in solving challenging visual puzzles as schoolwork relaxed and solved them intuitively........

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