25 Habits That Will Make You Smarter
Aim to read one book per week
Want to expand your mind? A little bit of effort every day goes a long way.
In the Quora thread, “What would you do to be a little smarter every single day?”, readers shared the habits they follow to fuel their brains.
Here are some simple actions that could help you become a smarter person.
1. Come up with 10 ideas every day
Think about how to reduce poverty,
how to solve a daily problem you have, interesting movie ideas, or
anything. It doesn’t matter what subject your ideas fall into, as long
as you’re working your brain and your idea muscles. Your list might even
lead to a new startup idea or writing subject. — Claudia Azula Altucher
2. Read the newspaper
It will help you become more aware
of the important things happening around the word. You’ll learn to form
your own opinions and connect the dots between seemingly unrelated
things. You’ll also have a lot more to talk about at parties or with
friends. — Manas J Saloi
3. Play devil’s advocate
Take something you recently learned
and generate a unique opinion on it that wouldn’t immediately come to
mind. Try to support it with evidence, and be open to the idea that new
evidence will change your opinion. Repeat this every day, and you’ll
become much better at thinking outside the box.
If you’re feeling stuck, try
reading and critically evaluating the editorial section of papers. They
will help you understand how other people form arguments and express
their opinions. — Peter DePaulo
4. Read a chapter in a fiction or nonfiction book
Aim to read a book a week. You can
always find pockets of time to read, whether on your daily commute or
while you’re waiting in line. Goodreads is a great way to keep track of
everything you read and to also find a community of other readers.
Fiction books are great for
understanding characters and getting absorbed into another perspective,
while non-fiction books are great for introducing you to new topics,
from politics to psychology. — Claudia Azula Altucher
5. Instead of watching TV, watch educational videos
Sometimes, it’s more fun to watch
things about a subject you love than to read about it, and you can learn
a lot from other people’s experiences.
You can find fun, educational videos on Khan Academy or watch TED talks. You can also find good ones on Youtube’s channel SmarterEveryDay. In videos, the information is often presented in a digestible, memorable way, so you can be assured they’ll stick. — Hendrik Sleeckx
6. Subscribe to feeds of interesting information
Follow interesting voices on Facebook and Twitter, so you’ll always learn something new when you look at your newsfeed or dashboard. For example, if you want to keep up with the latest news in science and technology, subscribe to the “I F—— Love Science” page on Facebook. You can also follow email newsletters, such as Cal Newport’s Study Hacks and Today I Found Out.— Saurabh Shah
7. Check in with your favorite knowledge sources
Every day, scroll through Quora,
Stack Overflow, specialty blogs, or any other sources that satiate your
hunger for knowledge. This is an extremely easy habit, because other
users are curating the content for you, so all you have to do is follow
the ones who write about topics interesting to you. Try using Pocket to
save articles for later reading, and then try to get through them before
going to sleep at night. — Manas J Saloi
8. Share what you learn with other people
If you find someone to debate and
analyze ideas with, you can add to each other’s knowledge and gain new
perspectives. Also, when you can explain ideas to someone else, it means
you’ve definitely mastered the concept. You can even share what you
learn without directly talking to someone. Many people like to start
blogs so they can engage others in online dialogue. — Mike Xie
9. Make two “To Do” lists: one of work-related skills you want to learn now, and another of things you want to achieve in the future
Google Docs is a convenient way to
keep track of your lists. For both, decide what you want to learn,
compile sources that will teach you these skills, and then work on them
each day.
For example, if you work in a
computer-science related field, your first list might suggest you learn
something new in Python one day or that you try using MongoDB another
day.
For your second list, you can think
about long-term goals, such as whether you want to go into marketing or
architecture. Write down the small steps you need to take to reach that
goal, whether it’s by reading the experts in those fields or taking
classes at a local college. — Manas J Saloi
10. Write an “I Did” list
At the end of each day, write down
what you completed. This will help you feel better about all the things
you accomplished, especially if you’re feeling discouraged. It will also
help you reflect on how productive you were and how you can
re-structure your to-do lists for the next day. — Claudia Azula Altucher
11. Start a “Stop Doing” list
To clear out the mental clutter,
take note of the mindless ways you spend your time. Break old habits,
and make time for new, better ones. As Warren Buffett says,
“The difference between successful people and very successful people is
that very successful say ‘no’ to almost everything.” — Shane Parrish
12. Write down what you learn
You can start a blog or use an app
like Inkpad to help you keep track of everything you learn. Not only
will this be a great way to keep a record of everything you’re doing,
but it’s also a good source of motivation to keep you accountable. You
will want to learn more if you know that at the end of the day you’ll
have to write about it. — Manas J Saloi
13. Stimulate your mind
Going on a daily run is a great way
to get your brain flowing and to keep your mental health in shape. It’s
also a great way to think through difficult decisions or process new
information.— Rick Bruno
14. Take online courses
Check out this list of the most popular online courses for professionals.
Make sure you don’t overload yourself; commit to one to two and truly
focus on them. The syllabus will also keep you on track, so you know you
will be doing something every day, whether it’s listening to a lecture
or working on an assignment. — Manas J Saloi
15. Talk to someone you find interesting
Even if they’re strangers, don’t be afraid to
approach them. Ask about their interests and how they discovered them.
Oftentimes, you learn the most from people you barely know. — Manas J Saloi
16. Hang out with people who are smarter than you
Spend as much time as you can with
smart people. Every day, you should strive to have a coffee date or walk
with someone who inspires you.
Always be humble and willing to
learn. Ask as many questions as possible. If you are always around
people who are more knowledgeable than you, you’ll have no choice but to
learn more. — Manas J Saloi
17. Follow your questions
If you see or hear about something
cool, don’t just let the moment pass. Follow up — pursue your curiosity
and find the answer to your question. — Mike Xie
18. Use a word-of-the-day app
You will increase your vocabulary,
which can help you in competitive tests like the SAT or GRE, or even
just sound more eloquent in daily interactions.
You can also try to learn new
vocabulary in a different language. Every day, try to add five to 10
more words to the foreign language you are trying to pursue. You can use
LiveMocha, Basuu, or DuoLingo. — Manas J Saloi
19. Do something scary
“Getting out of our comfort zone
always makes us wiser.” Every day, push yourself a little further. Try
public speaking by joining a ToastMasters class, lead a meeting by
volunteering a proposal at work, or reach out to someone you really
admire by sending a quick letter or email.— Claudia Azula Altucher
20. Explore new areas
If you can’t travel every day, at
least try to find something new within your hometown. You’ll meet
different people, learn new facts, and understand something new about
the world. It’s a lot more productive than staying at home and watching
TV. — Manas J Saloi
21. Play “smart” games
Some games, like chess and
Scrabble, expand your mind. Challenge yourself when you play them. For
example, play Scrabble without a dictionary. You can also solve puzzles
via games like Sudoku, 2048, and Doors. — Saurabh Shah
22. Set aside some time to do nothing
Oftentimes, sitting in silence can help you get inspiration and reflect on your day. — Claudia Azula Altucher
23. Adopt a productive hobby
If you have something you can work
on every day, from knitting to fly fishing, you can actively learn more
just from doing. For instance, you may try to play a new piece of music
every day, read a physics textbook, write a few more pages in your
novel, or learn a new computer skill. — Mayank Rajput
24. Apply what you learn
If you recently learned a new
coding skill or how to play an instrument, make sure you are using that
skill in your life as often as possible. Learning by doing is one of the
most effective ways to become smarter. — Himanshu Pal
25. Exercise and eat a healthy diet
Opt for brain foods
to fuel your thinking, and avoid alcohol and heavy meals that will make
you sluggish. When your energy dips, take a walk. “The more blood
flowing into your brain, the better your performance. Great thinkers
like Mahatma Gandhi and Charles Darwin were famous for their long
walks.” — Janne Piiroinen
This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
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