Want to expand your mind? A little bit of effort every day goes a long way.
1. Come up with 10 ideas every day.
2. Read the newspaper.
3. Play devil's advocate.
4. Read a chapter in a fiction or nonfiction book.
5. Instead of watching TV, watch educational videos.
6. Subscribe to feeds of interesting information.
7. Check in with your favorite knowledge sources.
8. Share what you learn with other people.
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.
10. Write an "I Did" list.
11. Start a "Stop Doing" list.
12. Write down what you learn.
13. Stimulate your mind.
14. Take online courses.
15. Talk to someone you find interesting.
16. Hang out with people who are smarter than you.
17. Follow your questions.
18. Use a word-of-the-day app.
19. Do something scary.
20. Explore new areas.
21. Play "smart" games.
22. Set aside some time to do nothing.
23. Adopt a productive hobby.
24. Apply what you learn.
25. Exercise and eat a healthy diet.
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.
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
Sion Touhig/Getty
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
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