If you’re tired of doing the same mind-numbing things every day like a robot and want to boost your intellect a bit, it’s easy – just get into the right habits.
When a user on the Quora community site asked the question “What would you do to be a little smarter every day?” , everyone came to post their little tip in the comments. Here are 20 examples of what you could do every day to sharpen your IQ and make your days more productive.
Yes finally no need to make this face either.
1. Read the newspaper
Every day, set aside half an hour to read a newspaper or a news site. Read everything, even what seems boring to you. Click on all articles on the Google News page. As you go along, you will find that you will be able to understand the world around you much better, to participate in all kinds of discussions and to form an opinion on current events.
2. Write down ten ideas every day
Think of ways to solve the world’s biggest problems (poverty, famine, conflict…) or ways to solve your own everyday problems. Jot down ideas for movie scripts or ideas for novels. Find ideas for boxes to set up, shops to open… It doesn’t matter what you write down, even if it’s something you’ll never do: stimulate your brain and your creativity by writing down ten ideas every day in n’ any domain, of the possible or the impossible, on a small or large scale.
3. Read a book chapter
We could very well set a weekly goal of one book per week, but depending on the lifestyle we lead, it can be intimidating quickly. On the other hand, reading one chapter a day (fiction or not, it doesn’t matter) is much more feasible. Between transport, the coffee break, the pee break, before sleeping, while we boil the water for the pasta, there is a much better chance that you will succeed.
4. Watch educational videos
Resist the urge to watch kitten videos all day and focus on educational videos instead. There are loads of proper YouTube channels, in both French and English, showing videos on a whole host of topics. The formats are also varied – conferences, small animated videos, video podcasts, it’s up to you to choose from what seems most accessible to you. At the rate of one a day, you should have a lot to talk about in the weeks to come.
5. Read blogs and specialized pages
Subscribe to the Facebook pages and Twitter accounts of information sites on subjects that interest you (science, history, politics, sociology, etc.) so that you always have interesting things to read at your fingertips. Subscribe to the RSS feed to accompany your morning coffee, just to start the day with crisp, exciting, fascinating and rewarding information.
6. Play devil’s advocate
Rather than immediately reacting to information with your convictions, try the opposite exercise: defend what revolts you, try to find arguments in favor of what you usually reject. Not to make you change sides, but to sharpen your sense of argument and give you more chances to face those who support the opposite camp in the event of a debate. And because it’s always good to put yourself in your neighbor’s shoes from time to time, so as not to drown in your convictions.
7. Share your knowledge
Start conversations, debates, discussions about the things you have read or seen in your quest for cultural diversity. Share your points of view and confront them with those of other people. By teaching them something, there’s a good chance they’ll add to your information or teach you something else in return – it’s a virtuous circle just waiting to be tapped.
8. Make professional to-do lists
Prepare two lists: one for the things you want to accomplish professionally in the near future, another for what you would like to do later. In the first, list things related to your current position to gain skills (training, meetings, various experiments…) and for the second, aim further (for example if you plan to change careers, set up a business or go back to school…).
9. Make to-do lists… in the past tense
Make a list of everything you have already accomplished. All the things that have or could have been on your to-do but that you have already done. Each day, complete your list with what you have done. This will allow you not only to see your good progress but also to reassure you about your productivity (or to prove to yourself that you might need to put in a good boost).
10. Make a to-do list
Think about how you manage your time, your days, your daily life. Identify the things you could very well stop doing to save time by replacing them with more positive and rewarding things. Break your old habits and leave room to create new ones. Sort out what you do to remove everything that is holding you back morally, professionally and socially.
Discover new pleasures.
11. Keep records
Given the amount of information we take in the face every day, it’s not easy to remember everything we see, read or learn. Keep a notebook, physical or virtual, in which you write down all the information you want to remember. Open it whenever you have a moment to refresh your memory. You can also go further and classify everything by categories so that you can find information easily. It takes a bit more time (and organization), but it’s so satisfying.
12. Stimulate your brain
By exercising, and especially by running, you give yourself a good window of opportunity to clear your mind and let your brain breathe and spin freely. When you face a problem, an obstacle or a lack of inspiration, it’s the best way to think without going crazy, while doing good to your body. Brainstorm helpful!
13. Talk to interesting people
Connect with people you find interesting and meet new minds, to offer you hours of enriching and exciting conversations that will teach you a lot. Do not hesitate to meet strangers who fascinate you, and open your ears wide.
14. Hang out with people who are more cultured than you.
So certainly, being among people who are significantly more cultured than you can be intimidating, but it’s also one of the best ways to learn. Get rid of any pressure: you don’t have to participate in a conversation if you don’t feel up to it, you can just listen and form your own opinion later by rehashing what happened. said. You will grow out of it.
15. Ask your questions
If you find yourself faced with something that interests or intrigues you, don’t let the moment pass by telling yourself that you will find out more about it later: do it right away. Ask your question, research, explore, but don’t let a potential center of interest slip away by postponing the quest.
That’s it, it will be like that in your brain.
16. Learn a new word every day
There are billions of gadgets (physical or virtual, calendars and applications for example) that allow you to learn a new word every day. Get your favorite and challenge yourself to memorize each new word and use it at least once a day. Hopefully you’ll expand your vocabulary (and impress everyone along the way) (or come across as a snob, but that’s for your own good).
17. Scare yourself
Since you want to shake up your routine a bit, really play the game: don’t hesitate to scare yourself a little. So without going to extremes, start by stepping out of your comfort zone little by little by regularly doing things that scare you a little or make you uncomfortable. It can be played out in social interactions, meetings, activities, new places, minimal risk taking… The choice is yours, go on an adventure!
18. Play smart games
Leave Candy Crush aside and replace it with games like Scrabble, crosswords, quizzes and general knowledge, or strategy and puzzle games, for example.
19. Do Nothing
Allow yourself a small daily slot to do nothing. Nothing at all. Not even playing or watching a series or sanding your feet – nothing, nada, nothing. Sit in a quiet place, breathe deeply, and remain inactive. In addition to relaxing, it will surely allow you to have a few flashes of inspiration by letting your brain wander on its own without dwelling too long on a particular thought.
20. Eat, move!
It seems obvious said like that, but it’s important to remember. Your brain also needs to be well nourished and maintained. Adopt a small sports routine (even if it’s only about ten minutes of exercise or running each morning) and eat better. Give your brain what it needs to perform, otherwise it’s bound to struggle to keep up.
All you have to do is choose the ones that best suit your desires, or pick a few to test over a period of time before alternating, and your brain should quickly thank you.