10 Small things to improve your intelligence fast
You might think that intelligence is a fixed trait determined in childhood and unchanging throughout life. However, research proves otherwise. Our approach to various situations and the actions we take to stimulate our brains can greatly enhance our cognitive abilities.
While improving intelligence could involve going back to school or diving into heavy reading, it doesn’t always require such a significant investment of time and effort. A recent discussion on the question-and-answer site Quora highlights this.
When someone interested in self-improvement asked the community, “What would you do to be a little smarter every single day?” numerous respondents, including dedicated meditators, tech enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs, offered valuable suggestions. Which of these 10 ideas can you incorporate into your daily routine?
01. Be smarter about your online time
Not every online break needs to be spent on social media or looking at cute animal pictures. The internet offers a wealth of learning resources, such as online courses, TED talks, and vocabulary-building tools to pamper your intelligence. Several respondents suggest replacing a few minutes of skateboarding dogs with something more mentally stimulating.
02. Write down what you learn
Take a few minutes each day to write down what you’ve learned. It doesn’t need to be elaborate or lengthy, but reflecting in writing on new knowledge can boost your brainpower. “Write 400 words a day on things that you learned,” recommends a yoga teacher. A research associate adds: “Write about what you’ve learned.”
03. Make a ‘did’ list
Confidence and happiness are important components of intelligence. Enhance both by listing not what you still need to do, but what you’ve already accomplished. Two famed venture capitalists advocate for a ‘done list.’ “Make an I DID list to show all the things you, in fact, accomplished.”.
04. Get out the scrabble board
Board games and puzzles are not only fun but also excellent for exercising your brain to improve your intelligence. Play games (Scrabble, bridge, chess, Go, Battleship, Connect 4, doesn’t matter). For an extra challenge, try playing without looking at the board to boost your working memory. Do play Scrabble with no help from hints or books.
05. Have smart friends
While it might be tough on your self-esteem, spending time with people who are smarter than you is one of the quickest ways to learn. “Keep a smart company. Remember your IQ is the average of the five closest people you hang out with,” writes a tech account manager.
An software developer agrees, saying, “I try to spend as much time as I can with my tech leads. I have never had a problem accepting that I am an average coder at best and there are many things I am yet to learn… Always be humble and be willing to learn.”
06. Read a lot to improve your intelligence
This might not be surprising, but it was the most common response: reading is essential for your intelligence. While opinions differ on the best material—ranging from daily newspapers to a mix of fiction and nonfiction—everyone agrees on the importance of reading frequently. The key takeaway: read a lot.
07. Explain it to others
Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Quora users concur. To ensure you’ve truly learned something and retained it, try teaching it to others. Make sure you can explain it to someone else.
A student adds, “Stick with what you learn until you can explain it to a friend. It’s easy to learn new information, but retaining it and teaching others is far more valuable.”
08. Do random new things
A curator of a blog shares the story of Steve Jobs’ calligraphy class on Quora. After dropping out of school, Jobs stumbled into a calligraphy course, which later influenced the design of the first Macs.
The lesson: trying new things, even if they seem irrelevant at the time, can be valuable. Parrish quotes Jobs: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” To connect those dots, be open to new experiences to enhance your intelligence.
09. Learn a new language
You don’t need to become fluent overnight or travel abroad to learn a new language. Steady progress from your desk can still yield significant mental benefits. Learn a new language. There are many free sites for that, like Livemocha or Busuu. Memrise is recommended for building foundational language skills.
10. Take some downtime
Unsurprisingly, a dedicated meditator advocates giving your brain time to process new information by sitting in silence daily. Other respondents also emphasize the importance of taking breaks from mental stimulation to boost your intelligence.
Lastly, other respondents also point at the importance of taking mental stimulation breaks. For example, by investing time in thinking while running or jogging.
