11 things you should do to become smarter everyday

'Smart' is not about how much knowledge from the big books you can cram up or whether you could crack the tough subjects in school. Being smart is about how you react to life. It's important to learn how to carry yourself through different situations in life. And essentially how you apply all that you have learned, from books or otherwise, to cope with all that you face.

So, to help with the process, here are 11 things you can do to become smarter everyday.

1) Read. 

The importance of reading can't be stressed enough. Book smart, college smart or being an 'A' student is definitely not your sure shot to a fulfilled and successful life. But reading does get you on that path. Reading is not all about the text books you have to read in schools and colleges. Reading is a vast area. You can with whatever genre you like and gradually move on to texts regarded as 'classics' by most. Start with fiction. Slowly transition to non fiction with treats of fiction in between. Then challenge yourself with tougher works.Don't just read books. Read newspapers, journals, magazines etc.
Reading good books takes you through the mind of a master whose life experience lays at your disposal on the mere count of pages.

2) Take courses.

Thanks to easy access to the internet, we have all kinds of information just click of a button away. A wide variety of information. And that sometimes is a problem. Online courses make it feasible to approach information. You can take customized courses for a specific topic with different levels of specialization, that too from experienced professionals. And can be taken at home. Online courses cost little money. Sites like Udemy, Coursera and some others offer variety of courses.

3) Exercise.

    Benefits of exercise are undeniably many. It has been proven over and again to boost brain activity. Happy hormones i.e endorphins are released causing you to feel elated and joyous. Exercise also helps with fatal health problems like congestive heart disease, blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, also PCOS and other hormonal disorders. So, doing even a light round of squats or walking for sometime but consistently can go a long way. Gradually you can move towards more challenging ones like strength training.

4) Let Go of the Ego.

Wherever you are, if you really want to become smarter than before, you have to let go of the mini-you that constantly pitches you as superior to others. Like reading books, spending time under the shade of smart people gives you a peek into the master mind. The company you keep does matter a lot in how you turn out. Keep it healthy. And as for where you can find smart company, smart people are all around you, you just have to look with an open eye and mind.

5) Watch TED talks.

Ted talks feature some of the greatest experiences of awesome people in a few minutes of video. Some great talks offer wisdom unlike any other resource. They bring forward people who've cracked highly tough circumstances in life with great grace and offer you lifetime worth of insights and knowledge in a single video. Make it a point to watch at-least one Ted talk per day. They range from as small a 4-5 minutes and as long as up-to 20-25 minutes. Before you know it, you'll be smarter than ever before with a head full of ideas and wisdom.

6) Practice a skill.

Learn a new skill or sharpen an already existing one. You may or may not know about the 10000 hours concept. It suggests that practicing or learning something for 10000 hours makes you an expert at it. 10000 hours or not, what we can get from this is that practice does make perfect. So, if you are looking to become smarter, fire up those neurons with practice of a skill. Like learn a new language or learn coding. Try cooking a novelty dish. Put the brain out of its comfort zone to sharpen even more.

7) Meditation.

Sit upright in a relaxed position. Close your eyes and see how your mind wanders. It shows how little control we have over our thoughts. How they lack voluntary route. Make it a point to force your thoughts to focus on one thought or point. Meditation has been shown to have great benefits. There are videos all over the internet teaching you how to meditate. Meditation has been recommended by many great people and personal growth coaches. Try it.

8) Solve mathematical problems.

You can be as much of a math-hater as you like. No problem. Just putting it out there. Solving math problems does help to sharpen your brain. Try solving the general math sums like adding a large number mentally. If you can bear math, then take up some complex problems from various topics and solve them.

9) De-clutter and Think.

 
  Go for a walk in nature. A park or any soothing, comforting place. And just walk, better do it alone. Don't try to consume yourself with distractions such as your phone or a pet. If you are someone who finds regularity in writing, carry something to write. And Think. Just think while you are sitting or walking surrounded by all the calmness. Think about what you learned that day. By reading, any special encounter, watching videos etc. Think it through and take notes if you want to. Writing down helps you De-clutter your thoughts and form a pattern  among different ideas.

10) Make Notes. 

Writing down really helps to absorb information while at the same time freeing the mind of all the clutter. Make it a habit to write down points and make short notes about what you learned. You can write down in empty spaces on the book or make separate notes. So, you can always come back and revisit what you've learned.

11) Embrace new situations.

There are many studies proving that getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things helps to strengthen the brain and even delays its aging process such as the onset of dementia. Other than that new ideas mostly come out when you put yourself through what you've never been through. You learn something new. And this 'newness' fuels the brain and keeps it running.