hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about seven simple habits that'll make you smarter now let's begin number one doing nothing do you set aside time to do nothing you may have a long list of responsibilities on your plate you spend hours every day working running errands keeping up with your hobbies you want to develop productive habits to increase your work ethic and use your time wisely you do all these things to improve yourself but what if i told you one of the best ways to increase your intelligence is to
do nothing at all when you're running around all day every day you rarely get a minute to yourself when you're finally alone you're so exhausted that you feel like turning off your brain so you watch tv you play games and you enjoy popular time wasters because you want to give your brain a break from the chaos of your daily life but you don't have to waste your time to relax your brain you can unwind after a long day while simultaneously boosting your brain power all you have to do is sit down tune out the world
and think you might think about your goals you might think about your loved ones you might think about the happiest parts of your day or maybe the most frustrating there are no requirements and no expectations there are no lists schedules or time limits you can think about everything or you can think about nothing the only requirement is that you think all by yourself now during the time you spend thinking you may discover a strange kind of clarity when you're busy your thoughts are muddled and scattered you're thinking every which way and you can hardly make
sense of your own thoughts all you know is that you're stressed and confused but when you stop to think in a quiet place you can unravel and digest your most overwhelming problems that's where this simple habit comes in handy it doesn't boost your iq or reveal the mysteries of the universe but it does teach you how to think and solve problems on your own that kind of intelligence is invaluable number two arguing against yourself you can argue in favor of ideas and values that you believe in but how often do you argue against your own
opinions here's a challenging intellectual exercise that works your brain in unique ways so the next time you argue a point change sides yeah change sides argue the opposite of what you believe this is called playing devil's advocate and it's an incredible exercise to strengthen your intellect and your personal opinions why well because arguing against yourself helps you recognize the holes in your opinions it challenges you to think harder about your ideas ah but most of all it helps you understand both sides of a controversial subject so when you play devil's advocate you're forced to recognize
the possibility of something else an opinion that isn't your own many people are so focused on being right that they don't think through the stances they take they blindly believe that their way is the only way but that's rarely the case the most intelligent people know that every argument is more complicated than simple rights and wrongs every difficult question demands a broad spectrum of answers but it takes an open mind and a strong intellect to understand multiple perspectives so challenge your opinions get to know all sides of an argument and recognize the holes in your
thinking your opinions may change or stay exactly the same either way by expanding your perspective you've gained a deeper understanding of a complicated issue number three reading every day reading finds its way into many of our videos it's one of the most versatile and constructive habits out there it can be fun relaxing educational and challenging reading can open new doors help you navigate difficult situations and ignite passions that you never knew existed above all daily reading gives a significant boost to your intelligence for starters reading activates your imagination your imagination is your ability to create
new ideas and concepts there's a gross misconception that artists are the only people with strong imaginations that couldn't be further from the truth almost every significant person in history had a powerful imagination from writers to scientists these imaginative people were resourceful clever and perceptive their imaginations empowered their brain with a flexible array of mental tools and it can do the same thing for you so if you're looking to boost your intelligence then your imagination's a great place to start whether you want to be witty or wise adaptable or perceptive every intellectual benefits from a fine-tuned
imagination and the best way to develop your imagination is reading every day number four available resources in the world today there are limitless options for anyone hoping to expand their brain all you have to do is look countless podcasts videos and seminars exist online to educate you on a wide variety of subjects you can learn about the arts investigate the sciences or engage with hobbies that you've never even heard of the problem is these resources aren't always standing in plain sight most people won't go out of their way to search for a new podcast or
seminar and even if you do you might listen once and then never tune in again if you don't engage with online resources then you're not going to learn much of anything learning relies on repetition you absorb information on a given subject time and time again sometimes you hear things you've heard before other times you hear clashing opinions and disjointed arguments but all of that information comes together to form your mastery of the subject so if you want to learn something new or grow your intelligence then find a resource that works for you pick a subject
and explore the podcasts or youtube channel with interesting things to say when you found someone you like incorporate that educational resource into your daily routine and if you're consistent you can grow your knowledge in no time number five empowering conversations reading and studying are effective ways to boost your intelligence but you can reap the same rewards from one great conversation all right let's say you and your friend have a long discussion about a difficult topic you explain your thoughts you dissect your arguments you ask good questions and by the end of your conversation you've developed
a fuller understanding of what you're talking about you may not be leading experts in the field you might not be reinventing your craft but by challenging your brain you've nurtured your intelligence in a unique way great conversations put your creativity and imagination to the test when you actively explore topics out loud you're challenging yourself to use your knowledge you get a clearer idea of what you know and what you don't if you've found yourself a capable sparring partner the two of you can push each other to new intellectual heights so find someone whose intelligence you
admire and start up an interesting conversation talk about something that lights a fire inside you because a great conversation can change the way you think number six daily brainstorming do you spend time brainstorming brainstorming plays a role in many professional fields but it's also a valuable practice to increase your intelligence just try this for 15 minutes sit down at your desk open a notebook grab a pencil and pick a topic that you want to brainstorm about are you interested in rewriting your goals do you want to move your career in a new direction maybe you're
an artist hoping to generate ideas for your next work whatever topic you choose write down 10 ideas the first 10 that pop into your head they don't have to be life-changing ideas you might not like everything you write down but that's okay every once in a while you might stumble upon a kernel of wisdom but your brain benefits from generating new ideas whether they're useful or not this daily habit teaches you to think outside the box you hone your ability to innovate adapt and create on the fly like a strong imagination this is one of
the most important tools an intelligent person can have it's useful in any line of work and it only takes 15 minutes a day so brainstorm first thing in the morning pour yourself a cup of coffee find a quiet corner to think and write down 10 new ideas not only are you warming up your brain for a productive day but you're also boosting your creative power number seven intellectual influence intelligent people surround themselves with intellectual equals they want stimulating and challenging conversations so they choose friends partners and professional connections that force them to expand their minds
not every single one of your friends needs to be a brainiac with some friends it's easier to turn your brain off and relax knowing they don't have any expectations of you however if you want to grow your intelligence then you can't spend all your time with people who aren't interested in difficult subjects expand your social circle to include people at or above your intellectual level ideally you should look for people who've achieved the kind of success that you're looking for because these are the people you can learn from but why is it so important to
make intellectual friends well you gain a kind of second hand intelligence by spending time with someone who's highly intellectual intelligent people use more challenging vocabulary they engage in harder conversations and they ask better questions they even make more sophisticated jokes so when you spend time with intellectual friends their natural intellectual rubs off on you and that raises your intellectual standards so find a new group of intellectual friends no you don't need to get rid of your old ones but you do need people in your life that challenge you that argue with you and encourage you
to improve hey thanks for watching top thinking be sure to subscribe because more incredible content is on the way
