Had you pranked anyone or been pranked yesterday? Hope you have had fun and excitements for the April Fools’ Day. Now, it’s time to be smart again!
In this article, we are going to share you 6 very practical ways to be smarter every day!
#1 Be smarter about your online time.
While awake, we spend most of our time online, for both work and leisure purposes. The Internet is one of the most powerful inventions of humankind because it connects everyone.(Well, at least it tries!) However, great power like this often being misused. A lot of fake news, silly hoaxes (like the BFF Hoax) and unhealthy information being spread online, and that obviously not doing good to us. So, it’s very important to control and filter your online activities.
Instead of swiping down your social feeds or laughing at 9GAG all the time, the web is actually full of great learning resources. Watch some mentally nourishing videos from channels like TED, AsapScience, SmarterEveryDay, or pick up a new language using apps like Memrise and Duolingo, you will feel more contented.
#2 Workout your brain.
The brain is like our other muscles, the more you use it, the smarter it becomes. The lesser we use it… hmm…
I’m not trying to scare you, but as our phones are getting smarter, somehow, we are getting dumber. Ask yourself, how many phone numbers do you remember? I bet most people don’t even remember their office phone numbers. Neuroscientist, Manfred Spitzer even invented a new term called ‘digital dementia’ to describe an overuse of digital technology resulting in the breakdown of cognitive abilities.
So, how can we prevent or slow down the ‘digital dementia’? The answer is to do some brain exercises.
For example, you can try to do some math without your calculator, challenge yourself to drive to a place without GPS, solve a Sudoku or crosswords puzzle and try to memorise a poem. There are also some neurobics that you can practice to enhance all your five senses.
#3 Learn random new things.
As we grow older, we stop learning new things. “I’m safe as long as I mastered the skills I needed.” This is what most people think. The truth is, we will never know what we may need in the future.
When you are given an opportunity to pick up a new skill or knowledge, take it. It may not seem immediately useful, but once you learn it, there are chances that what you have learnt now can help you in future.
The most important is, in this fast-evolving world, don’t think that you have had enough of skills and knowledge. Keep learning to keep yourself relevant.
Imagine one day you’re 80 but you know how to use the latest gadget that your grandchild use. If you want to be like that, you have to start the habit now.
#4 Have smart friends.
“If you hang out with chickens, you’re going to cluck and if you hang out with eagles, you’re going to fly.” —— Steve Maraboli
“If you are a human, then the biggest influence on your personality is your peer group.” —— Mudos Ponens
Surround yourself with friends that are positive and smart. Smart friends will share useful knowledge, important information and chat about meaningful topics. They won’t just sit down at the mamak stall every evening to complaint about works and talk nonsenses.
You want to fly like eagles or cluck like chickens? It’s your say.
#5 Keep a journal.
What I mean here is not a fancy journal that Nifty taught you how to draw that keeps your activity logs, spending records and chronological diaries. You can have one of that though.
What we want you to start doing now, is to take few minutes each day to write down your daily reflection. In a short paragraph about 200 words, record what are the things that you’ve learnt today. It can be about a new concept, a quote of wisdom, an amusing anecdote or an impressive moment of your day.
By writing it, you can already boost your brainpower. In addition, in later of your life, this book will be very handy when you need laughter, inspiration or motivation.
#6 Disconnect and unplug.
Most of us start our day reading social feeds or replying emails from phone and end our day the same way. In short term, this has affected the quality of our sleep cycle. In long term, it may affect our overall health.
Disconnect from the internet and unplug from technology at least 2 hours per day can improve the overall quality of our life.
Stay away from your phone and laptop and spend some hours to exercise, cook a meal and eat mindfully, meditate before sleep and have a deep conversation with your partner may reconnect you back to your real life.
Two years back, Google made a prank by releasing the Google Cardboard Plastic. In case you don’t know what it is, you can watch the video below.
As much as it sounds silly and funny, it carries a very important message: Nothing is realer than real.
Technology is always trying to connect us to the whole world but anyhow it is still putting something between us and the world. Therefore, don’t let technology outsmarts and controls you. We should be the one who controls technology.
If you are living a real life and see technology only as a tool, you are smart.
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