Coming up with ways to make your brain sharp is a way to exercise your mental faculties in and of itself. But it’s not the only thing I do.
Here are 7 more ways I send my brain to the gym:
1. Highlighting
Whatever I read, I go back through and highlight what’s important (or go back after I’m done to do it). It’s exercise for your brain’s filtering mechanism, which is super important in today’s information-cluttered world. Today I highlighted things in “Trust Me, I’m Lying” by Ryan Holiday.
2. Turning every statement into a question
James Altucher says he replaces every full stop with a question mark. No matter how briefly, reflecting critically on every “fact” makes sure you think for yourself.
3. Solving crossword puzzles
For the last 5–6 years or so, I have watched my Dad solve the crossword puzzle in the newspaper every single morning. I have no doubt he’ll stay sharp as a knife for a very long time.
4. Writing
It’s the perfect combination of research, analysis, thesis, antithesis and synthesis. The more I do it, the faster I can think. I’m doing it right now.
5. Advising friends
I love when friends ask me for advice. Not because it makes me feel smart or I can tell them what to do, but because I get to say: “How would I solve this problem?” Then I tell them what I would do and why and say: “It might not work for you.”
6. Studying vastly different things
Next to me is a law script. Yesterday I listened to a talk about social media. Later I’ll learn something about the history of the modern home. More topics means more neural connections in different areas of the brain.
7. Giving yourself feedback
I do this by editing my writing, for example. It’s like coaching yourself. You look at what you’ve done, tell yourself what’s good and what’s bad and then change for the better.
These are really random. The truth is you can do almost anything in a way that makes your brain sharper or number.
The trick is to remember to keep asking:
“How can I do this in my own, creative way?”