You can smoothly become smarter, make better decisions, and improve your life with some knowledge and persistent effort. However, how is that possible?
Six tips that will greatly increase your intelligence
1. Avoid biases
American investor Charlie Munger once said: “We have to eliminate ignorance; it is shameful that a person remains dumber than they should be;” What he means is that you can become intelligent if you realize and understand the biases and logical fallacies that affect your thinking and try to eliminate them.
2. Benefit from global mental models and frameworks
Scientists frequently use frameworks and laws from one field of science to solve problems in other areas. As a result, you often see laws like "supply and demand" or Newton's kinetic laws used in every field, from economics to health.
Have you ever heard the phrase: "The moving object remains in motion;" This is Newton's first law (the law of inertia), and because the universe works in harmony, you can apply this law to many situations, and it will remain perfectly appropriate.
For example, the more money you make, the easier it will be to make money, and the more junk food you eat, the harder it will be to follow a healthy diet again.
Intelligent and successful people like Manger and American entrepreneur Warren Buffet use the Unemployment Act and other global laws to make better career and life decisions, calling them mental models.
You can build such models by reading numerous books in physics, mathematics, biology, economics, and various scientific fields. The frameworks and models presented in these books will help you find more effective solutions to your problems.
3. Try to understand books and not just read them
If you have ever watched Suits, you may remember the character of Mike Ross, an intelligent lawyer who has a photographic memory and never forgets anything. In one episode, someone asked him how he could memorize an entire part of a 300-page document after reading it once. Ross replied: "When I read something, I try to understand it, and then I never forget it."
That is what you have to do to become more intelligent. You have to understand things. A deep understanding of the books you read helps you use the information better and gives you a competitive advantage. That's why the avid reader and entrepreneur Tai Lopez teaches the books he reads so he can better understand and make the most of them. So, how can you do that? When you have finished reading something, do the following:
Close the book and try to summarize it mentally or on paper using mind maps and the memory palace technique.
Identify two or three key points and how to apply them in real life.
Even though it sounds very straightforward, doing so will help you remember, find, and apply any book's information more effectively.
4. Try lateral thinking puzzles
It's fantastic how much you can learn from the puzzles and riddles in lateral thinking books. They test your mental abilities and teach you how to find creative solutions. In addition, you can use the mysteries in these books in some social situations as well.
5. Study the mistakes of the past
Richard Dawkins once described trial-and-error learning as the worst way to learn. He thinks so because learning from your mistakes causes more pain and costs you more time and money than learning from the mistakes of others, so you should try the following:
Make a list of the top three mistakes you have made previously or are still making, and identify why you made them, what you say about them, and how to change them.
Give examples of three people from your life that you wouldn't want to emulate: a controlling parent, a thorny boss, or a hopeful but unfulfilled individual. What mistakes did they make? And what would you do to avoid them?
List three common mistakes people make in their career, relationships, and health, and how to avoid them.
You can also enjoy reading history books, and if you want something fun, you can read the works of Robert Greene and Matthew White, such as The Art of War.
6. Take enough time
One of the easiest ways to become intelligent is to be transparent in everything you do. Many smart people are known for spending a long time solving problems. For example, one company once hired American entrepreneur Jordan Belfort to sell its products, and they noticed that he spent more time studying goods than anyone on the sales team.
The same is true of Einstein, who was observed to spend 55 minutes per hour accurately identifying a problem before solving it.
These people realized that because most problems are more complex than they seem, it is necessary to slow down, clarify, and plan well before taking any step, and should do the same, so identify times when you can analyze your life and think of better ways to do things.
Plan your week in at least 30 minutes and your day between 5 and 10 minutes. Although it may seem dull, doing it will help you make better decisions.
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