Contrary to popular beliefs, intelligence or smartness is not what we are born with. But you tend to develop smart traits as you experience various situations, learn from them, and grow. This well explains how people can have varying IQs influenced by their environments and how they were socialized.

Although IQ plays a role, it’s not the ultimate determinant of how smart you’d become.

Just like the way you train your muscles physically by lifting heavy weights every day, certain activities can also boost your mental horsepower.

And you don’t have to expend much energy and resources to form these habits. In fact, by merely adopting a simple routine, you can boost your mental horsepower and become a little smarter every single day.

If you want to become smarter, you can start off by doing simple things like…

• Daily Reading:

Have you ever wondered why the smartest people seem to read a lot? Reading is one of the easiest ways of developing more mental power. And you’d be astound on how much you’ll be able to learn when you read books daily. Opinions vary on the kind of books you should read. But whether you read fictions or nonfiction, you’re sure of learning a lot, thereby improving your mental strength over time. If you live in a City where you rely on public transportation to commute to work or school, this is a good opportunity. It’s important to  emphasize here that reading doesn’t have to necessarily take a traditional form.  You can also listen to audio books.

• Write Every Day:

You don’t have to churn out 10,000 words per day. However, you can write at least 400 words every day. If you’re not sure of what to write on, you can merely use writing as a form of reflection— write down your thought in your journal.You can write down the new things you’ve learned, ideas, and challenges. When new lessons are written down, you’ll tend to commit them into memory. This might sound silly, particularly if you are not so skilled in drawing, but you can also attempt to draw something; an object, an image in your head, or simply anything that comes to mind. The trick is to not just scribble on paper. Have an image in mind.

• Daily Exercise:

Creativity tends to flow in a healthy body. When you have a healthy body, your brain will tend to absorb information at a fast pace. Simple exercises like walking can do the trick to keep you in shape, and also boost your memory.

If you’re busy, you should exercise twice per week within the comfort of your home — you don’t have to visit the gym every time, and a 30 minutes jugging couple with 6 rounds of sit-ups could help as long as you do it everyday.

• Regulate The Time You Spend On Social Media Platforms:

Social media is filled with junk, and you can’t grow mentally by feeding your brain with junks. However, you can mindfully replace this habit by registering for online courses, listening to fascinating ted talks, and accessing several great online resources that’d boost your career.

Free time is NOT for social media, but it should be used to engage in meaningful works that’ll make you smarter. When you  do spend time on social media, make it worth it.

• Network And Surround Yourself With Smart People:

If you want to be smart, you’ve got to hang out with smart people — it’s that simple!

It’s been proven that your IQ can be determined from the average of the five closest people you move with. So, if you desire to boost your IQ and become a better version of yourself, then you’ve got to dump the average Joe and hang out with people who are smarter than you. Sorry if it sounds cold, but dumping Joe doesn’t  translate into becoming his enemy. You never know; he might be a resource to you somehow later in the future. It simply means be deliberate about  who your BFF are, and include smartness in that indicator.

At first, it may negatively affect your self-esteem, but in the long run, you’d be better off with it.

• Have Quiet Times:

Silence is golden — especially in this our our noisy world. Take out time to be alone in a quiet environment, and watch yourself grow smarter. During the quiet period, you should think, reflect, and meditate.

• Believe in Something:

Some people will say they are religious; some will say they are spiritual, and some will say they eat plants only.  It all means believing in something. Recognize the size of this universe, and take time to feel nature. Believe in humanity and feel what that positive can do to you.

You can grow smarter every single day by practicing these simple tips. In fact, you can move from being smart to being wise. Just like the way you train your muscles, you can train yourself to be smarter every single day by changing your habits and building simple habits that’ll make a big difference.

Do you know other things to do daily to be smarter? Do you disagree with any of the points above? Send in your comments!