6 Habits to Help You Become Smarter

Sure, there are some tricks to it, but that’s not the hard part. The real challenge is trying to be useful. Even then, being useful isn’t the hardest part either. The hardest part is thinking clearly — having a single idea you want to share, and making it helpful at the same time.
That’s what I’ve committed to this year. And we’re just 10 days away from completing it!

While reflecting on this journey, I started thinking about how to think clearly when so many thoughts are running through your mind. Today, I want to share with you six habits that will make you smarter. Of course, these are my ideas — you might come up with five others of your own.

1. Read Books and Articles to Gain New Perspectives and Become Smarter

This is a habit I started a long time ago. Back then, it was harder because carrying one or two books everywhere you went required planning. Now, with a smartphone, you can carry countless articles and digital books with you all the time.

Today, while waiting for my vaccination appointment, I found the perfect opportunity to continue reading a book I had started.

“Reading allows you to access the best thoughts of others and see the world through a different lens.”

Reading gives you access to the talents of others. It offers a way to view the world through another’s eyes. Very few activities will challenge and change you as much as the act of reading.
So, make it a regular habit.

2. Write Blog Posts to Think Clearly and Improve Self-Expression

Reading generates ideas in your mind. The trick then is to get those ideas out of your head — that’s where blogging comes in. Write, even if no one else reads it. It will help you think more clearly.

Inside our heads, we often skip over steps. We jump from idea to idea, even when we make illogical leaps, because we don’t have to “put our work on display.”

My son loves doing math in his head, which drives my wife crazy. All she wants is for him to write down his steps so we can see where he went wrong and help him improve.

The same applies to thinking, clarity, and effective communication. We get better at all of it when we practice writing — and write often.

3. Practice Public Speaking to Develop Clear Thinking and Smarter Communication

Among these habits, this is the one that scares most people the most. I get it — public speaking can be terrifying.
But you don’t need to start in front of 3,000 people.

Begin with any meeting you attend, even if it’s just four people. Learn to take the risk of standing up and presenting your ideas, opinions, or solutions related to the meeting topic.
It’s similar to writing — it helps you think more clearly.
Most of the time, we start sharing an idea and then get distracted. This distracts others too, and we often don’t even remember what our original point was!

To me, becoming smarter isn’t about innate ability or IQ. It’s about developing habits that anyone can cultivate. And these first three — reading, writing, and speaking — are foundational for growing into a smarter person.

4. Join a Community to Test Your Ideas and Grow Smarter Through Feedback

Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
Years later, he explained this famous quote more thoroughly.

I believe it's very true. When we come up with ideas in our heads, they seem brilliant and perfect.
But it’s only when you bring your ideas into a community — where they’re exposed to other people's scrutiny and differing opinions — that you find out if they’re actually good.

When you connect with a community, you learn how to present a case, build an argument, defend it, and improve it — all in a safe space where you can get valuable feedback.

Believe me, it will make you smarter.

5. Keep a Journal to Organize Thoughts and Increase Mental Clarity

People often have millions of thoughts racing through their minds about work and family life.

Using a journal to track your thoughts without relying on your memory helps clear your mind and reduces the stress of trying to juggle everything at once.

After you journal, write down all the thoughts you have about what you need to do.
Getting it all on paper allows you to sort through them and identify what’s truly important.
Then, you can prioritize your next actions.

There are many ways to organize and even decorate your journal.
Make it something fun and personal so you’ll look forward to writing in it and are more likely to keep it up.
You can decorate the cover or even the inside pages.
If you want to combine a vision board with your journal, you can cut out pictures representing your goals and paste them inside as daily reminders.

If you prefer a simpler, minimalist approach, you can simply write your goals and thoughts plainly and focus on how to achieve them.
Or, if you enjoy a more colorful and playful journal, you might try bullet journaling, adding doodles and colorful lettering.

You may have bigger goals that require regular small steps.
These could relate to critical areas like finances, relationships, nutrition, or fitness.
For these, you might want separate journals to track not just the goals but also your attitude and progress over time.

Seeing how far you’ve come compared to your early entries can be incredibly motivating and shows that your goals are truly achievable.

Journaling in any form is a powerful way to cut through the mental noise that often overwhelms and stresses us out.

Seeing your goals and thoughts written down keeps you focused on what matters and helps you figure out the best steps to reach what you want.

6. Teach Others to Learn Deeply and Strengthen Your Understanding

I’ve saved the best for last: “Nothing helps you learn more than teaching it.”
It might seem now that I’m teaching you things I’ve personally learned from experience — and that’s exactly right.

We don’t become smarter by keeping all our ideas locked inside our heads.
We need to write them down and bring them into the world so others can use them too.

Most importantly, by helping others learn, we also discover whether our ideas only work in our specific context or if they can apply more broadly.
When you realize your idea can be applied elsewhere, you’ll be thrilled to share it.

This final habit is one of my favorites when it comes to coaching people on self-learning and personal growth.
When I provide a framework that helps someone think through a problem, I know they’re about to have an “aha” moment.
And as I continue creating new frameworks, I revisit and deepen my understanding of concepts, ideas, and how they are best presented.

These six habits are distinct but interconnected.
Ultimately, they all point to one core concept: your ideas are refined and matured when they are put out into the world and tested.

Although I’m wrapping up a year of daily blogging, I’m still exploring what lies ahead in the coming year.
I hope that some of these ideas have genuinely helped you become smarter.