Intelligence is a lot more than just being “good at school”. It is a journey of constantly learning and improving. Even if you have completed all of the formal education in your life you still have opportunities to constantly learn new things and become “smarter”. Success habits are all about improving yourself and getting smarter is one of the most important self improvement areas!
There are absolutely different habits and steps you can take to become a smarter and more successful version of yourself.
Below is a compilation of 30 habits that you can start implementing into your life right now that will help you become a smarter and well-informed member of society. Success habits are so important for becoming smarter!
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Habit 1) read non-fiction books every month
Hint: to save money on this try getting a Kindle unlimited subscription– they have lots of great, informative non-fiction books.
Habit 2) follow current events daily
Find a few sources that you find to be the most informative and efficient ways for you to get your news. This is a very important one of the success habits!
Habit 3) take online classes in subjects you are interested in
Think about your hobbies and interests and find free online courses related to them.
Habit 4) Play brain games on your phone
My personal favorite is playing Sudoku!
Habit 5) Use a weekly planner
Staying organized is so important for a successful life! My personal favorite is the Me and My Big Idea’s Happy Planner Classic edition.
Habit 6) write in a journal daily
Journaling is a great way to keep your brain working every day.
Habit 7) make an effort to expand your vocabulary
Try the classic “Word a day” emails or apps to help you with this!
Habit 8) spend time every month truly educating yourself on relevant topics
Spending time to be truly educated on current topics in the world will truly help you be educated and informed.
Habit 9) keep a weekly budget
If you don’t already have one then start with a simple one like this one.
Habit 10) develop an efficient morning routine
This will help you keep your day on track and give you time for reading the news in the morning or a couple chapters of a book. Here is how to refresh your morning routine this month.
Habit 11) challenge yourself regularly
Make an honest and serious effort to challenge yourself and try new things that scare you regularly.
Habit 12) learn to make game plans
Learning to make game plans is one of the most efficient ways you can improve yourself. It’s basically just making a plan for handling challenges or projects.
Habit 13) use your commute time efficiently
Your daily commute is a great opportunity to listen to audio books or podcasts to improve your intelligence and knowledge. For a whole list of how to have a productive commute check this out. Being productive more often is a part of creating a new success habit that everyone should learn!
Habit 14) limit your screen time
Technology can be a wonderful tool for improving yourself but mindless screen time can have a negative effect so make it a habit to limit your screen time.
Habit 15) regularly audit who you follow on social media
Social media can be a tool for learning but if you only follow toxic and negative people you won’t be learning anything you want to! I recommend once a month or once a quarter evaluating who you follow and support on social media.
Habit 16) watch documentaries
And try to vary the subject of the documentaries regularly. Improving your knowledge will help you become more successful and create new success habits!
Habit 17) approach problems as an opportunity to learn
Changing your mentality to viewing difficult situations as an opportunity to learn is an incredible way to become a smarter and more successful person.
Habit 18) make an effort to research sources
For personal and professional knowledge, make it a habit to only use reliable and logical sources.
Habit 19) ask for help when you need it
Learning to ask for help is important for being the best version of yourself. You won’t always have every answer and that’s okay!
Habit 20) make daily goals lists
By determining your daily goals every day you will set yourself up for success and have the time to improve your knowledge.
Habit 21) practice your writing skills
Learning how to correctly and efficiently convey your thoughts and share your knowledge through writing is a great skill to have. So get into the habit of writing regularly- starting a blog is a great way to do this!
Habit 22) make travel a priority
Learning about and educating yourself to new cultures is an amazing way to expand your knowledge.
Habit 23) learn how to improve yourself from criticism
Here is a whole guide on this!
Habit 24) listen to informative podcasts
Find some regular podcasts that you enjoy that also help to expand your knowledge. There are so many options!
Habit 25) work on your mental endurance
Try pushing yourself to read a little more or play extended strategy games to help your mental endurance be strengthened.
Habit 26) make social events productive when possible
Instead of just sitting around and drinking with friends try adding word games or instead of going to a major new movie try watching a documentary at home.
Habit 27) learn a new language
Thankfully apps and YouTube have made it simple and efficient to learn multiple new languages!
Habit 28) write down annual and 5 year goals
Writing down goals for every year and every 5 years helps to keep you on track with your goals and dreams to keep you motivated to keep progressing and being the smartest version of yourself.
Habit 29) get comfortable with public speaking
Public speaking is an incredibly skill to have
Habit 30) share your knowledge
The final habit you can do to become the smartest version of yourself is to share your knowledge. By teaching others you will keep your knowledge fresh and also be able to learn where you potentially have gaps in your knowledge on certain topics.
Creating new success habits will truly help you become a more informed person and a smarter version of yourself!
Best of luck learning to implement these new success habits!
I am a severe TBI survivor of 30+ years. I am considered “high-functioning” and try to keep my mind active daily. enjoyed reading your tips and look forward to reading your newsletter.
The tips seems to be useful…. I will try my best to implement them….thanks a lot for sharing your ideas with us