Become Smarter Now!

3 steps to being more creative in 2008!

2008-01-01T08:45:00.001-08:00

One of the most often underestimated and overlooked aspects of becoming a smarter and more creative persons is a simple exercise that is initiated by top executives regularly.

Many great business ideas have been generated by the simple stroke of a pen on a mountain or by a lake. What is essential is a notebook, or a journal that is with you at all times. It will capture your creative juices wherever they flow.

Many times a spark will come out of nowhere -- to make your personal or business life more efficient -- if you let it go, you might never recall it again.

So here we outline the three vital steps you need to being more creative -- whether for your job, your business, or your personal life...you'll find it to be a powerful spring of ideas to make your life easier, better and more productive:

STEP 1:
You need a journal...if you want to go for the fancy ones with leather and personalized with your initials thats fine -- but a simple one will work just as well too (you can always upgrade to the fancy one after your idea takes off!).

STEP 2:
Now, most people think thats the end of it, they will get ideas, write down the ones that make sense and move on. Wrong!

The correct methodology is to write down every single idea that comes to you, no matter how stupid it might seem. Write it down -- I cannot emphasize that enough. You can always sift through them later. But what if you discarded an idea that you thought was stupid and it really wasn't?

By having a reservoir of ideas, tips, and notes to draw on, you can always go back to them later and see what is feasible and what is not.

STEP 3:
Write in your journal everyday. Now you won't be contemplating on top of a mountain or in other such natural and pristine surroundings -- so just take a few minutes at the end of the day, sit down in complete quiteness, open your journal to a blank entry and let your mind wander.

Do not force yourself to come up with something, just let your brain do its job for a few minutes in a relaxed and calm manner. If after five minutes you have nothing thats fine -- close your journal. You have done the exercise.

Eventually as you develop a stronger connection, you will start getting more and more ideas: A better way to streamline your bill-paying routine, a more productive way to spend your commute time, an idea for a small part-time business, a smarter way to do your current job and so on.

Do big words sound smart?

2007-12-29T09:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, many big words will make you sound smart and intelligent, but you really want to know what you're saying. That kind of command of the English language only comes with knowing which situations the word is best suited for. So to increase your vocabular we have a cool tool to share with you.

Typically, when you want to increase your vocabulary you're faced with the prospect of thumbing through a dictionary or thesaurus and memorizing by rote the words you want to use. Now there is a much better way, that is interactive and much more effective.

By drawing a map of related words, Visual Thesaurus (click here to check it out) gives you an amazing insight into the English language guided by the intuitive relationships each word has with another.

Through this interactive and innovative method you will be able to develop a better vocabulary, use words precisely, master word usage and improve your grammar.

Which words sound smart? [indifferent]

2007-12-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

Indifferent means having a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern for something.

Example: He's indifferent to your suffering.

Example: She is indifferent to the poverty of her relatives.

The Smart Crow never goes thirsty

2007-12-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

What are the 5 must-have skills you need to be creative? Whether in your career or business, creativity is a major asset.

So if there was a creativity toolkit what would it have? According to author Moid Siddiqui of "The Smart Crown never goes thirsty":

1.) Divergent thinking (to move from the focused to the blurred, for obtaining a wider range and a broader perspective).

2.) Lateral thinking (by creating a forced relationship between remote objects, which seem to be unrelated, and thus forging a fusion).

3.) Intuitive thinking (through which you can know the truth, though not know how you know).

4.) Angel’s advocate (as opposed to playing the devil's advocate. That is to focus on the positive side of every idea).

5.) Dissection of ideas (the application aspect of creativity to get something done).

From the folks at WikiHow: How to Be Smart

2007-12-13T13:25:00.001-08:00

Here are ten great tips on How to Be Smart by the folks at WikiHow. The article really summarizes what you need to do to get started on the path to a better intelligence.

2008 Resolution: Spend Smarter

2007-12-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

CNN Money has an article on resolving to save and spend smarter in 2008, with five tips to help you have smarter financial control in the coming year.

The most important of the five tips is #5: Getting the family involved. If the family is not involved then you will have runaway spending that is out of control, and that is not a smart thing. Inculcate the idea of sticking to a budget, and use debit cards instead of credit cards.

For further reading: Resolve to Save and Spend Smarter in 2008

Wikipedia: The Concise Guide to Sounding Smart at Parties

2007-12-13T13:07:00.001-08:00

With the holiday season here, Wikipedia has an entry about a book called The Concise Guide to Sounding Smart at Parties.

Here are some tips from the book:
*Don't Fake Knowledge. If you don't know, say "I don't know about that"
*Don't Lecture. Keep the conversation from becoming a monologue. Try to have a meaningful exchange that shows you are interested in what the other person has to say.
*Talk about topics you like.
*Don't seclude yourself like a hermit. Initiate conversation.

Which words sound smart? [spartan]

2007-12-13T09:40:00.001-08:00

Spartan is a term that should remind you of that Greek nation-state known for its rigorous self-disciplined lifestyle.

The word Spartan is mostly used today to refer to being simple, frugal, or austere.

Example: She's on a Spartan diet

Example: He lives a spartan lifestyle.

Are your smarter than a 4th grader?

2007-12-13T09:29:00.001-08:00

Its interesting to test yourself everynow and then and see if you can answer the type of questions that young American students get on standardized tests.

Its getting tougher then when you were a student. In fact, Carol Lee, a teacher with 25 plus years experiences challenges anyone to take the 4th grade English Language Arts and Mathematics to see if they are smarter than a 4th grader.

She doubts that the majority of even college-educated people will find this test easy. I looked at the exam, its a bit daunting, but its best to brush up on your long forgotten skills of synonyms, latin construction and reading comprehension before you get into a competition with a 4th grader.

If you're up for the challenge click on the following link to go though the 4th grade California Department of Education's English Language test.

Which words sound smart? [synergy]

2007-12-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

Today's word is Synergy which means: Cooperative interaction among groups, especially among the acquired subsidiaries or merged parts of a corporation, that creates an enhanced combined effect.

Example: Team work at its best results in a synergy that can be very productive.

Example: Such synergy is important, for no company will succeed without it in the Internet age.

Example: All companies should have a solid plan of forming strategic synergy and partnerships for optimum results.

Calling all software developers and IT people

2007-12-13T06:13:00.000-08:00

Ivar Jacobson has given some great advice to veteran and would-be software developers: Being smart is the most important characteristic in being a great software developer.

But what does being smart mean in relation to software development and IT? In terms of finding solutions, not just detours: "Smart is to do things exactly right, not to find a broad solution that is just about right"

Read You need to be smart for great advice on boosting your capabilities by following the correct methodology in your endeavors.

Dark Chocolate, Cold Meats and Fish boost brainpower

2007-12-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

Enjoy dark chocolate, eat cold meats and fish for breakfast and you could boost your brain power, say the authors of a new book. Cognitive psychologist Terry Horne and biochemist Simon Wooten who co-authored Teach Yourself: Training Your Brain argue that lifestyle choices are crucial for keeping you in tip-top mental condition.

Lifestyle can boost your brain power, Horne said. What your lifestyle does is help to create the chemical conditions in your brain. Horne told Reuters in an interview to mark the book’s publication that the brain is more like a chemical factory than a computer. You can create the optimum conditions in your brain, he said. You are not just a passive victim of your genes.

The authors take issue with those who argue that a decline in cognitive ability is inevitable from the age of 17 onwards. With careful lifestyle choices you can create spare cognitive capacity, Horne said.

They offer an intriguing list of do’s and don’ts and insist that people can be pro-active in keeping their brains agile. Much of it is pure common sense. Stress is bad for your thinking. Avoid excessive alcohol and smoking cannabis, he said.

'Intelligent Memory' Can Increase Brain's Productivity

2007-12-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

Dr. Barry Gordon, a doctor and professor of neurology and cognitive science recently explained on the 'The Early Show' how we can become smarter and more productive. He is a proponent of using "Intelligent Memory", which is a memory that happens automatically and substitutes for your ordinary memory as you grow older.

Basically, "Intelligent Memory" is your experience and your wisdom, gained through time at a gradual pace. It complements your forgetfulness by bringing in past experiences or events that help you recall. For example, you run over to the grocery store to get something. When you get there, you realize that you’ve forgotten your shopping list. But as you walk down the aisles and
glance at the shelves, you recall what you really needed in the first place.

The doctor who wrote the book, Intelligent Memory: Improve Your Memory No Matter What Your Age says: "The best way to improve your Intelligent Memory is to strengthen the mental processes that manage it. These processes are paying attention, storing memories or pieces, building connections, finding the right memories or pieces, and tuning the entire system by testing your results as you go along. Since Intelligent Memory learns automatically, improving it doesn’t have to be work—it can be fun. When people think slowly or produce mediocre ideas, it’s often because they haven’t tuned up their intelligent memories properly. They’ve neglected the mental activities that give intelligent memory a workout and make it perform better. Good thinkers don’t neglect these mental workouts. The situation is similar to the difference between amateurs and professionals in sports. The amateur swimmer rarely thinks of the specific parts of the motion that moves her from one side of the pool to the other. The professional swimmer, however, mentally breaks down the main components of a stroke—like the elbow lift, catch, pull, and hip rotation—and considers how she uses them while she’s swimming. That way, she makes each movement better, and makes them all work together better. "

There's a genius in you!

2007-12-12T10:20:00.001-08:00

Do you feel stupid, slow, dumb, dim-witted, or dull? Do you feel you have an emptiness in you -- that you are hollow inside? Well if you do, don't feel sorry for yourself because you're not!

Yes, there is a genius inside you, and inside everyone of us. You haven't developed it yet. Its like a lush field where the seeds are there, but you just haven't watered it enough. Well you came to the right place, because your seed (i.e. your brain) just needs water -- and we have it here.

Your brain is like a traveler in the desert that is dying of thirst. The longer you keep it going, the slower it becomes. It needs water, it needs an oasis. Welcome to the oasis for your brain, a place where you will become smarter and stay smart.