- Cut back on TV time: Binge-watching shows is a big no-no. You cannot gain anything constructive by spending hours watching shows. Your brain enters into passive mode while watching TV so it’s better for your health to keep it active and occupied with productive activities.
- Ted Talk: Watch a Ted talk daily. There is a lot that you can learn from smart people who have brilliant ideas and discoveries to share. There are talks that range between 5–20 minutes so choose one everyday. By the end of the month, you would have benefited more.
- Research: Get into the habit of finding out about stuff on your own. Research extensively on the internet about topics that interest you and about how stuff works. You can use Google Scholar for authentic information. Learn something new everyday, dedicate at least 30 mins to it. Also, share your knowledge and teach it to others as you learn more by doing/execution/implementation.
- Reading: As always mentioned, reading is important and healthy for your aging brain. Whether it is a book, newspaper article or articles online, for instance, Huffington Post, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest & Narrative Magazine, Success Magazine, New York Times, Time Magazine, make it a daily habit. Furthermore, look up new words in the dictionary. Download a good dictionary app and it would be less time-consuming to find the meaning of unfamiliar words/expressions. Oprah Winfrey once mentioned that she always preferred reading a book than watching TV.
- Language: You can use the Duolingo or Babbel apps to get started. It gets you acquainted with different people, cultures and words. It opens your mind to new experiences. It also helps enhance your communication skills.
- Online Courses: This is another way of learning about topics and developing your skills. You can browse through courses and enroll in one that interests you then move on to the next. Websites such as, Coursera, Alison, LinkedIn Learning, MIT open courses & Khan Academy are excellent for this purpose. Apps like Curiosity and Blinkist are also helpful in this regard. Curiosity sends 5 articles daily, related to different subjects. In Blinkist, you get to read a few chapters from a non-fiction book everyday!
- Documentary: This is another option to replace watching long hours of shows. You can use these websites: Documentary Heaven, Top Documentary Filmsand National Geographic.
- People: Go out, hang out with people. Hang out with those who are smarter. Be open to meeting new people. Get to know others. Every person is coming from a different background, perspective and experiences. You can learn a lot from them.
- Reduce social media usage: Just like TV, limit the amount of time using social media. That time can better be spent watching a Ted talk or reading.
- Exercise: It can be as simple as taking a walk, helps clear your head and think. It also significantly lowers your chances of degenerative diseases. If done continually, it keeps you in shape, good health and maintains your appearance. Moreover, eat to live, not the other way around!
By Catherine Mungai
An Outgoing girl based in Nairobi, Kenya who loves life, writing and reading.