You might believe that intelligence is a fixed commodity and we are either ‘smart’ or not. However, the truth is that our approach to situations and our daily mental activities can hugely impact and enhance our intelligence quotient.

So how do we nourish and cultivate the garden of our mind? Here are 7 practices that you can adopt easily as part of your daily routine. It’s worth investing some time everyday to ensure that our brains remain sharp and we are intellectually stimulated.

1. Use your online time judiciously
   Spending long hours on social media sites is tempting but not necessarily value creating. The web can be a great learning resource. So spend some time daily, exploring an online course, watching some interesting TED Talks or read some informative journals online.
   
   
   
2. Read a chapter of a book everyday
   Make time for reading something everyday, whether it is fiction or non-fiction. Reading is like a workout for the brain. Besides books help us expand our horizons and become acquainted with different cultures, places and characters.
   
   
   
3. Take time to reflect and write
   Many self-help coaches believe that it is useful to write around 400 words each day…even if you don’t consider yourself a great writer. You can write about your thoughts or actual events of the day. This exercise will help you articulate your thoughts and feelings and stimulate brain activity.
   
   
   
4. Surround yourself with smart people
   It is believed that a person’s IQ is in fact the average IQ of the 5 people he hangs out with most. Needless to say, it’s a good idea to have smart friends if you want to improve your IQ!
   
   
   
5. Make an accomplishment list
   A major aspect of intelligence is happiness and a positive self-image. Rather than focusing on making ‘to-do’ lists, once can make it a practice to create ‘I did’ lists. This will help to boost confidence, a sense of accomplishment of tasks done and emotional well-being.
   
   
   
6. Do new things
   One should always be open to pursuing new interests, even if they seem entirely unconnected to your present job. All of our interests contribute to enhancing our personality and keeping our brain cells active. A well-known example is how Steve Job’s calligraphy course in college went on to have a major impact on his aesthetic sensibilities and designs for Apple products.
   
   
   
7. Your brain needs some downtime too
   It is believed that on an average a human being can have 50,000-70,000 thoughts in a day. Clearly, the brain also needs to rest sometimes. Meditation, physical activity or watching TV can be some ways that you give your brain a rest.