Just like any muscle in your body, your brain gets stronger when you exercise it regularly. If becoming smarter is your goal for 2017, here are 7 hobbies you can try to achieve it.

Guitar Playing

Playing the guitar gives your brain a full workout as several mental processes go on at once. In fact, a study done by Cambridge University showed that musicians visualize music in terms of its shape, and then process that as a form of practice.

There are lots of online tutorials and mobile apps to help you learn how to play. Once you learn a few basic chords, you’ll be eager to master your first song.

Solving Puzzles

It’s almost impossible to not love puzzles. They are excellent brain teasers that stimulate your mind and make you think.

If you are a busy person with very little spare time, you can solve puzzles even when you’re on the plane or train. It will help you become smarter without having to spend a lot of time or money.

Learning Spanish

Do you have a passion for countries, languages, and cultures? If you do, then learning Spanish will be a good hobby to improve your intellect. Learning a new language will not only expand your linguistic skills, but also give you a better insight of the culture and traditions of the Spanish people.

The trick to learning a new language is to practice it often and converse with other Spanish speakers. It is recommended to learn a new language as early as possible, so now is the best time to start.

Knitting

Knitting keeps your mind sharp as it requires you to follow instructions, use patterns, and perform several other several cognitive tasks. Anyone can be a knitter, but it is especially helpful for seniors who want to keep their brains sharp.

Lock Picking

Lock picking is a cool hobby that will train your mind to think even in the toughest situations. It will mentally challenge you and give you a sense of euphoria once you hear the click.

This hobby is for anyone, including older individuals or people that have physical limitations. You just need the right lock picking tools and you’re good to go. If you do not know how to lock pick, you can find a lot of online videos to show you how it is done.

Taking up Yoga

Yoga has a lot of benefits, from stress relief to improving mental and physical strength. It improves your flexibility and posture as well. Researchers also found that participants who joined a session of yoga exercise had better cognitive performance compared to those who engaged in aerobic sessions or those who did not exercise at all.

Star Gazing

Star gazing is a fun hobby that will refresh your senses and increase your knowledge on heavenly bodies. Most people who do this don’t just stop there; they eventually learn about the universe in great detail.

Before you begin this hobby, you can head to your local library and read about astronomy and space. You can also find a lot of information online. If you can, go to a planetarium and get familiar with constellations and the solar system.

Another year has come, which means another opportunity to make your life better than before. New Year is a great way to change things, learn from your mistakes, and become the better version of yourself. Thus, you have an entire year to create new memories and make 2017 your best year yet.

It always feels good whenever a new year has begun. This is the perfect time to reflect on the things that happened to you in the past year and be grateful that another year has arrived to make things right. In case you are seeking for a change this 2017, then make sure that you are ready for it. It won’t be a walk in the park, but you can definitely give it a try.

Hence, here are some ways to be more productive, happier, and healthier this new year:

Start your own business

2017 is the ideal year to start your long overdue business. If you have been planning to run your own venture for quite some time already, then this is the perfect time to begin. Once you have the capital for your business, you can already give it a shot. Running a business is tough, especially if it is your first time. However, with patience, effort, and perseverance, you will be able to make it.

Stop complaining

It’s already 2017 and you have to quit all the negativity in your mind. Instead of seeing the negative side of life and complaining about things, just count your blessings and be grateful. There is no point in seeing all the wrongs or problems in your life because life is better when you think positively. More so, you will become happier if you see the good in people and look at the brighter side of things.

Cut negative people out of your life

One of the most effective ways to lift your spirit up this New Year is to cut all the negative people out in your life. You don’t need people who constantly drag your own happiness, so it’s better to let them go. Your life will be way too fine once you stop talking to this kind of people and at the same time, you will be free from stress and pressure that they always bring in your life.

Pick a new hobby

In case you really want to make this year better, then pursue a hobby that you like or want to try for a long time already. Hobbies can make you feel more energized and let you meet new people that share the same passion as you. Additionally, whatever hobby you choose, it can help you cope with stress. Aside from working hard, you can try any hobby to have a meaningful and active life.

These things mentioned above will help you survive 2017 and make it a better year for you. Simply choose happiness and positivity all the time, for these will give you more reasons to live life to the fullest. Thus, start the year right and make the most out of it.

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Most people study wrong. That is to say more specifically, most people don’t do it the right way at all. Most people waste their time taking too long to study, and on top of it the quality of that studying is really not that good.

Here are a few pointers put together to help improve study habits. You may or may not know some or all of these, but many of these will surprise most people:

1) Study in short bursts

Human beings have limited attention spans. Even a practiced yogi has a hard time focusing for more than a certain amount of time. It is recommended for maximum efficiency that you switch tasks after a maximum of 30 minutes doing something. Do ANYTHING else, then go back to studying.

2) Study more than once a day

Since you are not going to study for hours at a stretch anymore, you will have a lot more time. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t study more than 30 minutes per day. In fact, the best strategy is usually to do it for up to 30 minutes, but 3-4 times per day.

3) Take a day off per week

More than one ancient culture recommends this, and it’s completely true. You are not a machine, and you need a day off to recharge your batteries. People who do the same thing 7 days a week without a break wear themselves down and turn into zombies. Don’t be a zombie.

4) Study material as soon as it comes to you

Learning something thoroughly right away, then coming back to it and reviewing it before you are to be tested on it is surprisingly much more efficient. As a matter of fact, studying the night before a test does very little for memory retention and only makes you unnecessarily tired.

5) Be in the right frame of mind

Make sure you are alert before you start studying, or the quality of your studying will be compromised. This includes giving optimum hours of the day (for most people these are the morning hours) over to studying. This may not always be so easy to do, so there are ways around this, which brings us to:

6) JUDICIOUSLY use chemical aid

There are plenty of cheap safe and LEGAL substances you can use to help with wakefulness and mental alertness. These start with the time-honored coffees and teas of the world. Some people even chew nicotine gum. I prefer modafinil, which is newer and can be bought online. One thing I like about it is that it comes in various dosages and strengths so it is easy to choose which one is right for you.

So the next time you sit down to study, may it flow more efficiently for you due to this small bit of advice.

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