For problem-solving in particular, I’ve really enjoyed how this youtuber articulates specific strategies.
Why do you want greater intellect—what do you want to do with it?
Consider how to get directly to those ends with the tools you have available. Consider the option of disregarding the abstract concept of “intellect” entirely, and simply going out and doing whatever it is you’re waiting to do until you “get it”, modifying your approach after each mistake.
Often when those around me describe something I said or did as intelligent, it actually feels from inside as if I simply identified my goal and went straight toward it rather than getting hung up on the expectations about what was or wasn’t “supposed to” work. The insights and solutions that seem intelligent to onlookers come less from having some ephemeral “iq” trait and more from my willingness to notice the irrelevance of imagined constraints and disregard them.
Also, if you reflect on your attempts to learn things, it refines the meta-skill of learning stuff. I’ve been surprised by my ability to learn things I’d previously assumed I’d hit the intellectual wall on when I revisit them after having had more experiences of learning things in different ways. Avoid the trap of assuming that failing to grasp something quickly in one situation means you’ll never grasp it quickly in another.
For problem-solving in particular, I’ve really enjoyed how this youtuber articulates specific strategies.
Why do you want greater intellect—what do you want to do with it?
Consider how to get directly to those ends with the tools you have available. Consider the option of disregarding the abstract concept of “intellect” entirely, and simply going out and doing whatever it is you’re waiting to do until you “get it”, modifying your approach after each mistake.
Often when those around me describe something I said or did as intelligent, it actually feels from inside as if I simply identified my goal and went straight toward it rather than getting hung up on the expectations about what was or wasn’t “supposed to” work. The insights and solutions that seem intelligent to onlookers come less from having some ephemeral “iq” trait and more from my willingness to notice the irrelevance of imagined constraints and disregard them.
Also, if you reflect on your attempts to learn things, it refines the meta-skill of learning stuff. I’ve been surprised by my ability to learn things I’d previously assumed I’d hit the intellectual wall on when I revisit them after having had more experiences of learning things in different ways. Avoid the trap of assuming that failing to grasp something quickly in one situation means you’ll never grasp it quickly in another.