Forget Podcasts, Read A Book

Podcasts are all the rage, which is why I don't listen to any. Perfect for low-IQ types who lack the discipline to read a book, which requires one's full attention, a podcast lets you listen to someone spouting off while you get to do other things, like eat your lunch or clean the bathroom or go for a run. Handy yes, but ineffective if you're hoping to increase your IQ.

Indian philosopher Eknath Easwaren, whose many books are a blueprint for reaping the most rewards from the one life we've been given, stresses the importance of what he calls "one-pointed attention." Easwaren insists, after years of experimenting on himself with positive results, that to do two things at once is to dilute, and thus, downgrade both experiences.

Reading requires one's full attention. If you're out of practice, start with a short novel. I recommend Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, a mere 76 pages. This haunting novel will shut out the world the first time you read it, and the many times that will follow.