How to Have an Intellectually Stimulating Summer

I used to think I was an idiot.

I spent years assuming everyone else was smarter than me, which meant I stayed quiet far more than I should have. I wouldn’t speak up in meetings, I’d hold back at dinner parties, and I’d automatically assume the loudest person in the room probably knew the most. Looking back, that belief shaped a lot more than I realized because it made me confuse confidence with intelligence, in myself and others. I realized I’d spent years trying to seem intelligent when the people I actually admired were doing something completely different. Once I figured it out, I saw it everywhere. The people who stay with you after a conversation usually aren’t the ones with the most impressive facts, or the people who brag about the New Yorker article they read. They’re the ones who make you feel like the world is more interesting than it was an hour ago. They’re paying attention to the world but they’re also paying attention to YOU, they’re asking questions, following tiny tangents, and getting genuinely pumped when they learn something new. That’s a completely different kind of intelligence, a way more enticing form of smarts, and one that’s totally available to us all.

This week's episode of the podcast is all about this. We talk about how to become the kind of person people can't stop talking to, why curiosity is one of the most underrated qualities you can develop, and the simple shifts that can make the rest of your summer feel a whole lot richer. My hope is that instead of watching the season fly by, you end it feeling like you actually lived it.

Summer always feels like the perfect time to wander into new habits. When I was younger I’d accidentally become more interesting every summer without even trying because I was free to explore. I’d wander into bookstores, read random magazines, spend hours outside, overhear conversations, and get bored enough that my brain started making connections on its own. None of it felt productive while it was happening, but somehow I’d come out the other side feeling like my world had expanded.

Now every empty second gets filled before it has a chance to become anything. The second we’re standing in line or sitting alone for thirty seconds, we’ve got our phones out. We’ve gotten so good at avoiding boredom that we’ve accidentally started avoiding one of the biggest drivers of curiosity too.

Before I became a journalist, I worked as a research assistant in LSE’s behavioral science department, and one idea from this field that stuck with me for years i s that we spend so much time trying to become more disciplined and think ourselves into new habits, when it’s usually easier to redesign the environment around us instead. Instead of asking, “How do I become someone who reads more?” ask, “How do I make reading easier than scrolling?” For me it was about moving my library app where tiktok used to be. Or leaving a book on my pillow so that I have to move it if I decide not to read it. Your environment usually wins, whether you like it or not. So make it easier for you to do the things you actually want to do!

So here are four things I'm actually trying this summer to make sure I’m intellectually nourished instead of wasting the summer away scrolling. I'd love to hear yours too!! Leave a comment with something that's made you feel more curious, more engaged with the world, or just more alive lately. One of my favorite parts of this community is how much we all end up learning from each other, so if something has worked for you, share it! Someone else might need to hear it :)

1. Schedule boredom.

Go for a walk without a podcast. I know, crazy!! Notice how much you notice!! Sit somewhere without immediately pulling your phone out. Let yourself be bored long enough that your brain starts entertaining itself again. Wonder usually shows up a few minutes after discomfort, but most of us never stick around long enough to find out. The more we fill time, the faster time goes by. So when you have resistance over being bored, remember that you are making your summer last longer just by not trying to fill every minute.

2. Quit more books.

I know that sounds terrible, but forcing yourself through books you hate just teaches your brain that learning is miserable. I started reading a book this summer that BUMMED ME OUT. Instead of just giving up on it and choosing another one, I ended up scrolling more. So give up on the idea that finishing a book is necessary!! Give yourself permission not to. The goal isn’t finishing books. It’s reading. So if you’re more likely to read by giving up on a boring book, DO IT.

3. Ask the dumb question.

The best way to become smart is to stop trying to avoid looking dumb. The smartest people I know are constantly admitting they don’t know things. They’re the first people to interrupt someone in the group and say, “Wait, can you explain that?” I LOVE when people do this because most of the time I didn’t get it either! Trying to sound smart is the best way to kill curiosity. Asking questions usually starts the best conversations.

4. Go find something that makes you feel small.

For the very first time in my entire life, I am attempting summer fridays, by working in the morning and then taking the afternoon off to to the beach or spend time in nature. It’s not only improved my wellbeing, it’s improved my productivity! So go look at the ocean, or go to a planetarium, or just stand under some giant trees. If it’s hot, go to a museum they have AC!! The fastest way I’ve found to get out of my own head is remembering how unbelievably big the world. Perspective does something that productivity hacks never will, and sometimes the best way to expand your mind is to remember how much exists outside of it, outside of you.

I think that’s really the whole idea. I don’t want to finish the summer knowing a bunch of random facts I can repeat to people. I’d rather finish it asking better questions than I was asking when it started because every good question makes your world a little bigger than it was before.

If that question about why some people feel so intellectually magnetic made you curious too, we go much deeper into it in this week’s episode. It’s probably one of my favorite conversations we’ve had in a while.