Nowadays everything seems to be instantaneous, from devices connecting us around the globe in seconds to next day delivery for all our purchasing needs. It only seems fair to say that there isn’t a need to really use our brains in everyday life. If you get lost, there’s a map app for that. If you don’t know what to eat, there’s a food delivery app for that. In other words, it’s time to stop relying on technology for any and every solution and find ways to keep your mind sharp. After all, the longer we go without thinking the lazier our minds will become.
Now let’s get into some of the clever ways to get our mental clarity back and turn our minds in sharp shape again!
Learn a New Craft or Skill
Finding a new hobby is the perfect way to sharpen the brain and beat boredom at the same time. There is an abundance of different hobby ideas to choose from, and plenty of which can be done from the comfort of home. Strengthen your brain by trying something new, such as:
- Gardening
- Cooking
- Knitting
Tending to a garden is a peaceful way to stay sharp by building a routine. Making time to cook, instead of ordering in, is an engaging way to boost mood and save money at the same time. Knitting is a therapeutic way to relax with unlimited creative potential and the ability to find beautiful options from beginner to advanced projects to try.
Giving your brain a boost is easy when you use free time to entertain yourself by learning a new craft or skill. Swap television time with an engaging hobby and you’ll be sharp as a tack in no time.
Work Your Brain with Mental Exercises
There are tons of engaging mental exercises to try that are as fun as they are stimulating. Keep it simple to start by doing an exercise that tests your baseline memory. To see just how sharp your mind currently is, try the following baseline memory exercise.
Set a stopwatch for one minute and study this list of eight unrelated words:
- Dog
- Orange
- Rock
- Sword
- Desk
- Grab
- Clock
- Bank
When the minute ends, cover the list and do something else for ten minutes. After the ten minutes has passed, write down as many of the eight words that you can remember. The number of words you remember correctly is your baseline memory score. Remember, don’t let the result discourage you and instead be your incentive to keep training your brain back into sharp shape.
Keep a Journal
Although this may sound old fashion to the computer generation, simply writing with a pen to paper is a proven way to keep the mind sharp by improving working memory and communication skills. There is no method for how or what to write, just expressing yourself is enough to boost brain activity.
Start small, make a habit of writing three things your grateful for every day and keeping a journal will help sharpen your mind before you know it.