Main topic: Quick thinking tips for high achievers
As you grow old, your brain tends to change. Aging will cause major changes to your brain size, cognition, and vasculature. But, what if you are in your 20s, 30s, and already noticed your mind being forgetful, sluggish and slow.
How to maintain your mental sharpness and get back to the quick thinking track? We did the research, so you won’t have to. Read on.
1. Meditate for 40 Minutes Daily
We all have heard about the major benefits of meditation, more or less. Haven’t we? Meditation reduces stress, improves sleep, and controls anxiety – almost everyone is aware of these benefits.
But, did you know meditation can improve the connection in our brain? Yes, you heard me right. As per the Harvard Health Blog, mindfulness meditation actually improves connections in our brain. Thus, meditation could improve your quick thinking ability. Meditate for 40 minutes daily, and you will get more clarity of thinking. Thus, your brain will remain young, even if your hair turns grey.
2.Read and Stimulate Your Brain Intellectually
Frequent cognitive activities slower cognitive decline – a recent study in the journal Neurology showed this fact. Reading books, practicing counting, solving crossword puzzles – all these cognitive activities minimize the risk of Alzheimer’s and help you maintain brain function. The more you read or stimulate your brain intellectually, the more chances are there that your brain will connect the dots faster, leading to quick thinking.
3.Stand on Your Feet and Work
Standing up improves selective attention and enhance cognitive control – did you know this? Yes, this is what one of the articles published in Sage journals says.
Office workers spend too much time sitting at work. As a result, they often have to deal with several health conditions, like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc. The best thing office workers like you can do to keep your brain more active and keep diabetes, high blood pressure, and other diseases at bay is to set a sit-stand schedule. Whether you have a height-adjustable standing desk or not, find ways to set a sit stand routine at work.
4.Be Sarcastic and Crack Jokes
You might be thinking about how being sarcastic or telling jokes helps in maintaining brain function? Here is what the study says – sarcasm exercises our brain because it has to work hard to understand and translate sarcastic remarks. To ignite your creative spark and sharpen your head, just take a break and crack some jokes with your co-workers.
5.Solve a Jigsaw Puzzle
One of the best things you can do to strengthen your brain is to work on jigsaw puzzles. Whether you collect a 500-piece image of the Statue of Liberty or just a 100-piece Mickey Mouse image, solving jigsaw puzzles always boosts both your brain and memory.
6.Exercise Daily
Exercise boosts our memory and thinking skills. Don’t think that I am saying this without any proof. I came to know about this from one of the health articles published by Harvard Medical School. Exercises have a lot of mental and physical health benefits, including:
- Treating mild to moderate depression
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Helping in maintaining a healthy weight
- Increasing energy levels
- Improving brain function
7.Dance to Your Tune
If you ask how dancing can be beneficial for your mental health, I have the following things to say: learning dance moves increase the processing speed of your brain, lift your mood, sharpen your brain and mind and reduce stress.
Why don’t you try one of the below-given dance activities and test it out:
- Go for jazz or Zumba class
- Join a hip-hop or salsa dance class
- Enjoy ballroom dance with your partner
8.Play Chess with Your Friend
Playing chess is a great way to sharpen your brain and also to trigger your creative thinking. From increasing intelligence to improving memory – chess has several benefits. To keep your brain, sometimes take a break and play chess with colleagues, friends, or family.
9.Learn New Skills
Learning new skills could always be fun. The best part is, it will also help in improving the connections in your brain. When people start learning new skills, they get excited, which leads to a dopamine rush experience.
So, what do you want to learn? Think about it and give It a try. It could be a software program, new dance steps, cooking, etc.
10.Stick to a Healthy Diet
Improve your diet, and you will start seeing the difference within a few days. Good nutrition helps our mind and body function in a better way. To keep your brain more active and reduce the risk of developing dementia and cognitive impairment, make a balanced diet chart with nutritionists’ help and stick to it.
11.Start Playing Cards
Do you know how to play cards? I suppose you know because almost all of us played cards at least once in our life. Playing card games could be beneficial for your brain health since it will improve your thinking skills and memory. Play any of the following card games to keep your quick thinking game high:
- Bridge
- Hearts
- Poker
- Solitaire
- Crazy eights
12.Learn a New Language
No matter how old you are, learning a new language can always be beneficial for your brain. As mentioned in an article published by Live Science, a reputed science news website, learning new languages help people improve their brain function, no matter when they start. Your brain will have to work hard when you start learning a new language, and thus it will become more active.
13.Find a New Hobby
Is there anything you always wanted to do that makes you happy? When you start asking these questions to yourself, there are chances that you will find new hobbies. It could be painting, cooking, knitting, or gardening. When you discover a new hobby and pursue it, you will feel better, and it will activate your brain.
14.Connect with New People
Social connection improves our brain function. Suppose you ask how, here is my answer to you. When you meet new people and spend time with them, you open yourself to new opportunities and ideas. Your brain benefits the most when you connect with new people who are different from you. So, when anyone invites you to join for a coffee, don’t feel embarrassed or hesitant about it. Feel free to flirt with strangers sometimes. Remember, it could be beneficial for your brain.
15.Practice Writing with Your Non-dominant Hand
Most of us are right-handed. Are you also a right-handed person? To confuse your brain or keep it more active, you can try performing your day-to-day tasks like writing, eating with your non-dominant hand, that is, your left hand. Using the non-dominant hand to perform tasks is a great way to encourage your brain to engage in a new way.
16.Play an Instrument or Listen to Music
As I have come to know from a health article published by Johns Hopkins Medicine, listening to music is a great way to keep our brain young. Researches have shown that listening to music can be beneficial for our mental health since it helps in reducing pain, anxiety, and stress. You will get the same benefits when you play an instrument. To improve your sleep quality and memory, just listen to music or play an instrument for a few minutes.
17.Organize Your Desk
Whether you have a convenient office desk or a height-adjustable Fitnest electric standing desk, you will always feel better when organizing it properly. To improve your productivity and focus, declutter your desk properly. This is how; you can prepare your brain a clear space to enhance quick thinking whenever needed.
18.Read and Memorize Poetry Anthologies
How reading and memorizing poetry anthologies can boost your brain and improve your memory? You might be thinking about it. When you read or memorize long poems, your brain has to work hard, which means it has to remain active at this time. Poetry triggers several parts of our brains, and those parts are associated with memory. Thus, memorizing poems will undoubtedly improve your brain function.
19.Change Your Daily Schedule
Your brain has to put less effort when you repeat the same actions. Therefore, changing your daily routine will be beneficial for your brain if you want to activate quick thinking. This will also bring you new opportunities for trying new things.
20.Go Offline for a Week
To improve your productivity and also to activate your grey cells, you can take a break from social media. Just go offline for a week and spend some time with yourself. During this break, you can dive deep and think about your life. Introspection or self-reflection is a great way to keep your grey cells active.
Conclusion:
The 20 tips to improve your quick thinking in today’s article are: Meditate four 40 Minutes Daily, Read and Stimulate Your Brain Intellectually, Stand on Your Feet and Work, Be Sarcastic and Crack Jokes, Solve a Jigsaw Puzzle, Exercise Daily, Dance to Your Tune, Play Chess with Your Friend, Learn New Skills, Stick to a Healthy Diet. Start Playing Cards, Learn a New Language, Find a New Hobby, Connect with New People, Practice Writing with Your Non-dominant Hand, Play an Instrument or Listen to Music, Organize Your Desk, Read and Memorize Poetry Anthologies, Change Your Daily Schedule, Go Offline for a Week.
Taking good care of your brain is as important as doing the same with your physical health. When you focus on your brain health and incorporate brain exercises into your daily life, you can expect a better memory.
Are the given ways helpful for you? Do you have any better ways to activate the brain? Just leave a comment and share your thoughts. In case you are thinking about getting standing desks at the office and setting a sit-stand schedule to improve your selective attention and productivity, you can follow us on Linkedin or Instagram.
No products in the cart.