If you feel that you’ve got the basics down, (eat well, exercise, sleep, manage stress), it’s time to move on to other ways you can optimize your brain power…
Challenge Your Brain
Turn off the TV and all your digital products. Read some books instead. They can be a mixture of fiction and nonfiction that will improve your vocabulary and allow your brain to paint a mental picture of what it is absorbing.
Next, start doing puzzles — number puzzles, word puzzles, etc. Aim to challenge your brain every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes at a time. You can find brain teasers that will get your mind working. It improves your cognitive abilities to solve problems and will keep your mind focused and not distracted.
Classical Music
For years new parents have been playing classical music for their unborn babies and young children to help them perform better as students. Did you know that even as an adult classical music can help you think more clearly? Even if you are not a fan of this genre, listening to it regularly can help ease your stress and improve your mood.
This has been termed the Mozart Effect. People argue about whether or not it can raise IQ. At the very least classical music helps with dopamine secretion which can lessen stress, lower blood pressure and help you operate in a more relaxed manner.
Clear the Clutter from Your Mind
If you want to improve your brain function, you have to be willing to clear out the clutter that is weighing it down. If you are a digital addict, constantly on a gadget accessing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., consider doing a digital detox to cleanse your mental palate.
Once you have abstained from technology devices or at least minimized them, you will be able to feed your brain information that helps it. You might feel jittery or uneasy at first about not being on social media platforms or being able to access your electronic devices. However, as time goes by, your mind will become more calm and better able to focus. You will find yourself more creative and more productive. The longer you can let go of your devices, the better your brain may perform.
Once you have cleared your mind of digital clutter, implement a regimen of mindful meditation. Meditation is more than just a simple focus exercise for the brain. It can drastically reduce stress levels and improve cognitive functions. Your immune system and cardiovascular systems will also benefit.
End Distractions
Much easier to say than to actually do this, right? But being surrounded by endless distractions and expecting your brain to perform perfectly is asking too much. While some people are able to naturally drown out all the noise, most people cannot do this.
To make matters worse, we often overburden our own brain by intentionally giving it multiple things to focus on at once. If you often have two or three computer monitors, with multiple tabs open on each so that you can multitask, consider changing that habit. You probably aren’t multitasking at all.
Instead, give your brain a single function that it can dedicate all of its energy to. You will see the full potential for carrying out the tasks on your ro do list. Shut out as many outside distractions as possible — TV, kids, etc.
Develop Systems to Require Less Brain Power
Finally, help your brain perform better by simply giving it systems that require less of its power. There’s no need to make it work harder than it needs to. The first thing you can do is create systems for tasks that you do again and again. Your mind will be able to operate on autopilot, fully functioning and knowing how to get certain things done without having to go back and refer to instructions or figure it out on its own. Break the major tasks down into bite sized ones. Feelings of overwhelm often cause people to freeze up feeling paralyzed and unable to move forward because the task seems insurmountable.
Improving your brain power can not be guaranteed but it will help if you implement steps to protect your mental health, promote smart brain health decisions and actively engage in activities that will give you a mental boost.
