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Guest Contributor: Gabe Nelson
The human brain is one of the most complex and efficient organs in the body. Taking the right steps to keep your brain performing to the best of its ability throughout your life is crucial to improving daily activities. Memory is one of the most crucial functions of your brain, and it is used all day everyday for a multitude of tasks and actions.
Since we use our memories throughout the entirety of our daily life, finding ways to put our brains to the test and improve our memory is important to keeping things running smoothly. Short little mind games and tricks that can be done while you are going about your business are a great way to multitask and keep up with your mental exercise.
Memory Joggers are another great way to strengthen your memory and improve cognitive function over time. This can help your brain exercise recall. Through trivia or general memory recall activities, your brain will have a “reminiscence” experience where helpful brain activity takes place. These joggers are perfect to improve memory and increase effective function when used on a regular basis.
Taking advantage of some simple tips and tricks you can do throughout your day is the perfect way to improve your memory on the go!
1 Math
Although you may never use everything you had to learn in high school algebra, math is all around us and is a focal point of much of our everyday life. While you can avoid digging into a textbook and doing all the homework you dreaded in school, taking time to do some quick mental math in your head throughout the day is a great way to improve your memory!
Even before you get up in the morning you can do some quick calculations to map out your day. What time to get up, how long you have to complete tasks, and how long in between each activity you have during your day is all math. Mapping out your schedule using simple math to figure out how much time you need and where you can spare some free seconds keeps your memory moving with you and keeps you right on track to get things done!
While you may not normally use much math in your daily life or profession, challenge your mind to put down the calculator and work things out in your head. If you are out grabbing some essentials from the store, try to work out what the cost will be before you get to the till and see how close you are. At home, do a few quick calculations about bills and check your answers.
Working some quick mental math into your day-to-day is a great way to put your mind to the test and improve your memory!
2 Words
Communication and the words we use to speak our minds are crucial to our everyday life, and integrating some wordplay into your schedule is a perfect way to put your mind to the test and improve your memory!
Simple wordplay is one of the easiest ways to make some new additions to your vocabulary and recall more terms from the depths of your mental thesaurus. Throughout the day look around at objects and other words that catch your eye and try to name off all the synonyms and different ways to say what you see. Also, try to think of words that rhyme or sound similar to what you have named off.
As well as recalling words and synonyms in your head, try to think of other things similar to what you see, and put them into categories. This helps keep your mind active throughout the day as well as forces you to remember what you know about words and things you see.
Playing word games in your head while going about your daily business is a simple and enjoyable way to improve your memory on the fly!
3 Lists
At any given time throughout our busy day, our brains are working hard to process and recall information from our memories. With all the data and activities occupying our minds a useful and effective way to keep track of all the info is by using lists.
Making a To-Do list before you kick start an active day is a great way to help your brain remember all the things you need to accomplish. Not only is it a great physical reminder of what needs to get done and in what order, sitting down and writing a list helps commit the information to memory.
Apart from your list of activities and important tasks throughout the day, while you are out accomplishing your goals you can take note of what you see around you and organize those things into lists in your head. Making lists of objects and other sights you see throughout the day helps keep your mind active and tests your memory’s ability to organize a variety of things into categories.
Taking advantage of some simple and effective ways to make lists of all your activities and tasks as well as the odd objects you see throughout the day is another excellent way to exercise your memory and keep it running at full capacity!
4 Chores
Everyone has a seemingly endless list of chores and tasks that need to be done throughout their already busy day. Luckily there are a few easy and enjoyable ways to make the most out of these responsibilities by putting your brain to the test and improving your memory in the process!
We have an unbelievable amount of information we have to remember on a daily basis and at any given time our brains are working overtime to keep track of it all. An easy way to give your memory a helping hand is to make a mental note of all the chores you do around the house, when they need to be done, how long you have to do them, and what you want the outcome to be. Keeping a close eye on what needs to get done helps you commit your tasks to memory and help you get more done.
When you are doing your chores, try to add a fun new spin on old news. From cleaning to errands to cooking, doing your chores in a different order, trying new methods, or digging into the depths of your mind for old tricks and new recipes is the perfect way to improve your memory and get your daily tasks done on time!
Taking advantage of your responsibilities and chores throughout the day and turning them into a wonderful opportunity for learning and growth is a great way to strengthen and improve your memory!
5 Games
One of the most enjoyable and effective ways to put your memory to the test is through playing brain games by yourself or with a friend. It is a great way to fit in some extra mental fitness as well as giving yourself time to relax and enjoy yourself after a long day!
Memory games can be as simple as thinking of facts about the things you see while walking around or trying your best to recall someone’s name as you meet them. You can sit down at the end of a day and try to remember everything you did and saw and test yourself to see if you can remember the activities in order.
More involved brain games such as word puzzles, board games, and other memory games are a great way to improve your memory while having some fun! You can even play online puzzle games for a great brain workout that’s convenient nearly anywhere.
Making a game out of putting your brain to the test is one of the most simple and most enjoyable ways to improve your memory and have a good time doing it!
Put it to work
Taking care of your mental health and making sure to put the work into strengthening and maintaining your memory is crucial to keeping your brain functioning at a high capacity throughout your life.
Use these different tips and activities, such as listing things or Memory Joggers, to exercise your brain and improve your memory over time. Use these brain games to stimulate your cognitive function, while strengthening your brain from quick recall. The science behind these methods is crucial, showing improvements in memory and brain function when you keep your mind active each day.
Implementing some quick and simple activities that can be done nearly anywhere into your daily habits is the perfect way to trick your brain and improve your memory!
Gabe Nelson
Gabe Nelson
Gabe is a content specialist with over 7 years of experience, currently working with ImproveMemory.org. Just out of high school he set off crab fishing on the Bering sea in Alaska.
From there he went back home to finish his college degree at the University of Montana. He has written hundreds of content pieces in numerous niches.
Currently, he lives in Missouri with his wife and kids.
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