Beyond Training

1) Do Something Challenging: Whatever you do to train your brain, it should be challenging and take you beyond your comfort zone.

2) Choose Complex Activities: Good brain training exercises should require you to practice complex thought processes, such as creative thinking and problem-solving.

3) Practice Consistently: You know the saying: practice makes perfect! Dr. Morris says, “You can’t improve memory if you don’t work at it. 

1. Single-Task

These days many people rarely do just one thing at a time: Have you ever watched TV while browsing social media, emailed someone while getting your morning coffee, or read a book while listening to music?

Here’s the thing: Multi-tasking, skim-reading, and hopping from task to task may seem effective, but in reality, it’s the opposite.

“We keep loading ourselves down so we’re mentally exhausted all the time. Our battery is too worn down to really engage in deeper-level thinking.

The businessman and professor John Thornton said, “Meditation is to the mind what exercise is to the body – it warms and invigorates.”

Science has shown that mindfulness meditation helps engage new neural pathways in the brain. These pathways can improve self-observational skills and mental flexibility – two attributes that are crucial for success. 

Another study found that “brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators.”

Most people think negative thoughts from time to time, but these thoughts can prevent us from achieving our goals. The Roman philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius knew the power of our minds and wrote in Meditations, “Our life is what our thoughts make it.”

Thankfully, you can train your brain to be positive by reframing negative thoughts whenever you notice them.

Whenever you feel low, check-in with yourself and try to identify the negative thought-loop at play. Perhaps you’re thinking something like, “who cares,” “I’ll never get this right,” “this won’t work,” or “what’s the point?” 

It might sound obvious, but one of the best ways to train your brain is to rely on your memory more often.

For example, if you have a to-do list or shopping list, try to remember the next item before checking the list. You could also memorize your debit card numbers, friends’ phone numbers, license plates, and addresses.

Get into the habit of committing things to memory.

Another way to train your brain is to read often, preferably every day.

Science has proven that reading can enhance your cognitive function, develop your language skills, and increase your attention span.

Plus, not only does the act of reading train your brain for success, but you’ll also learn new things!

What better way is there to practice learning than simply learning something new?

If you want to train your brain for success, here’s what to do: Determine what you want to achieve, then reverse engineer the steps you need to take to achieve it – and learn about each step as you go.

If you like to play games, why not play ones that also train your brain? 

There are many different brain training apps on the market, many of which are free. Here are some free brain training apps that have been proven to strengthen neural pathways and enhance your cognitive abilities:

Lumosity: iOS / Android

Peak: iOS / Android

Elevate: iOS / Android

The state of your mind has a massive effect on your success and happiness.

When learning how to train your brain, the activities you choose should be challenging and complex. They should also train your brain to learn new things quickly, focus intently, and be productive.