My Top 5 Favorite Cognitive-Boosting Activities

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Obviously, learning how to create this newsletter and the Pounce Pot website has been an outstanding cognitive booster for me over the past year. But not everyone is interested in learning how to design a website and publish a newsletter.

Here are my top 5 favorite activities (beyond creating The Pounce Pot!) that I routinely add to my day to keep my brain active and healthy:

1. I practice playing a musical instrument.

Our family owns a beautiful, baby grand piano that often collects dust, so I have found a very reasonable online program to help me with the upper and lower octaves. Reading music and using my hands to play an instrument simultaneously is incredibly beneficial for my brain health.

Similar to dancing (which I also try to do, at least around the kitchen) or even something like knitting with a pattern, yoga, or painting, “neuromotor” activities” work my brain and motor skills simultaneously. This dual activity is also called motor-cognitive training, and it has proven benefits, keeping my brain, and my piano, dust-free.

2. I play complex games of skill (not luck).

I’ve written about this a lot because they are so much FUN! Some games, like Foldology and The Genius Square, can be played alone; others, like Mastermind, need a partner. If it’s been awhile since you’ve played a game, try one again! Bonus points if you gather a group together for bridge or mahjong.

Out of all of my intentional brain training in the Boost Your Brain category, playing logic games is definitely my favorite. I also work through the New York Times’ Mini Crossword and Connections, which now requires a small monthly fee, but I enjoy it so much that I’m willing to be a subscriber.

3. I’m constantly learning something.

I enjoy tackling a subject and become an expert in it, or at least I try. This month, I’m studying ancient Mayan history with some textbooks, Spanish with Duolingo, and AI basics with Coursera.

I’m also a huge fan of YouTube where I’ve learned countless skills (like how to change a toilet flap!) and filled in gaps in my knowledge. Formal higher education might have ended for me in 1999, but I have not stopped learning for a moment.

4. I create art before I consume it.

Social media has turned into a tremendous passive, time-sucker for me. I realized one day that I couldn’t remember what I used to do with all of the hours that I now spend watching OTHER people be creative. I made it my goal to be creative before I waste time scrolling.

I’ve produced a lot of design work for The Pounce Pot, but I also really enjoy photography, so I’ve dusted off my old camera, and I’m taking “artsy” photos again. I also write poetry and flash fiction. You might have read my Quarantine Haiku in the Post. And, with my daughter’s help, I’m going to try painting next.

No matter what area you think you might be talented in, just give it go. No one has to see your art but you. And your future brain will thank you!

Don’t forget that skills are acquired through practice and mastery, but you’re born with talent. You just never know what you might be natural talented at until you’ve given it a go!

5. I practice multiple foreign languages.

Whether I’m practicing Spanish for my upcoming yoga and meditation retreat with my mentor, Beryl Bender, trying to connect more deeply with my Japanese friend by speaking a few meaningful sentences in her native language, or brushing up on my French so I can help my youngest son with his homework, I’m always dabbling with foreign language skills. It’s the practice that counts, not obtaining fluency. Thankfully!

These are five simple ideas, but there must be hundreds more. Let me know what you do to keep your brain engaged!