How To Improve Your Cognitive Fitness
Building your cognitive fitness is like training for a marathon (or events of similar intensity)
We focus so much on training physically but forget to train our brains to navigate an ever increasing environment of cognitive demands. By training our cognitive fitness we end up gaining a lot in the long run - at work, in relationships and opening new doors we never knew existed.
Unfortunately we're quite often just winging it because 'it works'.
Why do we struggle to build our cognitive fitness?
Too many distractions
Attempting to crowd please
Things work (or so we'd like to believe) so why bother?
Unaware of the fact that we can be much better
Truth is, there are ways to build our cognitive fitness if we're up for it. Here's how:
Step 1: Embrace Boredom
The default action when we have some spare time is to take out our phone or binge an episode on Netflix.
It's one thing to spend time on leisure intentionally, it's another to do it every time there's a chance. The mind doesn't have time to rest; it's constantly getting hits of dopamine while growing numb to it over time.
So next time you have 5-10 minutes between a task, don't reach out for your phone. Embrace the silence.
“To simply wait and be bored has become a novel experience in modern life, but from the perspective of concentration training, it’s incredibly valuable.”
― Cal Newport
Step 2: Read more books
Embracing boredom doesn't always mean you sit doing nothing. Replace the silence with activities that are good for the brain.
Reading is like having a high nutrition diet. You're focusing on a highly rewarding activity that is cognitively demanding and adds value. Read on topics that interest you and go all in.
Step 3: Appreciate and Reflect on your abilities
We look at geniuses and think they were born that way but the truth is, they've spent their whole life diving into things they're passionate about.
If you're willing to ignore the cynicism that comes with embracing the things that interest you, you're being more true to yourself. You gain skills you never thought possible and build mental models that elevate your potential.
“What we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore—plays in defining the quality of our life.” ― Cal Newport