Catswatch

This is a good exercise to run through just before sitting down to a project that requires mental sharpness.

Time: Five minutes

Materials: A pen and some paper, an alarm clock, stopwatch or timer.

Body position: sitting

Step 1: Pick up any form of printed material and select the first noun you see, e.g., the word “frost” on the weather page.

Step 2: Sit down and set the timer to ring in five minutes.

Step 3: At the top of your paper, write the noun you’ve selected. For the next five minutes, write as many phrases or words as you can that tie in with this noun. Don’t stop to think or analyze: Just write. (For example: “Jack Frost”, “frostbitten”, “defrost the freezer”…). The idea is to beat the clock by writing as quickly as you can, even if the associations seem silly. After five minutes, stop, “shake out” your mind by counting to 20, and continue your day.

3. Stretching Your Brain To The Max:

Time: 10 minutes.

Materials: A book, magazine or newspaper.

Body position: Sitting.

For 10 minutes, pick up your reading material, hold it upside down and read it aloud. Immediately you will notice that your reading comprehension and speed decrease dramatically as your brain struggles to “right” the words. This only means that your mind is working harder to stretch and accomplish the task.